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Over the past years, Whartons Garage has built on our reputation by offering a wide range of products and services. We have expanded from purely the servicing and repairing of vehicles into MOT testing, and in addition our qualified technicians can carry out replacement work on brakes, suspension/shock absorbers, exhaust systems and battery systems as well as any other problems, minor or major, that your vehicle might have.
  If you are proactive in maintaining your vehicle between its annual services, then we can also offer oil services and intermediate services. By looking after your cars vital organs, you will be prolonging the vehicle’s life while also getting the best performance from it.
  And for those little extras to make your driving experience so much more enjoyable… We can now offer you our newly opened Drive–Thru car wash facility. If you would like your vehicle to be washed with this new state of the art facility, please inform reception when you book your vehicles appointment. We also stock a wide range of air fresheners, shampoos and polishes, wiper blades and bulbs in our well stocked forecourt shop. These little extras will hopefully give you, the motorist, an easier and more comfortable driving experience.
 

Your vehicle’s suspension system

The suspension system in your vehicle is there to help keep your tyres in contact with the road at all times. It’s also there to assist with braking and road handling.  Shock absorbers help to smooth out the ever-increasing imperfections in road surfaces.  It can sometimes be hard to notice any suspension problems your vehicle may have, when you are driving it every day. 
  The suspension system in your vehicle is made up of a series of components including shock absorbers and coil springs. These are designed to limit or dampen the vibrations and undulations felt from the road surface, thereby helping to provide a smooth, controlled and comfortable driving experience. When you need to bring your vehicle to a stop, especially in case of an emergency, not only do your brakes need to be in full working order, the suspension system needs to be at the top of its game too,  ensuring that your tyres are in full contact with the road. Did you know that if you are driving at 30mph having worn shock absorbers can add up to two metres to your braking distance!
  It is not always obvious that you have a problem with your vehicle’s suspension system. A gradual loss of performance of any of the suspension systems components over time, can go unnoticed
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Your vehicle’s braking system

The braking system that operates on your vehicle is there to slow your vehicle down and stop you. The braking system also allows you to perform an emergency stop. It is vitally important that you ensure your vehicle’s braking system is fully operational and in A1 working condition. The braking system will be checked during your vehicles MOT test but it is also important to have the system checked at regular intervals. As with the suspension system you may not notice a decline in your vehicles braking performance as you become accustomed to it.

The braking system is made up of many components including the following:

When your vehicle has a braking system inspection our technician will inspect the wear on your brake pads, shoes, discs and drums. The technician will recommend the replacement of the brake pads if the friction material has worn down to a thickness of 3mm or below. If you do have new pads fitted it is important to drive gently with them for approx two hundred miles, giving them time to ‘bed in’.
  An identical vehicle driven by two different people will invariably have a different effect on the wear-and-tear of the braking system. If the vehicle is used mainly for motorway driving, where braking is only occasional a set of brake pads could last for as long as sixty thousand miles but if the vehicle is driven in town for short journeys where there is a lot of stopping and  starting you may need to replace your brake pads after only twenty to thirty thousand miles.
  At Whartons Garage we know how important it is to maintain your vehicle’s braking system and one of our qualified technicians will be able to check your braking system for you. This involves your vehicle being put on a rolling road and having both its pedal brake and hand brake applied, checking that the braking force produced by your vehicle meets with the manufacturers tolerance levels. 
  There are two main types of pedal brakes, disc brakes and drum brakes. The disc braking system is made up of a disc, calliper and pads. When you apply pressure to your brake pedal it pushes pressurised brake fluid down the brake pipe to the calliper squeezing the brake pads against the rotating disc, thus slowing down the vehicle. The drum braking system has slightly different components including hydraulic wheel cylinders, shoes and a drum. When you apply pressure to the brake pedal the hydraulic wheel cylinders push the brake shoes against the rotating brake drum, thus slowing your vehicle down.
  Many modern vehicles have anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in place.  This system is designed to apply and release pressure to any wheel that decelerates too quickly allowing a maximum stopping force to be applied without your vehicle skidding. The ABS automatically tests itself every time your vehicle ignition is switched on, if it does not pass its self-test a warning light will appear on your dashboard.
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Your Vehicle’s Battery

