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.

Meet some of the Autofit Team

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.

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.

Well here I am, L plates on the keyboard and ready to learn.

I am not sure yet where I am going with this space but at the moment I am hoping for a relaxed environment in which to open up the mysterious and oftening frightening environment of your local garage!

Let me introduce myself and my workplace.

I am Ingrid and my workplace is Autofit in Britannia Rd, Ipswich. Autofit is a very busy local motorist centre where we do all the usual garage stuff of tyres, servicing, Mots and so on.

My other half, Kevan and I started Autofit when I was very pregnant with my third son. We had given up all security in the job market to start our own adventure, determined to make a success of our dream. Our vision had been to run a garage based on honesty and approachability.

23 years later and we are still here and I am looking to pushing us into the 21 century via the internet and social networking.

However, I will have to learn as I go on since this is all a very new concept to me. Please forgive me all the errors on my way but feel free to help develop any ideas for the format of this blog. Also pass the word around that I am here; where you can ask any car related questions you wish and need never feel stupid. If I do not know the answer I will either try to find out or direct you in the right direction.

Interesting fact to follow……

When you buy your tyres have you ever wondered what all the numbers involved in the tyre size mean ?

e.g 205/55R16 87V

205 is the size in millimetres across the tread of the tyre. (If you were a bird it would be the size of the top of the tyre you could see!)

55 is the size of the side wall of the tyre, as a percentage of the first figure. i.e. 55% of 205 in our example. This is how fat or thin the tyre looks from the roadside, the lower this figure is the thinner and sportier the tyre looks (and also the bumpier ride)

R stands for radial and all modern tyres are constructed in this format, vintage cars often run on a crossply construction.

16 is the size of your wheel and is in inches!! (this is the hole in the tyre)

87 is the load bearing index and there is a table of weights it refers to.

V this is the speed rating and there is a table for this too.

So, time to sign out. Please feel free to add a comment or question. Humour is always good so please share with us any funny moments with your car, or garage…….