The first image shows a manufactured tyre tinted with a corrected date , with the original date being scraped off and modified as shown in the second image.Does it appear to horrify you that your heart-earned wages are being incurred in purchasing a tyre for your vehicle that turns out to be falsified? This is what our customers are experiencing and we express deep concern for this issue and hereby spreading awareness on how we can go about preventing it.

Just a week ago , we attended to a customer who seem to be stuck in the confusion of his worn off tyre which was purchased in the current month.We did our usual repair for his tyre and to ease his worries, we provided an additional service which is out of the norm and brought his tyre back to our workshop for analysis.It was then concluded that the condition of the given tyre was not up to its usual standards and when we did a following step to check to date of manufacture,we found out that it was being carved and re-pasted with a new sticker that was of a date different from its original.

However,as concerned individuals and our commitment to being a promising mechanic, we are listing some of the prevention measures you can take to ensure that the tyre you are purchasing is well-worth your money and with authenticity.

Firstly,be fastidious.This is an important one,so stay vigilant to what you might be purchasing.It is advisable all new tyres that are purchased should not be manufactured more than half a year ago to discourage the chances for wear and tear.Before purchasing ,check the date of manufacture.Fraud dates are usually more obvious from the sticker pasted on the side of the tyre,with an additional layer on top of the original sticker which give a different texture to the tyre.Give the sticker a touch and if it appears to be carved,the date is likely to be discredited.Figuring this out requires close attention to specific details engraved on the tyre as tyre providers have no qualms of using alternative ways to modify the dates to make it believable.

Secondly,which also serves as the more preferred measure that you should be taking,is to contact a mechanic directly on your purchase of the tyre.With relevant experiences and exquisite knowledge on the different tyres ,one is able to tell in a quick of an eye whether the condition of the tyre does match accordingly to the manufactured date.I certainly believe none of us wants to risk any chances of screwing a half worn off tyre to our vehicles.

It is our privilege to be able to attend to all of your needs and contribute in providing a smoother journey for you and your vehicle.Please do not give a second thought to call us in an event of tyre puncture in singapore and flat car battery at 96888773.We are more than eager to be hearing from you and is able to serve you round the clock ,islandwide .

When tyre is puncture

This is the picture of our client tyre puncture singapore  due to this particular object pierce through her vehicle ,her tyre is savage because she has made a wise decision to engage our experience mechanic to remove the object and  repair it on the spot.

While travelling on the road , you hear a strange sound coming from the tyre  or steering wheel is always at one position without turning back to it original position and find something amiss. Please do not continue to drive , stop at the nearest safe place and alight your car and check what is happening.  If you could not figure what is exactly happen , you can call our mechanic at 96888773 ,he will guide you before he come down to your car location.  Some vehicle model have a special nut which we call it lock nut , that is why our mechanic need to know beforehand.

When the tyre is puncture due to nail or others object pierce through it . It can be repair on the spot , sometime must see where is the object pierce through it , if it is located at the sidewall of the tyre , it is still can be repair but must pay attention to it for a few days.  After repair, if there is air leaking after a few days then it is wise to go to tyre shop to replace a new tyre. What if the tyre is tear and burst , do not worry , we can loan you a spare tyre to let you travel to the tyre shop to replace tyre and afterward you may return the loan tyre to us .

Spare tyre is also very important , monitor spare tyre if your car have , some driver may have overlook their spare tyre as not well taken care of .  spare tyre can be spoilt if kept too long never take out as the rat might bitten it and cause the spare tyre no longer can be use .

If planning for a short holiday by driving  to our neighbouring country , it is best to bring the spare tyre along with it , in case the tyre is puncture not in singapore.   Make sure that the spare tyre is in good condition by checking air pressure , tyre valve , tread pattern.

Motorbike Tyre Repair

Today we come across a client motorbike tyre puncture and he is fortunate to park at a safe place . He engage our mechanic to come over for repair .

We are greeted  by this case as one long object can pierce through his motorbike tyre at two area in which the picture show above .

Our mechanic manage to repair his tyre but advice client must go to motor workshop to get the tyre change for the safety reason.

Fortunate that the long thin object pierce in a sideway manner rather than pierce through the motorbike rim because the object is long. If not the motorbike rim will damage and client will have to spend more to replace new tyre and maybe have to purchase new rim.

To prevent this incident happening  , when tyre is puncture on the road , try not to continue driving , if at expressway may contact LTA to arrange  Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) to tow it to the nearest safe place to park. Do not worry , LTA hotline is 24 hours. Afterward can contact us to arrange our mechanic to come down to your bike location.

