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July 30, 2010

Carburettor: Used Parts

Filed under: Used Parts — admin @ 2:49 am

The Carburettor is a part in your car which blends the fuel and in your engine.  Although not all cars use a carburettor to mix the fuel, alot of American cars  and high performance cars do.   the carburettor is also referred to in short as the ‘Carb’ in parts of the world.

The meaning of carburettor comes from the word carbon.  By increasing the hydrocarbon content of a fuel, it becomes more volatile and resulting in an increase of energy output.

If you are looking to replace your carburettor or looking for a replacement engine for your van or car, you should consider simple using a replacement vehicle engine. Used engines tend to be much cheaper than reconditioned engines and much cheaper than new.  This is not down to the age or reliability of the parts but the fact that most dealers charge a marked up price to sell new geneuine manufacturers parts. In many cases prices can be more than 400% of the price of buying a used part.  In addition to saving money, by using used parts, you are doing a service to the environment:  You are recycling and preventing parts from ending up in landfill.    Finding used engine parts is easy too.  It is as easy and simple as filling in a form.

July 28, 2010

Mini Confirms Return To Rallying

Filed under: Motoring Magazine — admin @ 1:12 am

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In a previous blog we looked at the new Mini Countryman and mentioned that rumours were rife that the German owned company were going to make a return to the World Rally Championships (WRC), well that rumour was confirmed today.

The car entered will be based on the new Countryman model that we looked at and will be developed by rally legends Prodrive, before mounting a challenge for the championship from the 2012 season.

Mini have also confirmed that they will enter the team into selected rounds of the 2011 season for testing and team practice.

Mini owners BMW released a statement through Sales and Marketing chief Ian Robertson who said:

I am delighted MINI will be represented on one of the most popular stages in international motorsport. The success enjoyed on the rally circuit has made a vital contribution to the image of the brand. MINI customers have always shown great interest in motorsport. I am convinced we will add a few more chapters to our success story in rallying.”

Prodrive have also confirmed that they have been working on an entry for Mini since 2009 and have an impressive pedigree, taking Colin McRae and Richard Burns to WRC titles in their Subaru Impreza’s. The team also has history with BMW when they ran the German outfits M3 project back in the 1980’s.

Looking at adapting your used Mini car engine or just need a spare Mini replacement gearbox to get it back on the road? A UK Car Part Locator Service,  such as the popular Car Part Buyer or the more established Car Spare Finder should be able to help. These used vehicle part finder services work by allowing consumers to search UK car breakers and used part dealers nationwide for availability and the best price found for nearly all replacement car parts for Minis or any other popular car or van make in the UK.

July 27, 2010

Gullwing Doors: Any Good?

Filed under: Used Parts — admin @ 7:06 am

We have all seen the Mercedes 300SL and how good it looks, especially when the doors are up.   Gull wings doors were of course pioneered by Mercedes in 1952 on the 300sl which was then a race car.  Later turned into a road legal version in 1954.

But are those car doors practical?  Are there any real advantages to them?

Although they have never been a regular feature today of most modern cars there are a few other examples of models with gull wing doors.  The French tried to make it their own thing by calling them seagull doors and featured them on some of their vehicles.  Other than that the best too examples of gull wings are the Bricklin SV-1 from the 1970s and the DeLorean DMC-12 Incidentally the DeLorean was made world famous by its appearance in the movie Back to the Future.

Gull doors can be more than just an aesthetic affection, they can be immensely practical.   By design they can be used in urban environments where parking is tight.  If engineered and balanced correctly they take little effort to open.  It is also a lot easier to get in and out of a vehicle with gull wing doors,

One safety concern however was that if the car rolled over then the occupants would not be able to get out.  The DeLorean, featured a windscreen that could be kicked out if necessary.

So there are advantages to having gull wing doors other than good looks.  However all vehicle body parts are important, especially when we need replacement vehicle body parts. Used car doors are popular since often using a used car part locator service a consumer can find the exact colour replacement car door for his vehicle. Nevertheless respraying processes are now much more advanced and low cost. Having a used car door resprayed is still many times cheaper than buying a new replacement car door direct from an authorised dealer or direct from the car manufacturer.

