Autofit (Ipswich) Ltd. Blog » General

Christmas Opening Hours 2011

Ingrid Ward — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:05:43 +0000

Christmas Opening Hours 2011. December 24 8am-2pm. Christmas Day and Boxing Day, December 26,27 - Closed. December 28,29,30,31 8am-3pm.

PREPARING FOR WINTER

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:57:28 +0000

Despite the mild weather we have been experiencing here in East Anglia I am sure that the cold winds will soon find our lovely little corner of England; so with that thought in mind I thought I could go through some of the checks you can make on your car to keep you safe.

Winter Checklist Windscreen - Check the level in your washer bottle and make sure it has enough additive in the water to prevent it from freezing.
Battery - Drive into Autofit for a free winter battery check, the cold weather can reveal any weakness in your battery.
Anti-freeze check - Drive into Autofit to check the levels in the radiator and the freezing point of the coolant.
Air conditioning is not just for summer! - A little know fact is that your air conditioning will clear your screen faster than the heating system,this is because of the dry air it produces.An added bonus of using the air conditioning system is that it keeps both the pump and the seals lubricated .
Tyres - Drive into Autofit for a free check of your tyre pressures and tread depths to make sure that you are ready to tackle the icy roads ahead. Winter and all season tyres are becoming more popular,especially for people who live in the country and need to stay mobile for as long as possible.
Tests have shown that not only are winter tyres vastly superior in the snow but that the best outperform a quality summer tyre when the roads are wet and near freezing. (Please see my previous blog on winter tyres for more information). Please also note that winter tyres are a legal requirement in many European countries.
Please feel free to ring Autofit for any further advice 01473 723325. Stay safe this winter.

Tyre prices Due to Rise

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:52:35 +0000

Over the last few months our tyre suppliers have been increasing their prices to us on a very regular basis and this, unfortunately, has been reflected in the price of tyres to you,our customers. I think a brief explanation of the reasons for these price rises would be of interest to you all. The manufacturers have to decide, well in advance of need, which tyres to produce and how many. Europe has suffered two extreme winters which has seen a new winter tyre market develope in the UK, as a result there was a real shortage of winter tyres and the brokers just kept increasing the prices until the stock ranout!!! There is now a knock on effect for the supply of summer tyres as their production has been decreased to leave more production time for next years winter tyres. However supply and demand is only one factor in the price increases we are experiencing, the other factor is the rising cost of the raw materials; rubber and oil. Rubber prices increased by a massive jump of %65 last year and this needs to be reflected in due course in prices to the consumer. Oil prices are subject not only to natural causes but also political so the outlook for oil prices is bleak. Oil is used in the manufacturing process, also the increased cost of petrol and diesel affects the transportation costs for the wholesalers. I know this is a slightly depressing blog but I hope it helps explain the price increases we will all experience in the coming few months.We will, of course,endevour to keep these increases to a minimum. (this blog is loosely based on an article supplied by the NTDA and Stapletons)

Christmas Opening Hours

Ingrid Ward — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:41:19 +0000

Autofit Opening Times are Wed 29/12/2010 8am - 3pm thurs 30/12/2010 8am -3pm friday 31/12/2010 8am -3pm sat 01/12/2011 closed sun 02/12/2011 closed mon 03/12/2011 closed tues 04/12/2011 8am - 5.30 pm

Happy Christmas

Ingrid Ward — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:05:37 +0000

We would like to wish all our wonderful customers a peaceful and happy Christmas .and Also a " BIG THANK YOU "for your custom during 2010. We must have the best customers in Ipswich Ingrid, Kevan, Dave and all the lads at Autofit

Winter Tyres

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:58:37 +0000

After the terrible weather last year there is a lot more interest in the use of winter tyres in the UK, so I thought it should be a subject for discussion. Winter tyres are not designed to be used only with snow! They are actually designed to function at temperatures of 7C and below which is the point when summer tyres start becoming hard and lose their grip. They are designed with a chunky tread pattern to maintain better contact on ice and snow. The rubber compound used remains flexible and soft in low temperature which helps maintain grip. There are also "All Season " tyres which are made with the same rubber compound as winter tyres but with a less chunky tread, to minimize road noise and wear. Most tyres sold in the UK are summer tyres. You can see what type of tyre you have by looking at the markings on the sidewall of the tyre. A snowflake or snow topped mountain indicates a winter tyre, if there is also a sun symbol then the tyre is an All Season tyre. In Europe people have 2 sets of wheels for their car and simply swap them over with the seasons, this is fine but you do need to have somewhere to store the spare sets of wheels and with most homes owning more than one car this could be a problem! Autofit can supply and fit winter tyres to your car so if you are interested please give us a call and we will be happy to advise you.

Date for maintenance Course

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:35:23 +0000

We are holding a free maintenance course evening at 6pm on Thursday 21 October 2010. If you are interested in coming could you please register your name. Look forward to seeing a few of you Ingrid

Free Car Maintenance Course

Ingrid Ward — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:13:23 +0000

It has been far too long since my last post but the time has come to put fingers to the keyboard and start typing. The English Sun is trying to break through and hopefully you are all beginning to dream about your summer holidays. Now, if this means a long drive please remember to do some basic checks before you start. Check your tyres and their pressure and that your spare is usable Check your level of oil Visual checks of all other fluids and top up the screen wash. Now if you are unsure how to do these checks we are offering a free 1 evening course to take you through the steps needed to do them and also how to take off a wheel and replace it with your spare in case of a puncture. The evening ends with a question and answer session. The evening session lasts about 2 hours and starts at 6pm, we offer free coffee and snacks to sustain you.We are looking at holding a meeting in September We have done these evenings before and they are an enjoyable and fun way to learn some basic car maintenance skills. Please could you email an interest in this course and then we will confirm a date, probably in september, in the near future. Meanwhile if you have any worries about your car please pay us a visit. [caption id="attachment_212" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Meet some of the Autofit Team"][/caption]

Watch out for Potholes!!!

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:02:04 +0000

Driving around Ipswich at the moment has become more like an obstacle course as I desperately try to avoid the huge potholes, which have been created by our wet and freezing winter. I am beginning to wonder if the local council funds are going to be able to fill them all in?

I have had a quick recce into google to find out exactly why potholes appear where they do and am happy to share my new found knowledge with any one who is interestd. First of all you need to have rain and a surface through which it can penetrate, followed by sub zero temperatures. As we all learnt at school, water expands as it freezes and pushes everything out of its way with incredible strength. When it thaws it leaves little pockets under the tarmac which then break through as potholes when the traffic traffic drives over them. Unfortunately for us, these potholes can inflict very expensive damage to your tyres, wheels,wheel alignment and suspension so please drive carefully when you see one on the road ahead of you. We have had 2 unfortunate customers who have had to buy new wheels due to buckling from impact with a hole. Meanwhile I ponder on the timing and costs of getting all these holes filled in but until they are please drive with caution.

Exciting exhaust news!

Ingrid Ward — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:14:33 +0000

I am not sure that there can possibly be anything exciting about an exhaust, especially if the news means that it will probably cost you all more money! However the EU has sent out another edict. If your car has been registered after 01/03/01 you can only fit "type approved cats". What this means to you and me is that we can no longer buy and fit the cheaper replacement catalytic convertors to our cars. The thinking behind this move is, I believe, because the cheaper products used in these low end cats do not start cleaning the emissions as quickly as the higher spec fitments. So, if it makes you feel better you are in fact helping the environment.