mcafee cars

February 26, 2016 By Ally Stewart

Workshop Jargon | Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF)

This is the third blog in our series on workshop jargon. Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) are fitted in all diesel cars to reduce pollution to our environment. The DPF is fitted to the exhaust pipe and traps soot particles emitted from the engine. Like all filters they need to be emptied every now and again and in the case of DPFs this is called regeneration.

Basically when the filter reaches a high enough temperature the soot is burnt off to leave a small ash residue. These high temperatures can only be achieved on long journeys or with a certain driving style. Not all people with a diesel car are driving enough long distance journeys to allow the DPF to reach an adequate temperature to regenerate. This means that over a period of time of short journeys or ‘stop-start’ driving the filter becomes blocked.

When this happens a warning light is displayed on the dash. This is not a breakdown situation; it is just the car telling you that it needs to have its filter emptied. All diesel cars will have a section in the Manufacturers handbook to explain Diesel Particulate Filters and what to do when the filter becomes saturated. Here are a couple of examples from 2 manufacturers.

This is an example of what Vauxhall say in one of their handbooks:

“The system includes a self-cleaning function that runs automatically during driving without any notification. The filter is cleaned by periodically burning off the soot particles at high temperature. This process takes place automatically under set driving conditions and may take up to 25 minutes. Typically it needs between 7 and 12 minutes.”

“Under certain driving conditions eg short distances, the system cannot clean itself automatically. If the cleaning of the filter is required and if previous driving conditions did not enable automatic cleaning, it will be indicated by DPF control indicator on the dash.”

“To activate the cleaning process, continue driving, keep engine speed above 2000 revolutions per minute. Shift down if necessary.”

“The DPF indicator extinguishes as soon as the self-cleaning operation is complete.”

If the DPF light does not go out or other dash warning lights appear your car needs to be seen by a mechanic.

This is an extract from a Seat handbook:

“If the driving conditions do not allow the filter to clean itself (eg multiple short trips) the filter will be obstructed and the indicator for diesel engine particulate filter will light up. This does not represent a fault, it is a warning that indicates that the filter has not been able to regenerate automatically and that you must carry out a cleaning cycle.”

“To do this, drive about 15 minutes in 4th or 5th gear (automatic gearbox: S gear range) at a speed of 60km/h with the engine running at approximately 2000 rpm. This increase in temperature will burn off any soot in the filter. When cleaning is successful, the symbol switches off.”

“If the symbol does not turn off, or the three lamps turn on (particulate filter, emission control system fault and heaters) take the vehicle to a specialised workshop to carry out a forced regeneration.”

These guidelines are specific to a Seat and Vauxhall vehicle so it is important that you check your handbook for instructions specific to your own car.

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) regeneration in diesel cars.

DPF regeneration is perfectly normal in diesel cars, here are a few symptoms that can occur during regeneration:

Cooling fans running
A hot, acrid smell from the exhaust
A change to the sound of the engine

Diesel Particulate Filters are found in most diesel cars from 2009 onwards to meet European Emissions Standards. Here at McAfee Cars Ballymena we get asked questions regularly about Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), what it is and how it works, so hopefully this should help you understand a bit more about it. If you’re interested in finding out more about what’s under the bonnet and how your car works, you can read our 2 previous workshop jargon blogs (part 1 here & part 2 here)

February 3, 2016 By Ally Stewart

Car Workshop Jargon | How Does It Work? Pt 2

Car workshop jargon is likely to throw up words that many of us aren’t that familiar with or certainly wouldn’t use in every day conversation – track rod ends, manifolds, flywheels – but McAfee Cars Ballymena want to help you to understand what happens to your car when it goes into the workshop. Car mechanics can be complex but here we’ve put together a guide to help you with the basics and most common terms used in car workshop jargon. You can also read our previous article here which covers other areas including filters, suspension & belts.

Brakes – goes without saying that’s it’s crucial to have these checked and maintained regularly

Brake pipes – carry the brake fluid to the braking components at the four wheels.
Brake pads – friction material which presses against the brake discs or drums to slow the vehicle down.
Brake disc – a metal disc attached to the wheel hub which works along with the brake pads to slow the car down.
Brake calliper – the piston which presses the brake pads and discs together.

Track rod ends – these are fitted to the end of the steering rack. They connect to the wheel hubs and make them turn with the steering.

Spark plugs – engines operate by mixing fuel and air together and then compressing them in a cylinder where this mixture is then ignited by a spark plug.

EGR valve – ‘Exhaust Gas Recirculation’ is designed to help control pollution by recycling some of the fumes produced by the engine. The valve redirects a small portion of the fumes from the exhaust back into the engine and uses them in a complex system that controls the temperature that fuel combustion takes place at, therefore improving fuel economy.

