Over the past years, Treorchy service centre has built on our reputation by offering a wide range of products and services. We have expanded from purely the servicing and repairing of vehicles into MOT testing, and carrying out replacement work on brakes, suspension/shock absorbers, exhaust systems and battery systems as well as any other problems, minor or major, that your vehicle might have.

  If you are proactive in maintaining your vehicle between its annual services, then we can also offer oil services and intermediate services. By looking after your car’s vital organs, you will be prolonging the vehicle’s life while also getting the best performance from it.

 also, if you need anything extra with your booking please inform reception when you book your vehicles appointment. We also stock a range of motoring products in our forecourt shop. These little extras will hopefully give you, the motorist, an easier and more comfortable driving experience.

Your vehicle’s suspension system

The suspension system in your vehicle is there to help always keep your tyres in contact with the road. It’s also there to assist with braking and road handling.  Shock absorbers help to smooth out the ever-increasing imperfections in road surfaces.  It can sometimes be hard to notice any suspension problems your vehicle may have when you are driving it every day. 

  The suspension system in your vehicle is made up of a series of components including shock absorbers and coil springs. These are designed to limit or dampen the vibrations and undulations felt from the road surface, thereby helping to provide a smooth, controlled, and comfortable driving experience. When you need to bring your vehicle to a stop, especially in case of an emergency, not only do your brakes need to be in full working order, the suspension system needs to be at the top of its game too, ensuring that your tyres are in full contact with the road. Did you know that if you are driving at 30mph having worn shock absorbers can add up to two metres to your braking distance!

It is not always obvious that you have a problem with your vehicle’s suspension system. A gradual loss of performance of any of the suspension systems components over time, can go unnoticed

Your vehicle’s braking system

The braking system that operates on your vehicle is there to slow your vehicle down and stop you. The braking system also allows you to perform an emergency stop. It is vitally important that you ensure your vehicle’s braking system is fully operational and in A1 working condition. The braking system will be checked during your vehicles MOT test but it is also important to have the system checked at regular intervals. As with the suspension system you may not notice a decline in your vehicles braking performance as you become accustomed to it.

The braking system is made up of many components including the following:

Master cylinder
Servo
Brake callipers
Brake fluid
Cylinders
Disks
Drums
Pads
Shoes

When your vehicle has a braking system inspection our technician will inspect the wear on your brake pads, shoes, discs, and drums. The technician will recommend the replacement of the brake pads if the friction material has worn down to a thickness of 3mm or below. If you do have new pads fitted it is important to drive gently with them for approx. two hundred miles, giving them time to ‘bed in’.

  An identical vehicle driven by two different people will invariably have a different effect on the wear-and-tear of the braking system. If the vehicle is used mainly for motorway driving, where braking is only occasional a set of brake pads could last for as long as sixty thousand miles but if the vehicle is driven in town for short journeys where there is a lot of stopping and starting you may need to replace your brake pads after only twenty to thirty thousand miles.

  At Treorchy service centre we know how important it is to maintain your vehicle’s braking system and one of our technicians will be able to check your braking system for you. This involves your vehicle being put on a rolling road and having both its pedal brake and hand brake applied, checking that the braking force produced by your vehicle meets with the manufacturers tolerance levels making your vehicle safe for the road. 

  There are two main types of pedal brakes, disc brakes and drum brakes. The disc braking system is made up of a disc, calliper, and pads. When you apply pressure to your brake pedal it pushes pressurised brake fluid down the brake pipe to the calliper squeezing the brake pads against the rotating disc, thus slowing down the vehicle. The drum braking system has slightly different components including hydraulic wheel cylinders, shoes, and a drum. When you apply pressure to the brake pedal the hydraulic wheel cylinders push the brake shoes against the rotating brake drum, thus slowing your vehicle down.

  Many modern vehicles have anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in place.  This system is designed to apply and release pressure to any wheel that decelerates too quickly allowing a maximum stopping force to be applied without your vehicle skidding. The ABS automatically tests itself every time your vehicle ignition is switched on, if it does not pass its self-test a warning light will appear on your dashboard.

Your Vehicle’s Battery

Your vehicle’s battery is the only power source your vehicle has, its primary purpose is to provide power to the starter motor, when you start the vehicle. The battery also provides power to the spark plugs enabling them to ignite the fuel and air in the combustion cylinders. Once your vehicle is running the battery has done its job, it is then recharged by the alternator, which provides the bulk of the power for your vehicle’s electrical systems.

  The strength (amperage) of the battery can be affected by how much work it has to do and by adverse weather conditions. In recent times, in-car entertainment systems have grown substantially with the additions of digital music players and satellite navigation systems all these newly installed electronic gadgets increase the demand on your vehicle’s battery and power system.

  One of our technicians will be able to do a quick test on your battery to check that it is charging adequately and creating enough output voltage. This test will indicate whether battery failure is imminent. 

Your Vehicle’s Exhaust System     

The exhaust system on any vehicle has four main functions:

To control noise
To direct exhaust fumes away from the vehicle’s occupants
To improve the performance of the engine
To improve fuel consumption.

An exhaust system is made up of a series of pipes linking the engine with the catalytic converter and the silencer box. Exhaust gases are at a very high pressure when they leave the engine and enter the silencer which comprises a series of holes.  As they pass through the holes in the silencer the pressure of the exhaust gasses is decreased resulting in them leaving the exhaust system with reduced noise.

  Since 1993 all modern petrol cars have been fitted with a catalytic converter, this helps to reduce harmful emissions produced by your engine. The catalytic converter converts harmful gases such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into water vapour.

  Exhausts can corrode from both the inside and outside, the life expectancy of an exhaust system can vary depending on how often and how far you drive your vehicle, rather than how long the exhaust system has been fitted. If your vehicle is only used for short trips the exhaust doesn’t have time to heat up enough to turn your emissions into vapour before they leave the exhaust. You can often see vehicles that have only been running for a couple of minutes have what looks like water dripping from the tailpipe (the part of exhaust that you can see at the rear of your vehicle).  Once they have heated up, this liquid will be turned into vapour that is normally invisible to the human eye.

  If your exhaust starts making a noise that is unfamiliar to you it is recommended to have one of our technicians look at it. It is normally the silencer that needs attention first. The silencer is the furthest part of the exhaust system away from the engine.  Corrosive acid can pool in the silencer as it is always the coolest part of the exhaust system, the last part of the system in which the moisture vaporises.  If your silencer fails, you will notice your vehicle starting to make a roaring noise. If your vehicle makes more of a hissing noise, there may be a crack in the exhaust manifold (where the exhaust joins onto the engine). A rattling noise coming from under your vehicle could often mean that the exhaust has become detached from your vehicle, sometimes it will be possible for you to see this is you look underneath.

  If your exhaust system does a have a fault it may only be in one section of it. Our technicians will be able to discuss the best option with you, whether to replace only the faulty section or whether to replace the whole system. If the faulty section of the exhaust has corroded, it may only be a matter of time before the exhaust system fails as a whole.  In some cases it may be cost and time efficient to replace the whole system.