Vehicle maintenance is more economical with maintenance and repair

Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales and Service Co., Ltd. recently announced that it will reduce maintenance costs across the board. After the price reduction, Mercedes-Benz after-sales service is launched in the form of “Star Logo Maintenance Menu”, which includes basic A maintenance (small warranty), basic B maintenance (large warranty), and fixed-period replacement of parts and wear parts, and all service content The menu price is the “package price” of accessories and working hours, and it is uniformly applicable nationwide.

Mercedes-Benz’s after-sales maintenance costs have always been expensive. In today’s day when car prices are falling, such high maintenance costs have become the focus of people’s complaints. After the introduction of the new standard, the price of regular maintenance of Mercedes-Benz cars can be reduced by an average of 20%. It is reported that the price reduction of some models and some items can reach as high as 50%. I believe many car owners can laugh.

But even so, a visit to a 4S shop will cost you a few hundred, and it will cost you thousands of dollars. In fact, it’s just a little routine maintenance. The money can be used in daily life and may be able to do many things, but when used in cars, it always makes people feel like they have spent a lot of money to do small things. There is no way, whether it is the high labor costs in the 4S shop or the staggering price of accessories, it is decided that although the 4S shop has the friendly smile of the receptionist and delicious free meals, it is definitely not there. We are a place that ordinary car owners should frequent. How to save money on vehicle maintenance, we have to think of ways for the owners themselves.

How to* save money on maintenance?

How to avoid the big opening of the lion in the 4S shop, but at the same time guarantee the maintenance quality of the car? As a car owner, not only has to be bold, but also careful.

Take advantage of free testing opportunities

Nowadays, car manufacturers are paying more and more attention to after-sales service. The advantage brought to car owners is that they will often enjoy free testing activities. Many of these free testing activities seem to be simple and seem to have no substantive content in the eyes of car owners. In fact, these free testing activities are very beneficial. Car owners can take advantage of these free inspection activities to conduct a comprehensive physical examination of their car, find some potential faults in time, and eliminate these hidden troubles, saving future high maintenance costs. In addition, some 4S shops’ free testing activities also include free maintenance. These services are really affordable because they usually charge a fee.

Accessories are cheap and good quality

In fact, most people now have a misunderstanding about auto parts, thinking that only parts from 4S shops are genuine parts. The accessories used in the 4S shop are directly supplied by the manufacturer, and there is no doubt about the identity of the original manufacturer. However, 4S stores are not the ** distribution channel for genuine parts. For example, some dealers will purchase imported car factory parts through other channel markets. The original parts of domestic cars can also be purchased through parts manufacturers and other channels. Therefore, some 4S stores occasionally go to the accessory market to buy accessories on their own when they are nervous about accessories. They are also genuine parts. It is not difficult to understand that the price difference between the 4S shop and the market price is as much as 30% to 100%.

What makes people laugh or cry is that, in order to make the price of high-priced accessories appear to be based, 4S shops tend to exaggerate the quality gap between the original factory accessories and the accessories purchased from other channels. The quality of the factory accessories is reassuring. This is a fact, but the accessories purchased through channels other than 4S stores are not the same as inferior accessories. The so-called genuine factory parts are parts produced by auto manufacturers authorized by their parts suppliers. In addition to the authorized main factory accessories for the auto manufacturer, the accessory supplier will also produce the same type of ordinary accessories, which is often referred to as the auxiliary factory accessories. The difference in quality between the main factory parts and the auxiliary factory parts produced by the same manufacturer is actually very small, and some have no difference at all.

Whether through physical stores or online e-commerce, as a car owner, you should have *basic identification capabilities. What we want to buy is qualified parts with high quality and can replace the original factory, not fakes, which is essentially different. There are several ways to identify fake products:

One, look at the packaging. Good accessories have exquisite packaging and standard printing, and should be marked with the name of the goods, specifications and models, units, registered trademarks, factory names, factory addresses and telephone numbers, etc.