DPF – Diesel Particulate Filter. This filter is fitted to the exhaust pipe of diesel cars and helps to reduce the impact that they are having on the environment by trapping soot that is produced by the engine.

Turbo – Gases passing through the exhaust, drive a system of fans that suck and compress more air into the engine. Engines work by burning fuel and air, so more air means increased performance.

We hope this has helped to give you an insight into car workshop jargon. You can also watch a couple of very useful videos about how to top up your window washer fluid here and how to check your car tyres’ air pressure here. If you have any other questions regarding your car please get in touch with us and we’ll do our best to answer them.

January 26, 2016 By Ally Stewart

Car Workshop Jargon – How Does It Work?

Car workshop jargon – How does it work? If you drive then this article should be useful to help you understand your car and ‘how it all works’ just that little bit better. Many motorists have a very limited knowledge of car mechanics but just a little bit of knowledge and an understanding of how the different parts work could help your driving experience and help you look out for potential problems. Here at McAfee Cars Ballymena we’re going to guide you through some familiar car parts and what their job is.

Some common terms used in car workshop jargon:

Filters – Most vehicles will have 3 different types of filters fitted to them.

Air filter – this filters the air coming into the engine and so prevents dirt and debris getting into the engine and causing problems.
Fuel filter – over time some debris can build up in the fuel tank. The fuel filter is fitted so it stops these particles from getting into the engine.
Pollen filter – this one helps you have a much more pleasant trip as it helps remove pollen and dust from entering the cabin of the vehicle.

Suspension – all of the suspension parts work together to give you a much more pleasant and smooth drive while also protecting the vehicle.

Springs – large metal springs which take the shock and roughness out of driving surfaces.
Shock absorbers and struts – these work together to dampen vibrations by slowing down the rebound of the springs, making it a smoother journey especially on rougher roads.
Suspension bushes – these connect the body of the car to the suspension arms which again minimize noise and vibration through the vehicle.

Gearbox – the gearbox transmits power from the engine to the wheels.

Clutch – the link between the engine and gearbox. When the clutch pedal is depressed it stops the drive between the engine and the gearbox, allowing you to change gear.

Belts –

Timing belt – keeps all the components of the engine running together at the correct pace and is essential to the smooth running of the engine.
Fan belt (alternator belt) – fan belts are flexible rubber belts that are used to power components such as the air conditioner compressor, power steering pumps and water pumps. For example the fan belt connects the engine cooling fan to the alternator and crankshaft pulley.
Water pump and coolant – driven by the fan belt, the water pump circulates the coolant around the engine and radiator to keep the engine cool.

We hope this helps you to understand better some of the terms used in car workshop jargon. There are some jobs you can do yourself like checking your vehicle’s oil. You can watch a short instructional video here if you’re not sure how. If you have any queries about your vehicle, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at McAfee Cars, Railway St, Ballymena. We’ll do our best to help.

December 3, 2015 By Ally Stewart

Fundraising Events For Castle Tower School

This year the team at McAfee Cars Ballymena decided to host a couple of fundraising events for Castle Tower School. We feel that it is very important to support our local community and the people in it and so the team at McAfees Ballymena planned two very different events to raise some money for the school.

Castle Tower School provides first class education, medical support and care for children with learning difficulties and disabilities to help them lead a full and happy life. The school community celebrates the talents of individual and strives to improve the quality of each person’s life by developing confidence, tolerance, curiosity, honesty and happiness.

Some of the staff at the garage have children that have attended the school and it was a place that all of us felt passionate about helping.

McAfees Ballymena hosted 2 fundraising events for Castle Tower School – a relay team at the Belfast City Marathon and a car wash in Ballymena.

In May Ryan, Chris, Paul, Jonathan and Sarah formed a relay team to take part in the Belfast City Marathon. Four hours and a few sore knees later they were £1500 the richer for Castle Tower School.

Then in October the whole McAfees Ballymena team along with a few friends and family, gave up a Saturday morning to host a Car Wash and Coffee Morning at the garage. We had overwhelming support before the car wash even started with some of our suppliers donating soap, sponges, buckets, chamois and air fresheners to the cause. So firstly we would like to thank Fyfes, Ballymena Engine Spares, Autosmart and Neilson Chemicals for your generosity.

That day the showroom smelt of coffee and cake rather than car polish as the coffee morning got under way. We were delighted to see so many people stop for a cuppa and a chat as well as a car wash. In total the guys washed 84 cars and raised another £1500 for the school.

We want to thank our customers, friends and families who gave so generously; we were really touched by the support given to the Belfast marathon relay team and the car wash & coffee morning in Ballymena. We are thrilled to be able to donate £3000 to Castle Tower School and are delighted to see the money going to good use as they put it towards buying a wheelchair accessible minibus.

To find out more about the school please check out their website here.