At Great Yarmouth Garage Services, we are continually pushing our technical abilities and investing in state of the art technologies, to ensure that we can offer the best service possible to our customers.
We are proud to announce that we have just purchased an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) Sensor Alignment system.
What is ADAS?
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is used to describe active safety systems on a vehicle that can identify safety-critical situations and take action, either automatically or by sending a warning to the driver.
ADAS systems have developed fast, thanks in part to sensing technology; cameras, radar and laser technology referred to as lidar. This technology is also helping the development of automated and driverless vehicles.
Why we have invested in it?
With more and more vehicles on the road being fitted with ADAS systems such as lane guidance and speed limit detection, we identified that not many garages had to fix these systems, should they have an issue. With GPS Speed Limit Detection being a legal requirement on all new cars sold after May 2022, more and more vehicles are going to have this technology and therefore we needed to ensure that we had the facilities to ensure our customers were safe in the knowledge that we could fix any issues that cropped up with their vehicles.
We are pleased to announce that we have recently invested in state of the art Wheel Alignment technology from Absolute Alignment.
Absolute Alignments Wheel Alignment technology is groundbreaking technology, which is trusted throughout the industry and even in Motor Sport!
Ensuring your wheels are aligned correctly will ensure a safe drive and prolong the life of your tyres.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A TYRE ALIGNMENT?
There are a couple ways to tell if your car needs a tyre alignment. If you’ve noticed one or more of these indicators, you should have your alignment checked by us immediately.
- Uneven tread wear
- Vehicle pulling to the left or right
- Your steering wheel is off centre when driving straight
- Steering wheel vibration
CAMBER, TOE, & CASTER
When a mechanic checks your tyre alignment, he or she is mainly concerned with three things:
1. CAMBER
This is the inward or outward angle of the tyre when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Too much inward or outward tilt, also known as negative and positive camber, respectively, indicates improper alignment and will need to be adjusted. Worn bearings, ball joints, and other wheel-suspension parts may contribute to camber misalignment.
2. TOE
Distinct from camber alignment, toe alignment is the extent to which your tyres turn inward or outward when viewed from above. If that’s confusing, just stand up and look down at your feet. Angle them inward toward the centre of your body. When the tyres on your car are angled the same way (remember, we’re thinking in terms of birds-eye-view), we call this toe-in alignment. Angle your feet outward and you have toe-out alignment. Both require adjustment.
3. CASTER
Your caster angle helps balance steering, stability, and cornering. Specifically, it’s the angle of your steering axis when viewed from the side of your vehicle. If you have positive caster, the steering axis will tilt toward the driver. Negative caster, on the other hand, means the steering axis tilts toward the front of your vehicle.
WHY TYRE ALIGNMENT MATTERS
Improper wheel or tyre alignment can cause your tyres to wear unevenly and prematurely. Here are some specific types of undue tread wear attributable to misalignment:
FEATHERING
Tyres are “feathered” when the tread is smooth on one side and sharp on another. This is usually a sign of poor toe alignment.
CAMBER WEAR
This strain of tread wear means the inside or outside of the tread is significantly more worn than the centre of the tread. As its name implies, positive or negative camber causes this type of wear.
HEEL/TOE WEAR
This happens when one side of your tread blocks wears down more quickly than the other in a circumferential direction. When you run your hand over the tread, it will look and feel like saw teeth when viewed from the side. Heel/toe wear could be a sign of under inflation and/or lack of rotation.
If you’re experiencing any of these unusual wear patterns, you should have a mechanic check your alignment. While tyre wear prevention is a good reason to keep your wheel alignment in check, the consequences of misalignment can also play out in overall vehicle performance. A car that pulls to one side or steers erratically, for example, probably has an alignment problem.
TYRE BALANCING
Distinct from tyre alignment, tyre or wheel balancing refers to compensation for any weight imbalances in the tyre/wheel combination and is often performed in conjunction with wheel alignment. There are two basic types of tyre/wheel imbalance that need correction – static (single plane) and dynamic (dual plane).
Static balance addresses balance on only one plane – vertical movement which can cause vibration. A dynamic imbalance, on the other hand, addresses balance in two planes – vertical movement and lateral movement . Both types of imbalance require the use of a special balancing machine to help even things out.
To begin balancing your tyres, our mechanic will mount them on the correct rims and adjust the pressure to optimal inflation. Then each tyre goes on the centre bore of a balancing machine. The machine spins the tyre at a high speed to measure the wheel/tyre combination imbalance. It signals how much weight the tech should add to balance out the tyre and the areas where said weight is needed.
