Twisty old tracks that were designed for horses and carts, salty air from the Atlantic and a plethora of potholes – it’s not easy being a car on Bermuda’s roads.
The wear and tear can add up quickly as you trundle to Hamilton and back five days a week, meaning you can often end up with an expensive repair bill or, even worse, having to buy a new car long before you hoped.
One of the island’s longest serving mechanics, GB’s Auto in King Street, offered some advice on maintaining your vehicle in Bermuda’s trying conditions.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
Avoid roads with sharp turns where you can.
GB’s Auto said: “When you are doing a lot of turning, you are putting more stress on your vehicle. It puts more wear and tear on the front end of the vehicle: the steering and the suspension and even the tyres.
“We always encourage people to travel on straighter roads as opposed to roads that have a lot of turns.
“You can’t always avoid winding roads in Bermuda, but if you have to travel to Somerset, for example, you could go on the South Shore as opposed to Middle Road. The likelihood of an accident is greater on those twising roads too.”
POTTY OVER POTHOLES
They’ve seemed to pop up everywhere as Bermuda’s infrastructure has borne the brunt of relentless heavy rain in recent months. The problem has been compounded by asphalt machinery being out of action.
Even in good times, potholes and other obstacles can cause issues with steering, suspension and tyres.
The best thing you can do is to drive carefully and safely around them and keep good habits when it comes to regular maintenance.
“You should always get the pressure checked and timely tyre rotation will help,” GB’s Auto said.
“If you read your service manuals, most give you guidelines on what you need to do. People can do online research – that helps as well.
“People that keep their cars regularly properly serviced are less likely to be confronted with emergency issues, although there will always be some things beyond your control, like the electrical parts.”
DON’T GET SALTY
It’s most noticeable after a heavy storm when you need to wash thick layers of it from your windscreen, but salt is a perpetual difficulty for our vehicles. We are in the middle of an ocean, after all.
GB’s Auto said: “Salt is always in the air. After a winter storm, you can wash the car with warm water to break the salt down. Or at least hose the vehicle down with fresh water.
“If you don’t do anything about it, salt will sit on the vehicle. Over time the saline will get into places it doesn’t need to, and lead to corrosion.”
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
Expensive car maintenance is an unfortunate fact of life in Bermuda – but if you try to cut corners you can end up in an even bigger spot.
GB’s Auto said: “When vehicles get out of warranty, people will shop around, and one of their questions is how much will it cost? They don’t ask what they are getting for the service.
“If he’s going to charge you $100, you can bet your bottom dollar he won’t be spending much time on the vehicle.
“If a mechanic isn’t spending much time on your vehicle, he won’t be putting it on the lift and inspecting the undercarriage and looking for any damage. There’s lots of other things they need to be checking too, like the tyre pressure, the lights, the brakes and making sure there isn’t any corrosion. You are not doing all that in under an hour.
“You take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.”