Second, look at the surface of the accessories. Qualified spare parts have clear and formal printing or casting on the surface, which is both delicate and bright. If you find metal rust, cracked rubber parts, or rough metal processing marks on the parts when purchasing, the possibility of encountering fakes is very high.

Three, look at the paint. Some unscrupulous businessmen will pass the refurbishment of used parts as new parts for sale, and the rough paint surface will expose the identity of these refurbished parts.

Fourth, look at the assembly process. The process of pressing, gluing, or riveting for an accessory composed of multiple parts is very technical. If the assembly is loose and not precise enough, it is most likely a copycat product.

In fact, don’t be intimidated by the identification methods of these fakes. As long as they are through regular sales channels and do not blindly seek cheap prices, you should be able to buy reliable products. What we need to pay more attention to is the specific model of the original accessories, because different models or even different batches of models may use different accessories. Therefore, before purchasing, we must make sure that the accessories meet the needs of replacement. In addition, the expert’s suggestion is that for some key parts of the parts, because it may be related to the safety of driving, it is better to buy through reliable channels such as 4S stores.

Reasonably determine the maintenance cycle

Car maintenance cycle refers to the interval mileage or time of car maintenance. High maintenance frequency is not a bad thing. It can more effectively guarantee the performance of the vehicle. Therefore, scientifically determining the interval mileage of various maintenance operations can not only keep the car in good technical condition, but also save you maintenance costs and repairs. cost.

When deciding the car maintenance cycle, the maintenance cycle recommended by the car manufacturer should be referred to, combined with the car’s own technical conditions and actual use conditions, and the maintenance cycle should be adjusted appropriately. Generally, new cars with good technical conditions can extend the maintenance period appropriately if they are used under good operating conditions; while for vehicles with poor technical conditions or poor operating conditions, the maintenance period should be appropriately shortened.

Smart purchase of accessories can also extend the maintenance interval of the vehicle. Many consumables including oil, fuel filter, and oil filter, the original factory actually corresponds to long-lasting accessories, these accessories can have a longer use effect than ordinary accessories, which means that it has a longer The replacement cycle. Although the price of these spare parts may be slightly higher than ordinary spare parts, but on average it is cost-effective and worry-free.

Carefully inspect the self-seeking store

I bought all the spare parts, but I have to find a master to help replace and maintain it. How can you find a reassuring car repair shop?

First of all, look at how many types of repair shops the repair shop belongs to. The Ministry of Transport of China divides the maintenance qualifications of auto repair shops into three categories. The first type of repair shop is an enterprise that can carry out engine overhaul. The production site and investment scale are large, and the quality of personnel is large. The requirements are relatively high, and the charging standard is higher than that of the second-class factory; the second-class maintenance factory cannot carry out engine overhaul, the production site and investment scale are relatively small, and the charging standard is lower than that of the first-class factory; the third-class maintenance factory is a special maintenance factory , Such as car air conditioners, stereos, tires, car cleaning and beauty, etc. When overhauling a car engine, you must go to a first-class repair shop.

Secondly, to see if the factory’s license is complete, it mainly refers to the technical qualification certificate issued by the industry management department and the business license issued by the business management department.

Third, to see whether the factory implements the public service commitments, public working hours charging standards, public complaint calls, public production, work processes and other systems. Generally, regular repair shops will also post photos and resumes of technicians, public parts prices, and car repairs. After the warranty time, etc.

Fourth, to see whether the management system of the factory is sound, and whether there are various norms and standards required by the management department of the industry. You can also go to the workshop first to check whether the employees uniformly dress and work number, whether the auto parts are scattered on the ground, etc., because the formal repair shop must strictly enforce the industry management department “tools not to fall, parts not to fall, and oil and water do not fall.” Required.

An ideal way is to find a car club around you. Now many mainstream models have car owners clubs, and most of these clubs have maintenance shops that serve a single car model. Although these maintenance factories may not have high qualifications, they have the heavy protection of car owners’ clubs, so the maintenance quality is relatively reliable. Moreover, the masters are naturally engaged in the maintenance of a single car model all the year round.

It saves money by raising and repairing!

