Re-map your cars computer as you drive. A lot of people get a re-map done to save fuel costs and increase performance.

I have devices good for petrol and diesel cars that i install in your car, this device re-maps, but with a difference, this device will electronically tune your car to suit the way you drive, saving you fuel and increasing performance as you drive. It optimises your computer and will not upset your computers settings, it focuses on your fuel parameters, but no other re-map accually tunes to suit the driver, most re-map back to factory settings.

I come out, scan your computer and install the device for $230, which is also cheaper than a remap you will get anywhere else.

I have one installed on my car and already i am seeing better performance and better fuel economy.

Good Oil - Great Service

People seem confused when it comes to Servicing their vehicle. They ring to book a service but don't inform that you need a Logbook service or a General Service. Remember this.

If ANY part of your vehicle is still under Warranty, you need to Service to whoever covers that Warranty.

If you have a Dealership or a manufactures Warranty, you need to Service within the guide lines of what is written in the Service Book. In most cases, you have to use genuine service parts, by a qualified Mechanic or Service Technician who is a registered business.

Remember also, you do not have to Service with the Dealership, as long as the vehicle is serviced within the Manufactures specifications, you KEEP your Warranty.

When you get a Service of any kind, insist that you know the Brand and Grade of Fluids they are using. As vehicles advance, a lot of different grades of oils and fluids are to be used according to that Vehicles Specifications. They give your vehicle specified grades of fluids to use for a reason. Their is no such thing as a generic brand of oil that is good for every vehicle, you MUST use the specified Grade and Viscosity of the fluid you need to service, if a repairer or Service center is using a bulk oil to service all vehicles, they are NOT Servicing within Manufactors spec's, you LOSE your warranty. Will that Repairer cover the remaining Warranty ? I doubt it.

If you are getting a 'Dirt' Cheap Service, i gaurantee your getting Dirt Parts and Oils, some of these oils i would not put in my lawn mower yet alone my car. Yes you will save money, but the long term your car will use excessive fuel, it won't perform and won't be pleasant to drive. Seriously people, you don't know how much you depend on your car untill it's laid up being repaired, it pays to do your weekly checks and stick to the service scedule given to your vehicle.

A general service is known as a 'lube' Service, This is the majority of Servicing i do and mostly vehicles that are out of warranty, if you wish to continue with log book service, that's fine, but things change, you may need to use a different grade of oil to compensate for wear and tear, depending on how the vehicle was looked after, it's good to have a service history, as you can refer back and see when fluids were last changed. I test your coolant and brake fluids, oil and gear oil transmission fluids etc when i change your engine oil and filter, if the one of the rest of the fluids need to be changed, then i recommend they be changed. I aslo saftey check the vehicle, all lights washers etc and check for wear etc ....

It's within your best interests to know the difference bewtween a Log Book Service and a General Service

Below is a recent pic of a Customers Vehicle i have been servicing for a few years, i use good quality oils, as you can see this engine is clean and well lubed.

Viscosity, big word hey? You would have heard of this word when it comes to oil for your car. Viscosity basically means flow, then you have your heat range like 15w-40 which means the oil flow will peek at this flow at this temperature. It's important to get the correct oil for your engine. The reason why we have so many different types of oil is the way the engine has been designed. The oil pump, oil galleries etc in your engine will determine what type of oil you need for your engine to get maximum lubrication.

Brands have a lot to do with quality of that oil. It's a good idea to find the oil that works for your engine and stick with it.

Mechanic's always try and find a universal or generic oil to suit a wide range of cars, but this is no longer relevant to today's engines. But i see they still use a bulk oil to service your car. They do this to widen the profit margins, you won't notice it straight away, but you will eventually get high fuel consumption and poor performance all due to increased friction from the wrong grade of oil used. I use only Penrite or Nulon oils and the correct grade for your engine and i've (never) had a problem with my customers cars. The profit margin is less for me, but my customers are happy and their cars run so much better as the correct oils and filters are used when they service with me.

Book a service with me and i will prove a better brand and grade of oil can give you better fuel economy and better performance. My services start from $140.00 done where ever you like. Call John 0498 483 68

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 The pics above are of a Brake Master cylinder and a Clutch master and slave set. I've been a mechanic for 34 years and worked mainly down south in the cooler places. Cairns humidity is shocking and that's why i do a lot of clutch and brake work. Reason being is brake fluid absorbs water, the high humidity up here makes the life of your brake fluid less, rust occurs inside the cylinder and the cylinder leaks. Expensive.