If the bike tyre is puncture because of nail or other object on it , we can repair it on the spot . If there is tear or burst then will arrange to have it tow to your trusted bike workshop for new tyre change .  Because we could not change motorbike new tyre on the spot due to dismantle a lot of thing.  If you are trying to change new motorbike tyre by yourself it can be using lot of strength and risk of getting cuts when you brushed your hands over a glass that  had pass through its way in the tyre.

Tyre Rotation

The front and rear tyres do different jobs so they usually wear out  at different timing. The tread on the tyres is what keeps your family safe on the roads. Which  is why tyre rotation is so important. When you rotate your tyres regularly, you do not only be safer and also  extend the lifespan of your tyres too.

It is  recommend to do tyre rotation at least every 10,000km or  you discover uneven wear patterns on your tyre.

In order to avoiding uneven tyre wear is regularly moving each tyre to a different corner of the car. Each tyre experiences a variety of wear patterns over the period of time, and wears out at the same timing as the other tyre.  Estimate, rotating your tyre every time you change your oil, it  should keep them wearing evenly. If you are replacing new tyre or getting some of your tyre balanced, the rotation should be done along with it.

The exact rotation pattern depends on the vehicle and the tyre themselves. The standard pattern is to move the front tyre straight to the rear, and move the rear tyre to the front, but cross them over (so that the right rear ends up on the left front). The reverse pattern (rear to front, front to rear with a crossover) is also common. The exact pattern isn’t really that important as long as you’re consistent each time you rotate the tyre. Just make sure that  every tyre spends some time at each corner of the car.

Some vehicles require different patterns. Unidirectional tires should not be crossed over, and older ply tyre should not be crossed too. If your vehicle has different size tyre on the front and rear, of course  you cannot switch them. In such a case, simply move rights to the left and vice versa. If you have a full-size spare tyre you should include the spare in the rotation so all five tyre wear evenly. Follow the normal rotation pattern, but put the spare at the right rear corner. Whichever tyre would have gone to the right rear goes in the trunk and becomes the new spare.

If you do not do tyre rotation , you will face tyre puncture singapore on the road which can be troublesome and tyre tend to wear out prematurely thus you will have to spend even more.

Do not  overlook tyre rotation.  maintenance will keep your tyre wearing evenly, improve your car’s handling and save money.

Tyre PCD 

PCD stand for Pitch Circle Diameter is the diameter of the circle which passes through the centre of all the studs, wheel bolts or wheel rim holes.

One of the easiest way to calculate the PCD is to measure the distance (S) between two adjacent studs from the middle of each hole.

Different cars have different PCDs, but often similar cars within the same manufacturers group have the same PCD.  Many of the same manufacturer cars in the VAG range have the same PCD and other wheel dimensions, meaning that wheels are often interchangeable between these cars.

The PCD has connection  with the size of the diameter of a circle that the lug holes create. The center of every bolt/lug lies on the circumference of a circle that they create. PCD is usually measured in millimeters (mm).

The most common fitment has 4 studs and a PCD of one hundred mm, hence the fitment 4×100. Check  the fitment of your car, if you are not sure , you may consult a experience mechanic.

Two reason for fitting alloy wheels are Weight and Style.

Alloy wheels are much lighter than the equivalent size of steel wheels, so the unsprung weight of the car is reduced. They also look 10 times smarter than a steel wheel, even with a fancy plastic trim covering it.

Two things to look out for when fitting aftermarket wheels is the PCD and spigot size.

The PCD is easy to match as this relates to the number of studs you need to hold the wheel on the car. The real meaning is the diameter of the studs from the centre of the wheel.
pigot size is a bit trickier….the spigot is the bit in the centre of the hub that you rest the inside centre of the wheel on whilst aligning the studs and screwing back the wheel nuts. Aftermarket wheels, the spigot hole inside the wheels is a lot bigger than the spigot on the car. So what you need to do in this case is fit spigot locating rings. These are just rings of aluminium or hard plastic, that fit over the spigot on your car and then have a correct fit with the spigot hole on the wheel. If you don’t have the spigot taking all the weight of the car, chances are you are likely to break one or more studs when you drive the car hard or have to  e-brake . Remember the wheel nuts are simply there to hold the wheel on, NOT support the weight of the car. Also, as there is nothing to centre the wheel, you’ll notice the wheels go in and out of balance because as you drive around, they’ll move around on the hub.