Tyre balancing is essential for correct tyre care for the same reason as wheel alignment: prevention of premature tread wear. Having tyres aligned and balanced every 5,000 miles can help maximize their lifespan and overall performance.
Absolute Alignment
Here at Great Yarmouth Garage Services, Garage in Great Yarmouth we have always endeavoured to provide the best service possible to our customers. This involves providing the best possible customer service, supplying and fitting OE (original equipment) equivalent parts at the best price possible. We don’t fit customer supplied parts as we can’t verify the quality or offer the guarantees that give our customers have come to expect . We are a cambelt specialist and have aligned ourselves with gates belts which allows us to offer a 2 year 24000 mile warranty on any cambelt we fit. We have invested heavily in up to date technology that allows us to offer many different services, some of which are listed below
- Car repairs in Great Yarmouth.
- Air conditioning recharges on R134a and R1234f gases.
- Air conditioning fault diagnosis.
- PICO scoping diagnosis.
- 4 wheel laser alignment.
- MOT testing in Great Yarmouth.
- Tyre fitting and balancing.
- Cambelt fitting.
- Welding.
- On car injector & DPF cleaning (Forté Power-Clean).
- Mechanical and electrical diagnosis.
We offer fixed price car servicing in Great Yarmouth on all models up to 2.2 cc, terms and conditions do apply. Our full service plan comprises of a 50 point vehicle check, all brakes are cleaned and measured all fluids tested and topped up where required, on our full service plan we change oil filter, vehicle specific oil, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and pollen filter. Any advisories are logged and the customer called, we do not carry out any repairs without the customers consent.
Our interim service plan consist of a 27 point check with all fluids tested and topped up. We change the oil filter and vehicle specific oil. And the front brakes are cleaned and measured.
Our technicians together have a pool of experience to draw on of over 30 years, and you can be rest assured that we will look after your vehicle in the best possible way.
We are investor in people and operate a apprentice scheme where we are training the technicians of tomorrow.
One of the services mentioned above is DPF cleaning, this is a growing area where we are able to clean your DPF filter on the car if it has become blocked. The expensive replacement of DPF filters has led to many companies developing cleaning systems for DPF filters. We have partnered with forte and we now use their power clean system which allows us to clean DPF filters on the car which is less intrusive and more cost effective to the customer. The system uses a chemical that cleans the DPF in a foam state, then this is flushed away with a cleaner.
As part of our ongoing mission to offer the most comprehensive array of services for our customers, we have just invested in MORE new technology!
We are please to announce that Great Yarmouth Garage Services are now able to offer DPF filter cleaning in Great Yarmouth.
You can find out more about this service here: DPF filter cleaning in Great Yarmouth.
Due to the terrible weather at the moment, we have decided to close the garage until Monday 5th March, to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this, but our main concern is the safety of our staff and customers.
Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Don’t forget to check on elderly and/or vulnerable neighbours during this horrendous period.
A new feature on the website will showcase some of the more technical and interesting jobs we undertake in the Garage in Great Yarmouth. In the first instalment, we will be showing you how we removed the body from a Land Rover Discovery 3, in preparation for the engine to be removed.
With the weather forecast predicting that the UK is going to be hit by extreme cold spells over the coming weeks, it is essential that you ensure that your car is ready to cope with these conditions.
At Great Yarmouth Garage Services, we would recommend that you check the following parts of your car, to reduce the risk of you running into any issues.
Check your tyres
We would recommend that you check your tyre pressures every week to ensure that they are inflated to the specification recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Not only will this ensure that your vehicle is gripping to the road as it should, it will also save you fuel.
We would recommend that for the winter months, your tyre tread should be no lower than 3mm, to allow extra grip in snow and other unpredictable weather conditions.
Test your battery
Batteries are the most common cause of breakdowns during the winter months. The reason for this is that they are put under increased strain during the winter months, due to the increased use of your heater and lights. If you are looking for car servicing in Great Yarmouth, we offer a free battery test as part of your winter service.
Use anti-freeze
If you fail to top up your water with anti-freeze, the water in your radiator can freeze. We would recommend checking your anti-freeze levels every week, to ensure they are topped up to the ‘maximum’ line on coolant bottle.
Replace your windscreen wipers
Old and damaged windscreen wipers will struggle to clear your windscreen fully in most situations, but in heavy downpours it becomes even more dangerous. You should ensure that your windscreen wipers are clearing your windscreen correctly. We offer windscreen wipers from £6 each.