However the recommended time frame for this is every two years regardless of K.M. But if you change your brake and clutch fluid every 18 months you shouldn't have rust in your cylinders. I use a bendex ceramic dot4 fluid, it's about $18 per 500ml. Yes you can get brake fluid from $12, dot4 but it's probably not sufficent to run here in the tropics. So next time you service, bear in mind your brake and clutch fluid. Something so important but often overlooked.

Before you call a mobile mechanic, tips that can save you money, if the mechanic has a good working environment, the job will be done sooner and therefore save you money, things you should consider before calling.

1. Position of motor vehicle, can the mechanic get at the vehicle?

2. Weather, is the vehicle undercover? in direct sunlight or exposed to rain etc....

3. Is it safe? Flat surface with no trip hazards?

4. Access to water and electricity, i carry my own filtered water and never use 240 Volts as i have compressed air, but most mobile mechanics don't supply this.

5. If the vehicle to be jacked and put on stands, this cannot be done safely on a soft surface.

6. Ventilation, is there plenty of air so exhaust and fuel vapours can escape?

Things you should also consider when you choose any mechanic to work on your car, is he insured? Does he have certification to do the job? Is he a registered business? If no, then think what it might cost you in the event an accident happened to your car or property or loved one, and respect the mechanic's safety and workplace by not having anyone near the vehicle when being repaired, especially children. These safety measures should be a priority before any work can be carried out on any motor vehicle. Motor cars are heavy, they hold up to 120 ltrs of petrol and have a lot of moving mechanical parts and can cause serious injury or death, if you hire me to do the job, then please be aware that these basic safety measures will be applied before any work is carried out.

I needed a good light to shine over my work ute bench, i priced some LED bar lights and the length i needed 1.7 Meters you either couldn't get or way too expensive, so i decided to make my own.

1. I bought 16 LED lights off ebay , cost was $25.00

2. Went to bunnings and bought two pieces of ceiling skirt $24.00

3. Drill 16 Holes

4. Paint with high gloss white , 2 tins $6.00

5. 1.9 meters of 2 core 15 AMP wire $15.00

6. strip the wire at 16 intervals .

7. Solder the neg and pos wires for each individual bulb

8. Glue down with contact cement $5.00

9. attach backing skirt and fill in gaps with silicone, be sure to do the ends as well as this will need to be waterproof .

10. Touch up paint in various areas

11. Attach t the ute and wire , 2 scotch clips $.40 and two riverts for

the earth wire.

My ute already had switches for the rear light, but the results speak for themselves, total $75.40 . Compared to $300 to $500. So if you want to save. There are always ways!

I recently done a service on a hynudai i30 and found a bad knock in the steering. Removed airbag and steer wheel

Note the Genuine Hyundai coupling part number is : 563152K000FFF, if the only solution is to replace the whole steering shaft, then why do they list a part number for the faulty part at question? 

So I removed the steer shaft mounts and wiring and with a stethoscope pinpointed the knock. Arrows show location

I30's have electric power steer motors, the knock is between the motor and retainer where it joins to the shaft. The whole shaft was removed and placed on my bench. See below pic and arrows mark the spot.

After placed on bench the electric steer motor computer was removed, note: Take care unplugging the computer as the pins are fragile.

I removed the electric motor, and the plastic coupling was perished, see below, note the arrows, this is supposed to be a sprocket.

I laid the new coupling with the perished so you can see the diffrence.

Make sure you remove all the perished plastic and insert new coupling as shown, do not use any solvents as it may damage the circuts, compressed air is the best bet.

Re-assemble, do not lube the new coupling, make sure you align the coupling so the motor installs with ease. Job done, this took me 3 hours, and hour to remove, and hour to replace the coupling and an hour to re-install. Hyundai do not have a re-call in place for this, in my opinion it should be re-called as there is an upgrade available for this fix, but Hyjndai would not let me see the paperwork. the coupling itself cost's $4.50. 3 hours labour but to my understanding Hyundai charge more than 3 hours. My warranty is the same 12months / 20 000k.m. Warranty using genuine parts.