Rather than waiting to spend a lot of money to repair it when it fails, it is better to spend more time on maintenance. After all, just like people, all the problems are not formed in a day.

Chassis maintenance

Chassis care is easy to be overlooked, but the importance of chassis maintenance in winter or wet weather is obvious. In rainy and snowy weather, there are often mud, sand and water stains on the chassis. There are even many roads in the north that use salt to remove the ice and snow on the road. They are not only difficult to wash, but also have strong corrosion to the vehicle chassis. Sex, over time, the chassis is easily corroded and rusted. Similarly, in the southern coastal areas, the rust of the chassis is also prone to appear. Therefore, the first step in maintaining the chassis is to keep the vehicle chassis clean on a regular basis.

Clean regularly

The jet of high-pressure water jet can wash away the original sediment on the chassis. If there is too much mud on the chassis, wash it again with a degreasing detergent to make the chassis show its original color. If in the rain and snow season, we can additionally perform anti-rust treatment on the chassis. It should be noted that after cleaning, you must wait until the moisture on the chassis is dry before you can perform anti-rust care. During the care, it is necessary to maintain a uniform spray of anti-rust agent to form a layer of uniform anti-rust coating that remains durable. After all the work is completed, let it dry in natural air for 5-10 minutes. Do a chassis anti-rust treatment once, and the anti-rust effect can be maintained for three months. Basically, you only need to do it twice a year before the onset of winter and rainy season. After the professional chassis care is done, it does not mean that it is foolproof. There is a misunderstanding, that is, people often add some cleaning agents when washing the car. At this time, please be careful not to wash the body and chassis with alkaline cleaning agents, otherwise it will affect Anti-rust effect and shorten anti-rust time.

Chassis armor

If you want to keep the chassis anti-rust for a long time in one step, the most fashionable nowadays is of course the chassis encapsulation, which is often referred to as chassis armor. At present, in terms of material selection, larger professional auto beauty shops have made a big breakthrough, using rubber sealants to replace the original materials with paint, asphalt, etc. as the main substrate. This type of product also has the characteristics of high density, waterproof and rustproof, non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Chassis armor can absorb vibration and sound insulation and improve driving comfort. A large part of car noise comes from the sound of road noise and sand hitting. The high elasticity of the chassis armor can effectively absorb and reduce these noises, and at the same time reduce the noise caused by the vibration of the chassis steel plate, so as to achieve the purpose of noise reduction. *Mainly, this flexible material can greatly reduce the damage to the chassis caused by road scratching.

Chassis armor is not a small project, it takes several hours before and after. First, the construction personnel need to use a lift to lift the vehicle, remove the four wheels, mudguards, and brake pads; then lift the vehicle to a person’s height to thoroughly clean the bottom of the vehicle; then blow it dry to prevent any damage. The sprayed parts are wrapped; *After spraying the chassis armor material repeatedly to reach a certain thickness, after the surface is dry, the tires are installed and the four-wheel alignment is completed before the whole chassis armoring process is truly completed. Before the armor material is completely dry, the chassis of the vehicle also needs to be kept dry, otherwise it will affect the armor effect.

Scheduled maintenance

As one of the important parts of the chassis, the suspension plays an important role in carrying the weight of the car and controlling the direction. Regular inspection and replacement of rubber cups and hydraulic components at the joints of the suspension parts and the firmness of the fixing screws are very important, and are also the primary conditions for safe driving. The maintenance of vehicles is “three-part repair and seven-part maintenance”. You don’t need to change everything in a big way. What you care about is the meticulous care of the bits and pieces.

Chassis components are prone to deterioration of lubricating oil during wading, especially when it comes to steering, transmission and other systems. The maintenance manual of some models also requires that the chassis components be greased after the vehicle is waded. Note and other maintenance work. At the same time, during the road test, you should carefully listen to whether there is any abnormal sound from the chassis, or check the chassis carefully, and perform anti-rust and lubrication work in time.