Use a high quality screen wash
Using a good quality screen wash will not only ensure that the windscreen clears and is streak free, it will ensure the screen wash doesn’t freeze.
Check your lights
As your lights are being used more in the winter, the bulbs are more likely to fail. It is essential that you check all your bulbs, including the brake lights, indicator lights, head lights and fog lights.
If you need any assistance in correcting any issues you find during your winter car check, please feel free to contact Great Yarmouth Garage Services, the garage in Great Yarmouth you can trust.
We are please to announce that our in-house MOT is now open!
At Great Yarmouth Garage Services we wanted to ensure that we could offer the best service possible to our customers, so we felt that we needed to offer in-house MOT tests in Great Yarmouth. This will allow you to be reassured that your MOT will be conducted with the same level of care and attention you have come to expect from Great Yarmouth Garage Services.
Great Yarmouth Garage Services in Great Yarmouth offers MOT tests in Great Yarmouth, but there are many things you can check yourself before you present your vehicle for its MOT test.
Getting your car through its MOT test can be a stressful and expensive time. There are a lot of little things that anyone can do prior to their MOT to help their car pass it MOT and we have listed them below.
- Check all your lights are working correctly
- Make sure the headlight leveller is set to 0
- Test your horn
- Test your front washers and wipers (the rear washer / wiper is not tested)
- Make sure all the doors open and that the front doors open from the inside and outside.
- Make sure the oil level is correct (if the oil is too low a tester can refuse to test the vehicle)
- A big one is remove anything hanging from rear view mirror (this includes any air fresheners!)
- Check that the driver’s seat moves backward and forwards
- Check that all the seatbelts lock in place and are not damaged
- Check that the air bag or abs lights are not illuminated (the EML light on does not fail the MOT)
- Make sure the tyres are not illegal (1.6mm across 3/4 of the tread around the whole circumference of the tyre is the legal requirement)
If you have done all of the above, you have a good part of the MOT test out of the way.
If you are looking for a cheap MOT in Great Yarmouth and you are wondering which Garage in Great Yarmouth to use, why not give Great Yarmouth Garage Services a call or book your MOT online. We ensure that the MOT’s are carried out fairly and to the highest standard possible.
If you have any questions or queries with regards to your upcoming MOT test, please do not hesitate in contacting us.
Great Britain, the country that has 4 seasons in one day and you can get snow and flash floods at the drop of a hat. With the weather being unpredictable, especially at the time of the year, it is always important to ensure before any journey that you and your car are prepared for any eventuality.
Below we have compiled a list of items which should be checked frequently, especially in the cold weather.
1. Tyres – You should check the condition, tread level and pressure of your tyres to ensure that they are performing to the best of their ability. Check the tyres to see if there are any splits or bulges.
You should also check to ensure that the tread level of your tyres is above the legal limit of 1.6mm. We would recommend that you change your tyres well before hitting this limit to ensure optimal grip in all weathers. You should also ensure that your tyre pressures are inflated to your car manufacturers recommended settings. Not only will this assist with the handling of your car, but it will help increase your cars MPG!
2. Coolant – You should ensure that your cars coolant level is between the minimum and maximum markers. Coolants include Anti-Freeze which is designed to stop your engine from freezing. Coolant is very cheap and can prevent a very hefty bill for repairing an engine which has become frozen.
3. Battery – In cold weather the oil in your battery becomes thicker, which means it requires more energy from the battery to create a chemical reaction to generate electricity. The older your battery gets, the more it will struggle, so it is advisable to have your battery tested to help reduce the chances of you being caught out with a dead battery.
4. Screen Wash – Ensure that you have enough screen wash in your screen wash reservoir and that it is at a concentration suitable for the cold weather. Failure to use the correct concentration can lead your washer pump freezing and other issues.
If you would like assistance in checking these and any other points in your car, please do not hesitate in contacting us to arrange an appointment for us to do this for you.
In addition to the aforementioned, we would recommend that you keep the following in your car if you’re planning on long journeys –
- Ice scraper and de-icer
- Torch and spare batteries
- Warm clothes and blankets
- Boots
- First aid kit
- Food and a warm drink in a thermos
- Reflective warning sign
- Emergency phone charger
Happy New Year from all at Great Yarmouth Garage Services, the family run Garage in Great Yarmouth you can trust.
We are very proud to have gained 100% from our unannounced Motor Codes AA inspection for our Garage in Great Yarmouth. This gives customers reassurance that we are reliable, honest and fair, with trained, competent and conscientious staff. We would like to thank all of all the team who have worked hard to help us achieve this fabulous score .