Wheel Bearing 

Wheel bearing is a set of steel balls held together by a metal ring called a race. They help wheels spin fast with as little friction as possible. They are used on all kinds of vehicles.    On a car, a wheel bearing rides on a metal axle shaft and fits tightly inside the hub, which is a hollow chunk of metal at the center of the wheel. The hub holds the lug bolts that you use to bolt the tire onto the wheel. The wheel bearing is pressed into the hub from the back.

When bearings are damaged and making noise, it is  hard to diagnose because you have to drive the vehicle in order to produce the sound. Here are some of the thing you can do to help you find the source of the problem:

• When the seal on the wheel bearing is broken or spoilt , the noise starts to  becomes louder over time. It sounds like the noise that your tyre make when hitting a rumble strip on the expressway, just not very loud, something like the sound of playing cards flapping against bicycle spokes.
• While driving down on the  road about 40 mph, sway the car side to side slowly, shifting the weight of the vehicle from one side to the other. Do not drive crazy or cause the car to spin out, just sway it gently. Notice if the noise gets louder or softer. If the noise is a little less if you turn right, the damaged bearing may be on the left.

• Notice  that the tyre  that are “chopped” or “scalloped” (worn in patches) also make a rhythmic noise that increases in speed. This sounds very similar to a bad wheel bearing. Look at your tyre as well if you hear this kind of sound.

Most wheel bearings are hardened steel and can withstand a lot of abuse. Heat caused by insufficient of lubrication can destroy a wheel bearing and water that flow in a sealed bearing will also destroy it.

Most wheel bearings manufactured today are sealed. They come from the factory pressed together as an assembly: front race, bearing set, center race, bearing set, and outer race, with seals on both the front and rear. Seals protect bearings from the water, and debris, and they also seal in the high-temperature grease the bearing needs. When a seal is broken or damaged, the wheel bearing will spoilt and start making noise.

Take note of these sound when driving , if unsure can drive to trusted workshop to inspect .

Tyre Alignment 

The symptom of misaligned wheels can be obvious because your car can feel as it is  pulling to one side of the road or your steering wheel is shaking  or vibrating.

It could mean that your tyre alignment is out and it can happen gradually from frequent driving, or from incidents like hitting a kerb or pothole.

There are many ways for your tyre to be misaligned, you maybe should be familiar with some causes but you did not expect that each one could be easily cause damage to your tyre alignment .  

Alignment angles are measured in degrees,minutes or inches. sometime a slight misalignment can cause a lot of  uneven or premature tyre wear. Therefore it is important to get it done quickly before it rise to big problem.

Tyre alignment is the measurement, analysis and adjustment of your vehicle’s steering and suspension angles to ensure the tyre are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.

Tyre Balancing 

Tyre Balancing  and tyre  alignment  are two  different things, but many people often get confused.  Tyre alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the tyre so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The reason of doing this adjustments is prolong tire life and a vehicle that tracks straight and true when driving along a straight and level road.  Tyre balancing is to allows the tires and wheels to spin without causing any vibrations.  This is finished by inspecting  for any heavy spots on the wheel-tire combination and remunerate  it by placing a measured lead weight on the opposite site of the wheel from where the heavy spot is.

The sign of a tyre  that is out of balance are:

• Vibration in the steering wheel at certain expressway speeds.
• Vibration in the seat or floorboard at certain speed
• Scalloped or cupped wear pattern on the tyre

Car tyre out of balance  will cause a car to vibrate at certain speeds, usually between 50 and 70 mph. A tyre is out of balance when one section of the tire is heavier than the others. One ounce of imbalance on a front tyre is enough to cause a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel at about 60 mph. To balance a wheel, the technician will mount it on a balancing machine which spins the wheel to locate the heavier part. He will then remunerate for the heavy part by attaching a lead weight on the opposite side. Many people are relatively  surprised at how smooth their car drives after balancing all four wheels.

Most good quality tires will withstand their balance fairly well and go out of balance very gradually. If you notice a vibration that was not there the day before, it is possible that one of the lead balancing weights fell off. If you feel the vibration mostly in the steering wheel, the problem is most likely in a front wheel. If the vibration is mostly in the seat, the problem is probably in the rear.

For those of you who are very sensitive about vibrations and your shop could not seem to get that last bit of vibration out, inspect  to see whether  you have locking wheel lugs. Some locking lugs are as much as 1.5 ounces heavier than the other lug nuts which translates to about half ounce at the wheel rim. Try putting a 1/2 ounce weight opposite the locking lug and see whether if it helps.

For every  (5,000 km – 10,000 km) or you experiencing steering-wheel vibration, Seat or floorboard vibration at expressway speeds.  your tyre  may need balancing.