July 26, 2010

Camshaft: Used Parts

Filed under: Used Parts — admin @ 6:28 am

Camshafts are an important part of your engine.  They are used to operate the poppet valves that control the air/fuel mixture being put into the cylinders.  Camshafts are cylindrical rods with cams running along their length.  A cam is basically shaped like a slice of an egg so that when they rotate they press against they valve causing it to open.  

Camshaft:  In operation.

Camshafts tend to made out of a few materials.  The most common is chilled Iron castings.  This is generally used for high volume production.   They tend to have a greater resistance  to ware than other materials.  This is because the camshaft lobes have been chilled resulting in the material developing harder properties.   Another material used for Camshafts is Billet Steel.  This material is used where a more high quality, refined camshaft is required.  This method is generally more expensive than other methods due to it being a time consuming process to produce.   As a result, this method and material is only used in low volume production. 

Finding used camshafts need not be difficult.  In addition to used camshafts being easy to find, they also tend to be considerably cheaper than direct manufacturers parts.   Used parts are also good for the environment as they are a form of recycling.

Ford To Close Down Mercury Brand At A Cost Of Over £320 Million

Filed under: Manufacturing — admin @ 12:50 am

 

 

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Ford have announced that they plan on killing off their 71 year Mercury project, which forecasters have said could cost them over £320 million.

Mercury was set up in 1939 as a mid-level luxury car producer but with no new models being produced since 2008 Ford has decided to cut the brand to concentrate on its other ventures.

Many believe that the downfall of the brand was due to Ford moving into making its standard cars luxury models, for example the 2008 Sable Premier is very similar in shape to a 2008 Ford Mondeo.

Company CFO Lewis Booth also confirmed that Ford had spent somewhere in the region of £159 million in the first six months of the year to begin closing down factories and dealerships.

Sales of the Mercury brand had plummeted over recent years (selling fewer than 90,000 a year) and as Ford now have the Lincoln brand in North America it is believed that the closure of Mercury will allow Lincoln to attain ‘best-seller’ status.

Despite Ford announcing that there would be no updates on the Mercury brand past 2010 the closure has come on the back of the American manufacturer announcing recently that it had no intentions of “letting the brand die". Despite many industry experts questioning whether the brand could survive.

A large portion of the money that is being put aside to close down the project will be used to buy out 700 of the 1700 US dealers, forcing them to close their businesses in return for the financial compensation. Various reports have suggested that each dealership could receive around about £130,000 as a settlement.

Ford has not yet announced how support for owners will be worked due to the closure, but it is likely that any parts may be difficult due to the halt of production.

If you own a Mercury and need spare parts have a look at CarSpareFinder which will search breakers nationwide to find the parts you need at the best price.

July 23, 2010

Part Discount

Filed under: used uk car parts — admin @ 6:19 am


Car Part specialists have announced that there will be a price drop on over 5,000 MG Rover Parts in an attempt to keep the vehicles on the road.
Discount will be offered on mechanical, body parts, trim and a select number of accessories.
The reason behind the announcement is thought to be the continuing depreciation of MG Rover vehicles as the vast majority of vehicles are thought to be over five years old.
MG Rover was Britain’s last domestically owned mass production car manufacturer before it was place into admiration during 2005, after which the key assets of the business were purchased by the Nanjing Auto Group who in 2007 restarted production of the MG sports and saloon ranges.
The company was hit by controversy in 2000 when it was purchased for £10 by Phoenix Venture Holdings who proceeded to take the company into administration with debts of over £1.4 billion and were later taken to court by the British Government.
With a lot of MG Rover cars being discontinued and sourcing parts becoming a problem the best solution could be to contact a car parts finder such as CarSpareFinder who will search multiple breakers for the part that you need and find the best price, all without you having to leave your computer screen.

July 21, 2010

Derby Garage Charges £7,000 For Car Wash

Filed under: used car parts — admin @ 1:48 am

A workshop owner from Derby has started a cleaning business for supercars promising to make the vehicle look even better than new for around £7,000.

Gurcharn Sahota has been working on some of the world’s fastest cars for around five years, from Bugatti Veyrons to McLaren F1’s. Customers can expect Gurcharn to work on their vehicles for up to four weeks for that price.