Your vehicle’s battery is the only power source your vehicle has, its primary purpose is to provide power to the starter motor, when you start the vehicle. The battery also provides power to the spark plugs enabling them to ignite the fuel and air in the combustion cylinders. Once your vehicle is running the battery has done its job, it is then recharged by the alternator, which provides the bulk of the power for your vehicle’s electrical systems.
  The strength (ampage) of the battery can be affected by how much work it has to do and by adverse weather conditions. In recent times, in-car entertainment systems have grown substantially with the additions of digital music players and satellite navigation systems all these newly installed electronic gadgets increase the demand on your vehicle’s battery and power system.
  One of our technicians will be able to do a quick test on your battery to check that it is charging adequately and creating enough output voltage. This test will indicate whether battery failure is imminent. One-in-ten ‘roadside callouts’ are down to battery failure.

Whartons Garage stock a range of car batteries in the workshop, our technicians can also order any non-stock batteries with delivery three times a day.
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Your Vehicle’s Exhaust System     

The exhaust system on any vehicle has four main functions:

An exhaust system is made up of a series of pipes linking the engine with the catalytic converter and the silencer box. Exhaust gases are at a very high pressure when they leave the engine and enter the silencer which comprises a series of holes.  As they pass through the holes in the silencer the pressure of the exhaust gasses is decreased resulting in them leaving the exhaust system with reduced noise.
  Since 1993 all modern petrol cars have been fitted with a catalytic converter, this helps to reduce harmful emissions produced by your engine. The catalytic converter converts harmful gases such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into water vapour.
  Exhausts can corrode from both the inside and outside, the life expectancy of an exhaust system can vary depending on how often and how far you drive your vehicle, rather than how long the exhaust system has been fitted. If your vehicle is only used for short trips the exhaust doesn’t have time to heat up enough to turn your emissions into vapour before they leave the exhaust. You can often see vehicles that have only been running for a couple of minutes have what looks like water dripping from the tailpipe (the part of exhaust that you can see at the rear of your vehicle).  Once they have heated up, this liquid will be turned into vapour that is normally invisible to the human eye.
  If your exhaust starts making a noise that is unfamiliar to you it is recommended to have one of our technicians take a look at it. It is normally the silencer that needs attention first. The silencer is the furthest part of the exhaust system away from the engine.  Corrosive acid can pool in the silencer as it is always the coolest part of the exhaust system, the last part of the system in which the moisture vaporises.  If your silencer fails, you will notice your vehicle starting to make a roaring noise. If your vehicle makes more of a hissing noise there may be a crack in the exhaust manifold (where the exhaust joins onto the engine). A rattling noise coming from under your vehicle could often mean that the exhaust has become detached from your vehicle, sometimes it will be possible for your to see this is you look underneath.
  If your exhaust system does a have a fault it may only be in one section of it. Our technicians will be able to discuss the best option with you, whether to replace only the faulty section or whether to replace the whole system. If the faulty section of the exhaust has corroded, it may only be a matter of time before the exhaust system fails as a whole.  In some cases it may be cost and time efficient to replace the whole system.   
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go to EU Tyre labelling
Your Vehicle’s Tyres

At Whartons Garage, we understand that if you have a problem with a tyre you want it fixed as soon as possible. Our technicians can give you expert advice, while offering you a quality service and all this from the convenience of your local garage. The choice of which type of tyre, size and tread pattern can be quite confusing, whether you decide call in to see us or book your car in over the phone you will always receive non-biased expert advice but for a quick reference about tyres, please carry on reading!

