I had a few car-related questions and some came from 2 readers so I thought I would ask the expert Bobby D does a car feature on www.baydu.co.za called Bobby’s CAR talk. Lets see…

Baydu: I drive a power-assisted car and was told I can replace the power steering oil with transmission fluid, is that true and is it safe?

Bobby:  Yes it will work, but you need to use ATF or automatic transmission fluid.

Baydu: Is there a difference between 16 valve and twincam, or do all twincammed cars have 16 valves ?

Bobby: All 16 valve motors are technically “Twincams”. Twincam is a brand name Toyota came up with, but the correct term is double over head cam. Honda for instance calls “twincam” DOHC, the abbreviation for double overhead cam. It essentially means two cams which is what you need to make 16 valves operate correctly.

Baydu: What does the law say concerning window tints, colourful/tinted head and back lights, stickers all over your rear window and dropped cars. I’m asking cos I see this all over and unsure if any of it is legal or not.

Bobby: The law doesn’t care much about tinting, long as you don’t tint the front windshield you are pretty safe. The headlight issue is
questionable as you are only allowed to use coloured lights for your brights. The parks and indicators need to remain standard. You can’t drop a car lower than 40mm in most cases. You need to always maintain 4cm between tyre and wheel arch.

Baydu: How would I know when to replace my brake pads?

Bobby: The minimum pad wear is 2mm, but most pads have warning noises. When your car says “check brakes” or you hear a noise from the pads, replace them. Don’t overthink this one.

Baydu:If my CV joints make a noise, do I replace all 4, or just the outsides, just the insides or just the one making a noise

Bobby: Most wear and tear takes place on the outside joints, but if it’s an old car, best you replace everything.

Hope I could be of assistance

Bobby

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