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ORIGINAL-QUALITY BRAKE PARTS

Repairs to motor vehicles are becoming less frequent, at least when it comes to wearing parts. For example, the statistical frequency of repairs per car fell to 0.39 last year. Four years ago, this figure was still over 0.5. There are three main reasons for this. Components such as timing belts, brake pads and clutches have become more durable. In addition, the willingness to invest has fallen, as has the overall mileage. But what can drivers do to prevent vehicle defects and reduce their repair costs at the same time?

Just a few independent and routine vehicle checks can help prevent expensive secondary damage. In most cases, a simple visual inspection is sufficient. This is also advised by GTÜ (Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung mbH) and recommended for modern vehicles. The checklist provided by GTÜ can also help.

Tips for regular checks of your own vehicle

Check fluids regularly

Drivers can regularly check the filling levels of their fluids. This includes the coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid. Of course, it is also very important to check the oil level. All fluids should be between the MIN and MAX markings and neither above nor below them. The car should obviously be parked on a level surface if possible. If there are any unusual losses, you should look for a potential leak.

Indispensable: a regular tyre check

The next step is to check your tyres regularly. The air pressure should be checked every fortnight if possible. This is also advisable if the vehicle has a particularly heavy load. In addition to air pressure, the age and tread depth of the tyres are also important. There are no specific regulations regarding age, but it is recommended that tyres are changed after six to eight years, or earlier if they are damaged. The minimum tread depth is 1.6 millimetres for summer tyres and 4 millimetres for winter tyres. Here too, the rule is: the more, the better.

Vehicle lighting function check

Of course, the entire vehicle lighting system must also function properly. In modern vehicles, a control lamp usually indicates that something is wrong with the vehicle lighting. In older vehicles, the only option is to check it yourself.

Check the condition of the car battery

The service life of car batteries varies greatly and also depends on how much they are used. If you often only drive short distances, you should expect the battery's performance to deteriorate more quickly. Modern vehicle equipment such as air conditioning, seat heating and automatic start-stop systems can also put additional strain on the battery. But how does a weak battery become noticeable? One possible indication is that the starter motor cranks audibly slower. A garage can also test the condition of the battery with an appropriate measuring device.

Take maintenance intervals seriously

Maintenance intervals must be taken seriously and adhered to in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. If they are not adhered to, this can lead to a maintenance backlog, which in turn can lead to a build-up of faults, defects and signs of wear and jeopardise your own safety. Of course, the maintenance intervals also depend on the vehicle's own mileage. By adhering to the maintenance intervals, you also prevent possible major damage.

Outlook

It remains to be seen whether the frequency of repairs will continue to fall. This also depends on electric cars, as we might expect their higher weight to result in greater wear on the chassis. Software issues could also become more significant in the future. These tend to occur in younger vehicles in particular. Infotainment, connectivity and assistance systems come to mind here.

All-season tyres, often also known as all-weather tyres, are becoming increasingly popular. This is the conclusion drawn by the portal reifen.com. But what exactly are the differences and which tyre version is better suited to what type of people? The main differences are in the tyre profile and in the type of rubber used. All-season tyres can be driven all year round, provided they bear the Alpine symbol (3PMSF). This is prescribed for all-season tyres from year of production 2018. Only tyres with this snowflake symbol are actually approved for use as winter tyres. There is a transition period for M+S tyres produced until the end of 2017. These can still be used as winter tyres until 30.09. of this year.

What are the characteristics of a summer tyre?

Summer tyres are made of a slightly harder rubber and usually have a rougher profile, which means that they grip better in the rain, displace the water better and thus protect against aquaplaning. They also cope well with high temperatures and the rubber compound used guarantees safe driving on hot roads even at temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius. The braking power is good in both wet and dry conditions. It is important to know that the rubber compound of summer tyres hardens at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius and thus loses its performance characteristics, especially on wet road surfaces. So you should never drive with summer tyres in winter.

And what about winter tyres?

The profile of winter tyres usually has many small fins and a larger tread depth. These ensure better grip in winter road conditions such as ice and snow, resulting in shorter braking distances. The rubber compound used is specially designed for cold temperatures, as it remains elastic even in frost and can thus adapt better to the surface structure of the road. Winter tyres are marked with the Alpine symbol (3PMSF mark).

All-season tyres - a compromise?

All-season tyres have a mixture of longitudinal grooves and fins and the rubber compound is a little softer and therefore more similar to the rubber compound of winter tyres. As a result, they combine the properties of summer and winter tyres. However, all-season tyres cannot match real winter tyres in extreme weather conditions. As with winter and summer tyres, a minimum tread depth of 1.6 millimetres is also required for all-season tyres, a minimum profile depth of 3 to 4 millimetres is recommended. It should also be noted that all-season tyres wear much faster, as they are driven all year round.

Conclusion

There is no clear recommendation. Ultimately, every driver has to decide which tyres are best suited for their requirements. For anyone who drives frequently in winter weather, perhaps even lives in the mountains and/or regularly go skiing, traditional winter tyres are the best option. All-season tyres can be a good compromise for anyone who prefers to leave the car at home in winter weather or only drives in the city and milder regions. After all, they combine the strengths of winter and summer tyres. Another advantage is that there is no need for the annoying tyre change and no storage space is required for the tyres that are currently not required. This saves time and money.

For many car dealerships and car dealers, it came very suddenly - the new passenger car energy label replacing the previous energy efficiency classes with the specification of a CO₂ class. It came into force on 23 February without a transition period. Hardly feasible, as many car dealers note. The Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry (ZDK) has also criticised this approach. If dealers fail to implement this change in time, they can expect warnings.

It came very suddenly, the new passenger car energy labelling regulation (Pkw-EnVKV). In concrete terms, this means: From 23 February 2024, all energy labels issued or published must meet the new requirements, there was no transition period. This was due to the Europe-wide switch to the WLTP test method (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure).

So what's new?

In contrast to the previous energy label, which divided the vehicles into efficiency classes and only took consumption and emissions values into account, the new label divides the vehicles into CO₂ classes and also contains additional information. This includes the amount of vehicle tax, the energy costs at a mileage of 15,000 kilometres per year and possible CO₂ costs over the next ten years with an annual mileage of 15,000 kilometres.

One particular issue for dealers is that they have to state the expected CO₂ costs over ten years. This involves a considerable amount of bureaucratic effort. They either have to request the data from the manufacturers or gather the details themselves in a different way. One saving grace is that labels created before 23/02/24 may still be used until 1 May this year. For advertising fonts and electronic, magnetic or visual storage media, the deadline is even 1 August this year.

What is the reason for the new passenger car energy label?

The new energy label is intended to provide consumers with better information regarding the energy efficiency of vehicle models. The vehicles are divided into seven CO₂ efficiency classes, starting with the best energy efficiency class A, through to the worst class G. The aim is to reduce emissions from road traffic by encouraging consumers to buy cars with the lowest possible pollutant levels. There will be five energy labels in total, one for each type of fuel: Petrol, diesel, natural gas, pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The German government aims to improve acceptance with the introduction of the new energy label.