Part of the treatment includes a specially developed natural wax which is imported from Brazil and costs around £8,000 a tin.

Another feature is the use of a forensic microscope to detect imperfections in the paint work and work out how deep sanding can be taken.

Since starting the business Gurcharn has washed cars for celebs and even a footballer’s £3 million McLaren F1 GTR in his parents garage saying:

"When I was young, I loved washing cars so much I did it for free."

But it’s not just UK supercars that are receiving the specialist treatment, he added:

"Sometimes if one of my customers calls up from the Middle East they’ll fly me out there business class,

all my kit will come with me and I can spend anything from a couple of days out there to several weeks."

The video below shows the care and precision that is put into this service.

When asked what he says to people who argue that a £5 carwash will do the same job he said:

"If you’ve got a £500,000 car, then a few grand for cleaning is worth it. I just want perfection."

Want to make your car look and feel brand new? Then take a look at at CarSpareFinder for replacement parts.

July 20, 2010

Strike Action Continues At Honda Parts Plan

Filed under: used car parts — admin @ 4:02 am

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Strike action at a Honda parts factory has entered its second week but the Japanese car manufacturer says that production has not yet been affected.

The action, taking place in Southern China is the latest in a line of walkouts in the area, many of them at multinational corporations is rumoured to be over pay and poor working conditions. This cannot be a good thing for Honda as this area of China is known by activists as ‘the workshop of the world’.

The factory which has been the focus of the incident supplies gear shifts for Honda factories based in China and Honda have insisted that it has not in any way hindered production saying:

“The company is relying on inventories.”

But recent figures have shown a drop in sales of nearly 3% on last year since the strikes started.

The Chinese State News had reported that workers were seeking a raise of around 500 Yuan (£50) per month, and also that they had formed a barrier to stop replacement workers getting into the factory, local official Zhong Weiwen added:

"We have police stationed near the plant to guard against any emergencies, but as to how to resolve the problem, it is still a tough question."

Replacement gear parts can be found at CarSpareFinder who will search local dealers for the best prices without you having to leave your computer screen.

(Source – Google News)

July 19, 2010

Mercedes Little Secret

Filed under: Manufacturing — admin @ 2:14 am

Quentin Wilson recently reviewed the Mercedes SL63 and described it as “Mercedes best kept secret” well what is so special about this £100k supercar, is it the 0-60 in 4.5 or the 20 seconds it takes to go from hardtop to no open top? Well it seems that this car offers a remarkable amount for a supercar at the price it is.

At just over half the price of a Bentley and a Ferrari California what do you get for this? Well for starters you’re looking at 518bhp with 6.2-litre V8 that can power right up to 190mph. The seven speed gearbox with sport plus mode also give you the feeling of racing the car around country roads or taking the motorway as if you were doing Le Mans.

Something that sets this model apart from other supercars is the steering which from all reports is just like driving an A-class,Wilson even comments that at one point his fuel consumption was just 24mpg which is unheard of for a car with this remit. On top of this lets not forget the Usain Bolt of cabriolets roofs, a little over 20 seconds and your image change is complete. Although the main thing is that your perfect leather interior isn’t getting too wet.

The video below should give you an idea of the car and what to expect from Mercedes latest foray into commercial supercars.

 

 

Need new parts for a Mercedes or any other vehicle? Have a look at CarSpareFinder who should be able to help you get your parts quickly and at the best price.

July 13, 2010

Corvette Go DIY

Filed under: used car parts — admin @ 7:06 am

American car manufacturers Corvette are offering buyers the chance to hand assemble the engine that will go into their car.

The optional extra with a difference, which will add £3,860 to your bill is being pioneered by the firm at its Wixom, Michigan plant.

Once the engine is completed buyers get the chance to mount a customisable plaque on the engine so they can remember their day.

The company who were the first American sports car manufacturers to celebrate a 50 year anniversary believe that they are the first in the world to offer this to customers.

Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman of Global Product Operations said:

“In a way, this is a dream program for a Corvette customer. I would have jumped at the chance to build the 427 in my ’67 ’Vette, and that didn’t have half of what goes into one of these modern precision engines,”

The video below shows a speeded up version of what you get for your money

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