To help you know what size, make and style of tyre your vehicle needs, we have included an illustration below to act as a quick reference guide to help explain what  the different numbers and letters on the side of your tyre wall mean.

tyre numbers image

The law requires that your vehicle be fitted with the correct type and size of tyre for not only the vehicle but for the purpose it is being used. The most commonly known law regarding tyres is the legal limit of the depth of the tread. The minimum requirement is 1.6mm covering the central three quarters of your tyre, around the whole of the circumference. When you think about it, your tyres are the only point of contact your vehicle has with the road, this is why it is so important for safe motoring, that you have the right type of tyre fitted on your vehicle.

Tyre Pressures
There are three main reasons why maintaining the right tyre pressure is important.

You can find out what your vehicle’s recommended tyre pressures are in your vehicles handbook. They are also normally printed on the inside edge of your driver’s door or under your vehicles fuel cap flap. Tyre pressures can either be stated in Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) or BAR, when using the tyre machine situated on our forecourt there is a button to press to convert it from one to another, but if you are unsure please refer to the table below. Don’t forget about your spare tyre!

BAR

PSI

BAR

PSI

BAR

PSI

BAR

PSI

BAR

PSI

1.30

17

1.90

27

2.60

37

3.25

47

3.95

57

1.35

18

1.95

28

2.65

38

3.30

48

4.00

58

1.40

19

2.00

29

2.70

39

3.40

49

4.10

59

1.45

20

2.10

30

2.75

40

3.50

50

4.15

60

1.50

21

2.15

31

2.80

41

3.55

51

4.50

65

1.55

22

2.20

32

2.90

42

3.60

52

4.80

70

1.60

23

2.25

33

3.00

43

3.70

53

5.20

75

1.70

24

2.30

34

3.05

44

3.75

54

5.50

80

1.75

25

2.40

35

3.10

45

3.80

55

5.85

85

1.80

26

2.50

36

3.20

46

3.90

56

6.20

90

 

Wheel alignment or tracking
Incorrect wheel alignment can result in irregular tyre wear and in extreme cases you will even be able to tell that it is affecting the handling and safety of your vehicle.
  Your vehicles wheel alignment can be affected by hitting potholes in the road, hitting the kerb when parking your vehicle or if you have excessive wear in your steering or suspension system. Your vehicle will have had its wheel alignment set when it was manufactured it is important to maintain this alignment to guarantee a smooth ride and to get the full life expectancy from your tyres. When your vehicle’s wheels are aligned they will be measured against your vehicles manufactures guidelines for the ‘Toe’ and ‘Camber’. ‘Toe’ refers to whether the fronts of the tyres are closer or further apart than the rear of the tyres and "Camber" is the inward or outward tilt of a tyre.

Wheel Balancing
When you have new tyres fitted by one of our technicians they will always balance your wheels. If your wheels are not balanced they can produce a vibration that is uncomfortable to drive and will also result in the premature wearing of your vehicles suspension and steering system. Having your wheels balanced will eliminate this vibration and avoid any premature wear to your tyres. The first thing you may notice if your wheels are not balanced is that your steering wheel will start to wobble when your reach a certain speed.
 
The wheels will be removed from your vehicle to be balanced. This process is carried out by one of our qualified technicians using the wheel balancing machine, which rotates the tyre and wheel, and automatically calculates where the weight and location of a balance counter-weight needs to be placed on the wheel rim, thus providing a smoother ride.

Environmentalenvironmental logo
You can be guaranteed that when you have new tyres fitted by one of our technicians your old tyres will be collected and disposed of by a regulated waste specialist as directed by the government.
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Duke Street
Millom
Cumbria
LA18 5BB
01229 773771

Workshop Opening Times
Mon -Thu 8am - 5pm
Fri 8am - 3pm
Saturday Closed

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EU Tyre Labelling Regulations

New regulations covering the labelling of tyres came into effect from 1st November 2012.  The labelling covers the performance of the tyres in terms of energy efficiency, braking on wet roads and external noise levels.tyre-labels

To find out more, click the image above

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