Takata Airbag Recall

Since 2009, vehicle manufacturers in Australia have recalled vehicles fitted with potentially defective airbag produced by the Takata Corporation. The airbags have faulty inflators which may cause the airbag to deploy incorrectly and may cause metal fragments to strike the occupant causing injury or death. There have been 23 reported deaths and 230 injuries worldwide with one death and one serious injury reported in Australia.

In March 2018 the Federal Government issued a compulsory recall notice for vehicles fitted with defective Takata airbags, following an extensive safety investigation by the ACCC. More than 2.3 million vehicles still have a defective airbag that needs replacement. This recall includes vehicles made by Ford, GM Holden, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. Also, there are existing voluntary recalls by BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo and Hino Trucks. To date, the Takata airbag recall is the largest ever automotive recall, affecting up to 100 million cars worldwide.

If you believe your vehicle might be affected, give us a call today and we can discuss your options.

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Annual Maintenance Procedures

Any time is a good time to do some annual maintenance on your vehicle. These basic procedures and checks aren’t necessarily specific to a particular time of year, but it’s important for motorists to perform the following checks each year.

Clean your Battery Terminals

Nothing is more frustrating than a vehicle that fails to start when you need it. Regularly cleaning your battery terminals can keep electrical issues at bay, leading to a more reliably starting vehicle.

Inspect your Spark Plug Leads

Cracked spark plug leads affect performance, fuel efficiency and general reliability. Be sure yours are in top shape.

Inspect your Brakes

Brakes are not a good area to cut corners. Be sure your brakes have enough viability left to give you the control you need behind the wheel.

Check your Engine Oil

This should go without saying and should be done at least monthly.

Other regular maintenance you can do:

Coolant flush to prevent overheating
Changing your wipers
Cleaning up your battery
Brake fluid checks
Radiator coolant level check
Adding washer fluid as needed

Berwick Auto Electrics & Mechanical can give you assistance with any manner of automotive repair or servicing, should you need it. Give us a call today!

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Seasonal Maintenance Checklist

As the months go by, changing driving conditions affect your car differently. Come June or July colder temperatures, wet roads and wintry precipitation can become a burden on your car without thorough maintenance, and in warmer, drier months a greater concentration of dust and dirt in the air can affect your vehicle’s air intake. While safety is an important consideration all year long, there are certainly some automotive maintenance jobs and safety checks specific to different weather conditions that are a good idea to check into every few months.

With any change of season, you should go to your regular maintenance log to make sure you are up to date on the maintenance items that should be scheduled throughout the year. The change of seasons is a great time to go through some once-a-year or twice-a-year auto maintenance tasks.

Check your Coolant Fluid

Your coolant fluid (added to your radiator) is an essential part of your car’s protection in colder and warmer weather. Your car contains a 50/50 mix of water and coolant fluid. Make sure the level is full, and that the mixture is close to 50/50.

At Berwick Auto Electrics & Mechanical we can check this mixture for free. You did remember to perform a radiator flush last spring, didn’t you?

Inspect your Tyres

Take the time to check the tread depth. VicRoads says you need at least 3mm of depth to be safe. We recommend, especially in winter weather, that anything less than 3-4 mm be replaced soon. The old coin test is as reliable as anything to find out whether your treads are deep enough: take a 20c piece and insert it as far as you can into the groove in your wheel. If the tyre tread doesn’t at least cover the tip of the platypus’ bill, it’s time to replace your tyres.

Also be sure to check your tyre pressure, which also can change with the weather. Colder air occupies less space than warmer air, which leads to a lowering of tyre pressure without any leaking of actual air inside the tyre.

Do you need new tyres? Ask about our prices today!

Replace your Wiper Blades

Anything falling from the sky is going to end up on your windscreen, be it rain, snow or dirt, and the task of clearing it falls on your wipers. It takes wipers that are in top shape to keep your windshield clean and safe.

You’ll also be using lots of washer fluid as you try to keep your windscreen clear of dirt and debris, so be sure to keep your washer fluid topped up as required.

Replace your Filters

In warmer months dust and dirt in the air gets caught by your vehicle’s filters before it can reach your engine or other important vehicle mechanics, but over time your filters will lose effectiveness as it’s filled with more and more captured dirt.

Replacing your vehicle’s filters as they outlive their usefulness is important to maintaining your vehicle’s good health.

Check for Leaks

A leaking radiator or cooling system can be devastating at any time, but particularly in the warmer months where having a cool engine bay is vital to your engine’s continued performance and fuel efficiency. Checking your cooling system for leaks can be as simple as looking below your vehicle for puddles of water or coolant fluid; should you find any, bring your vehicle to Berwick Auto Electrics & Mechanical as soon as possible for a more thorough inspection.

Our staff can assist you in maintaining your vehicle, covering any of the steps above and more. Get in touch with us today if you’d like to know more!

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