Regular four-wheel alignment is also an indispensable process for caring for the chassis. The four wheels on the car seem to stand upright on the ground. In fact, they are not. If you use an instrument to measure, you will find that they are all deflected by an angle in the X, Y, and Z planes, but the value is very small. Invisible to the naked eye. Don’t underestimate these three small deflection angles, they affect the driving and steering performance of the car. If an accident occurs, or if the four-wheel alignment parameters are changed due to wear for a long time, the controllability will be greatly reduced. Therefore, if you feel something unusual when grasping the steering wheel, you should go to a professional repair shop for inspection and make corresponding adjustments. It does not cost much, but it ensures safe driving and maintains the best vehicle handling performance.

Interior maintenance

Compared to the engine and chassis, perhaps the quality of the interior decoration does not directly affect the life and performance of the vehicle. However, as the age of the car increases, can you have a pleasant driving experience in the face of poorly maintained and dilapidated and dirty interiors? Therefore, if you want to steadily drive your car for ten or eight years, the maintenance of the interior is indispensable.

Clean the seat with gentle technique

Middle and high-end cars mostly use leather seats and leather door trim panels. There are also many drivers who modify the leather seats by themselves, which are comfortable, luxurious and have a long service life. Since leather is a natural product, it should not be taken lightly for maintenance. It is better not to use protective agents for the dermis. Such substances will make the dermis addictive and must be used frequently, otherwise the skin will be dull and lack vitality. And the point is that, apart from brightening, the protective agent is not beneficial to the dermis. Chemical cleaning agents should not be sprayed on casually. A strong alkaline cleaning agent, such as soapy water, should be used. After washing, use a cotton towel to dry it.

For general flannel seats, the cleaning method is to first open all the doors, dust off with a duster, and suck out the dust with a vacuum cleaner. When using detergent, try to disperse the foam on the surface of the seat to make the dirt attached to it float. When the foam is gradually reduced, use a brush. Don’t use too much force when scrubbing, just gently brush the brush across the surface, which is enough to brush off the invisible dirt. *After that, use a wrung out wet towel to dry the foam. After cleaning, open all the doors to keep the car well ventilated so that the seats can dry out as soon as possible.

If the seal ring is not maintained, water will leak

There are sealing rings on the edges of the doors, windows and sunroofs. These inconspicuous rubber rings are often the places that car owners tend to overlook when they maintain their cars in the summer. As we all know, the sealing ring plays a sealing role because of its colloidal properties. If the sealing ring is exposed to the sun for a long time, it is prone to aging, loss of elasticity or even cracking, and the sealing performance will be greatly reduced. This will not only affect the sound insulation effect of the car, but also cause water leakage and water seepage in severe cases.

Car beauty experts pointed out that in order to maintain good performance of the sealing ring, car owners must start with daily maintenance. The owner can clean the sealing ring every one or two quarters. Specifically, you can use a clean wet sponge to wipe the dust on the slide rail and groove, and then wipe it with a dry sponge to keep the sealing ring clean. These operations are quite simple and can basically be carried out without going to a special car wash shop. If you use a high-pressure water gun when washing the car, remember not to spray water directly at the sealing ring, otherwise it will easily deform the sealing ring under the impact of the high-pressure water column, and the sealing performance of the sealing ring will be affected over time. Easy to seep water. At the same time, car owners should also pay attention to where their cars are parked. When parking outdoors for a long time, the vehicle should try to avoid direct exposure to the sun. If possible, it is best to cover some car-specific reflective clothing to prevent the sealing ring on the door and sunroof from being deformed or tortured due to heat. crack. If it is unavoidable, do not use direct water splashing for physical cooling. Large temperature differences will often change the internal structure of the sealing strip, causing it to crack. In addition, regular maintenance of the sealant strips on the car with a rubber maintenance agent can also keep the sealant strips elastic for a long time.

