OCS Orange Car Service · Pretoria
Car Maintenance Tips
Select a topic below to explore expert tips on keeping your vehicle safe, reliable, and road-ready.
Your car bounces excessively after going over a speed bump — this points to worn shock absorbers that can no longer dampen movement.
You hear a knocking or clunking noise when driving over bumps or turning — this often indicates worn ball joints or loose suspension components.
The front of your car dips sharply when braking — a sign that your front shocks are worn and no longer controlling weight transfer.
Your car pulls or drifts to one side while driving straight — could be uneven suspension wear or a collapsed spring.
Uneven or cupped tyre wear — caused by suspension components not holding the tyre firmly and evenly on the road.
Steering feels loose or vague, or you notice excessive vibration in the steering wheel — worn tie rod ends or bushings are common causes.
Have suspension checked every 20,000 km or if you regularly drive on rough Pretoria roads — pothole damage is a leading cause of early suspension failure.
Replace immediately if you notice
Tread depth at or below 1.6mm — the legal minimum in South Africa. Use the R2 coin test: if you can see the full number, replace immediately.
Visible cracks, bulges, or bubbles on the sidewall — structural damage that could cause a blowout at any moment.
A tyre that repeatedly goes flat or loses air — a slow puncture or damaged bead seal that cannot be reliably repaired.
General guidance
Tyres older than 5 years should be inspected professionally even if tread looks acceptable — rubber degrades from the inside out.
Uneven wear means you need wheel alignment or a suspension check before fitting new tyres — or the new ones will wear the same way.
Rotate your tyres every 10,000 km to ensure even wear and extend their lifespan. Front tyres on FWD cars wear significantly faster.
Always replace tyres in pairs on the same axle — mixing worn and new tyres creates dangerous handling imbalances.
Your car pulls consistently left or right on a straight, flat road with a relaxed grip — the most common sign of misalignment.
Your steering wheel is off-centre when driving straight — it should always point dead ahead when wheels are pointing forward.
Tyres wearing unevenly — more on one edge than the other. Feathering (one side worn, other sharp) is a classic alignment symptom.
Vibration in the steering wheel at highway speeds — while this can also be a balancing issue, misalignment is often the root cause.
Car feels unstable or drifts in crosswind — poor alignment reduces your vehicle’s ability to track straight and respond predictably.
Get alignment checked after any pothole impact, kerb strike, or accident — even a minor hit can knock wheels out of spec.
Align wheels whenever fitting new tyres — it costs very little extra and dramatically extends the life of your new investment.
Warning signs — don’t ignore these
Check engine light comes on — even if the car drives normally, get it scanned immediately. Some faults become catastrophically expensive if ignored.
White or blue smoke from the exhaust — white indicates coolant burning (head gasket failure), blue means oil is burning. Both need urgent attention.
Oil pressure warning light — stop driving immediately. Running an engine with low oil pressure causes irreversible internal damage within minutes.
Temperature gauge in the red — pull over and stop. Continuing to drive an overheating engine will warp the cylinder head.
Knocking, ticking, or rattling from the engine bay — especially on startup. Can indicate low oil, worn bearings, or timing chain issues.
Significant loss of power, rough idling, or misfiring — could be ignition, fuel, or compression related. Early diagnosis prevents major damage.
Excessive oil consumption between services — regularly topping up oil means the engine has internal wear that needs investigation.
Even without warning signs, an engine check is recommended every 40,000 km or as part of a major service to catch wear before it becomes failure.
Fresh engine oil reduces friction and wear — old degraded oil loses its protective properties and accelerates engine wear significantly.
A service includes a safety check of brakes, lights, fluids, belts, and tyres — catching minor issues before they become expensive failures or dangerous situations.
Regular servicing keeps your warranty valid — most manufacturers require proof of service history to honour warranty claims.
A well-serviced car retains significantly more resale value — service history is one of the first things a buyer or dealership checks.
Clean air and fuel filters improve fuel efficiency — a clogged filter can increase fuel consumption by up to 10%, costing you more at the pump every week.
Minor service: every 10,000–15,000 km or once a year. Major service: every 30,000–45,000 km or every 2–3 years. Check your owner’s manual for your specific vehicle.
Skipping services is a false economy — a R850 service can prevent a R15,000+ repair. The cost of neglect always exceeds the cost of maintenance.
Do
Get a proper written quote before any work begins — a professional workshop will assess the damage and give you a price before touching your car.
Use a registered panel beater with proper equipment — including a vehicle jig or frame straightening machine for structural repairs.
Insist on manufacturer-specification parts or quality-approved alternatives — cheap aftermarket panels often don’t fit correctly.
Check panel gaps after repair — all gaps (door, bonnet, boot) should be even and consistent. Uneven gaps indicate poor alignment during repair.
Document all damage with photos before dropping your car off — and again when collecting, to ensure nothing new was damaged.
Don’t
Never use DIY body filler as a long-term fix for structural damage — filler cracks over time, absorbs moisture, and hides damage that affects your safety.
Don’t accept a repair where you can feel filler through the paint — a proper repair should be smooth with no ridges or high spots.
Never skip repairing structural damage after an accident — even minor collision damage to crumple zones affects how your car protects you in future impacts.
Preparation is everything
Quality spray work is 80% preparation — proper sanding, cleaning, priming, and masking determines the final result far more than the paint itself.
Always use a computer-matched colour code specific to your vehicle — found on your VIN plate or service sticker. Generic colours are always visible.
Ensure the panel is completely free of wax, grease, and silicone before painting — even invisible contamination causes fish-eye defects in the paint film.
Apply primer to any bare metal or repaired areas — primer improves adhesion, prevents rust, and fills minor imperfections before the colour coat goes on.
Common mistakes to avoid
Never paint in direct sunlight, extreme heat, or cold — ideal conditions are 18–25°C with low humidity. Poor conditions cause runs, solvent pop, and poor adhesion.
Don’t skip the clear coat — it provides UV protection and gloss. Paint without clear coat fades rapidly, especially in Pretoria’s harsh sunlight.
Never apply thick coats in one pass — multiple thin coats always produce a better, more durable result than one heavy coat that will run and take longer to cure.
Wait at least 30 days after a fresh spray before applying wax or polish — the paint needs time to fully cure before being exposed to abrasive products.
Good practice / do this
Warning / pay attention
Danger / avoid this