by Raymond Hainey
Liquid engineering is a major contributor to road safety – and can help avoid massive repair bills due to owners skipping basic maintenance, the service manager at a top island car dealer said. Terry Heilbron, of Auto Solutions, warned owners had to keep an eye on the levels of basic liquids like oil, coolant, transmission and brake fluid and windscreen washer fluid in between regular service visits.
He added: “All these kind of things should be checked weekly, but a lot of people don’t do that, unfortunately.
“They get their cars serviced and think everything is going to be okay. But they should check things like oil, coolant and washer fluid. It’s all about making sure the car is safe to be on the road.”
Mr Heilbron said if a car ran out of oil or transmission fluid, the engine or transmission could seize up completely.
A lack of brake fluid could lead to a catastrophic failure of the system – and potentially deadly consequences.
Mr Heilbron said: “Cars that aren’t serviced regularly, the oil turns into gunge – instead of being free-running and that can cause huge damage.
“We have four cars at the moment that are sludged up, and that will be a minimum of $2500 in repair bills each.
“That’s just through a lack of maintenance – it’s really important for people to understand the importance of regular maintenance.”
He told car owners: “It’s really important to keep on top of your car, to get it serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and to get the oil and oil filter changed on a regular basis.”
Mr Heilbron said a failure to keep radiator coolant topped up could also cause major damage.
He explained the circulation of water and coolant kept the engine at the correct temperature and compared it to a kettle, which is fine when there is hot water inside, but if it is allowed to boil dry the heat would burn through the bottom and possibly cause the kettle to explode.
Mr Heilbron said: “If the coolant is allowed to get low or if there is a leak in the system where water runs out, and the engine gets too hot, the engine could seize up.”
He added: “People keep their cars longer in Bermuda than in many places, so it’s