For the same reason, a sunroof that has not been used for a long time will make an unpleasant noise. That is because there is too much dust and grit on the slide rail, and the track is seriously lacking in lubrication. We can complete the maintenance of the sunroof by ourselves. We only need to fully open the sunroof, wipe the dust and stones on the sunroof slide with a clean soft cloth, choose a lubricant that is not sticky and difficult to absorb to lubricate the drive track of the sunroof, * then completely close the sunroof and open it several times. Wipe off excess lubricant with a soft cloth. Such simple daily maintenance is completed.

Engine maintenance

Some cars tend to give people a brand new look in appearance, but it’s not like that when driving. As the most precise part of the car, the engine is also a part that is prone to major failures. We must take care of it at ordinary times.

High-quality oil change on time

Car owners are usually willing to spend money on car repairs and modifications, but they are somewhat dissatisfied with the choice of engine oil. In fact, according to statistics, vehicle failures caused by poor lubrication account for 40% of the total failures. Therefore, car drivers should pay full attention to the role of lubricating oil to ensure reliable engine lubrication, reduce wear and tear, reduce failures, extend vehicle service life, and avoid failure Necessary loss. It is not enough to select the right engine oil. The oil quality of any quality grade lubricant will change during use. After driving to a certain mileage, the performance deteriorates, which will cause various problems to the engine. In order to avoid malfunctions, the oil should be changed regularly according to the conditions of use, and the amount of oil should be moderate. Generally, it is better to be within the upper limit of the oil gauge. When changing the oil, don’t forget to replace the oil filter. If the filter is severely contaminated and clogged and the oil cannot pass through the filter element, it will burst the filter element or open the safety valve, and pass through the bypass valve, but still carry dirt. Re-lubricating parts promotes faster engine wear and intensifies internal pollution.

The intake system is often clean

The intake system of the engine is mainly composed of an air filter element and an intake duct. According to different usage conditions, the air filter element should be cleaned regularly by blowing high-pressure air from the inside out to blow out the dust in the filter element. Since the air filter element is made of paper, pay attention to the air pressure not to be too high when blowing, so as not to damage the filter element. The air filter element must be replaced after cleaning 3 times. The cleaning cycle depends on the working environment of the engine. Long-term driving in dusty areas is to shorten the cycle of cleaning the filter element. At the same time, regular cleaning of the intake duct can also ensure the smooth flow of the air intake. The intake system is very important for the normal operation of the engine. If the intake system is too dirty, it will lead to a decrease in the charging efficiency, thereby reducing the output power of the engine.

Fuel supply system to keep young

The maintenance of the fuel supply system includes regular replacement of the gasoline filter element, cleaning of the carburetor or fuel nozzle, and fuel supply pipeline. When the fuel is supplied to the combustion chamber through the fuel path, colloids and coke will inevitably form, which will be deposited in the fuel passage, carburetor, fuel injector and combustion chamber, which will interfere with fuel flow and destroy normal air flow. Fuel ratio causes poor fuel atomization, causing performance problems such as engine surging, knocking, unstable idling, and poor acceleration. Using fuel system cleaner to clean the fuel system can always keep the engine in top condition.

The cooling system cannot leak

People mainly pay attention to the lubrication system in the maintenance of automobile engines, and seldom pay much attention to the cooling system. During the interview, the reporter found that the most common failures of automobile engines, such as piston pulling, knocking, internal leakage of cylinder block punches, severe noise, drop in acceleration power, etc., are all due to the abnormal working temperature and excessive pressure of the automobile engine. , Caused by poor cooling system condition. When an engine is in good condition with other systems, whether the cooling system can effectively maintain the normal working temperature of the engine fundamentally determines the working condition of the engine. To keep the engine working at a suitable temperature, the only thing we need to do is to maintain the water tank regularly.

Rust and scaling of the engine water tank are the most common problems. Rust and scale will restrict the flow of coolant in the cooling system, reduce heat dissipation, cause the engine to overheat, and even cause engine damage. The oxidation of the coolant will also form acidic substances, which will corrode the metal parts of the water tank, causing damage and leakage of the water tank. Regularly use a powerful and efficient cleaning agent for the water tank to clean the water tank to remove rust and scale, not only to ensure the normal operation of the engine, but also to extend the overall life of the water tank and the engine.

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