Education

Towing something with your car is an important thing to think through. You’re putting a lot of load on your car’s components and that can lead to breakages and issues. We’ll walk you through the basics to check to know before you tow… Things to check on your car before towing Can your car tow […]

Nearly all modern cars have different service intervals, this is to do with different engine constructions and different engineering requirements. If your car needs a service, or any other work, click here. For example a higher performance European car like a Mercedes, BMW, or Audi, will require more oil changes, filter changes and maintenance to […]

Your engine is called an ‘internal combustion engine’. This means that while running there’s a lot of, well, internal combustion occurring. Thousands of explosions a minute, these create a lot of heat. How do you stop all this heat from ruining your engine? Coolant is pumped through the cooling channels, carrying heat away from the […]

We recommend you absolutely do not try to drive with a broken clutch. It isn’t a good idea, in fact, it probably won’t even work. Your clutch is what connects the engine to the transmission. Your clutch is what mates and transfers the power from the engine to the wheels. If it isn’t working then […]

Your timing belt doesn’t run the clock in your car. It runs a way more important part – your engine. Like many other engine components, it wears out. When your car is running, it’s spinning at extremely high speeds, in a very hot place. I don’t really like running in a very mild place, imagine […]

The manual is a sacred thing among car people. More of an annoyance to everyone else. Fair enough, anyone who’s been stuck in rush hour for an hour in a manual will also be question the reason for its existence. Connecting car and driver, in such a raw and engaged way however, is the main […]

In your car you’ll either have a manual transmission, or an automatic transmission. Each of these takes the revolution per minute of the engine, and transfers it to the wheels via the drivetrain. As your engine needs different gears to move the car at different speeds, your transmission determines at what speed the engine moves […]

We’ve all seen the signs telling us not to leave valuables in our cars, but we sometimes assume it’s more probable that something will be taken if we take it to the beach, amusement parks, or on a hike through the woods. There will be occasions when you forget something in the car before leaving, […]

Lane merging might be viewed as a pain in the neck, and not to be too reductive, but sometimes it literally is a pain in the neck having to twist your head to see what’s happening around you. That said, it’s an excellent way to exercise your patience muscle, one of those challenges that leads […]

Ah, the ol’ battery change – it sounds so simple doesn’t it? When it comes to getting a new battery in your vehicle, you’re probably focused on two things. The first being the obvious, is this going to mean my car actually starts up? And secondly, how long is it going to last? For a […]

With the abundance of car modification options that are available today, and their relative affordability (depending on what you’re looking at!), it can get pretty tempting to start making personalised upgrades to your vehicle. When it comes to vehicle performance and safety, cosmetic alterations are generally harmless and aren’t anything to worry about. When engines […]

There was a time in my life when driving around with the fuel light on with fairly common practice. Looking back now, I feel it was probably more an indication of my priorities at the time, of which keeping my car in good nick was pretty low on the list in those student days. There’s […]

If you’re towing a trailer or caravan, one of the worst things that can happen is for your trailer to wobble precariously back and forth, eventually falling on one side and dragging your vehicle down with it. Trailer sway can be a major problem for many trailer owners, especially with New Zealand’s winding roads, and […]

It’s fair to say we tend to take our tyres for granted. I might be speaking for myself, but I just expect to them to be there and to work when it comes to heading out for a spin. Sure, they’re super helpful, you know, gripping the road and basically saving your life at corner […]

I remember once upon a time, I’d just joined the local football team, and was driving my new team mates home after practice one evening. The car was packed, the music was up and so were the voices. As I edged left to slow down let a couple of the boys on the side of […]

Well to put it simply, “Revolutions Per Minute”. The follow up question you’ll have is, “what’s revolving?”. When your engine is running, the pistons travel up and down and rotate the crankshaft. The amount of full 360 degree rotations the crankshaft does in one minute. This tells you how the engine is operating at that […]

Your battery is the part of your car that is responsible for it starting and running. If you don’t have a battery, and you don’t drive a manual, you don’t have a way of starting and running the car. A battery is an expensive item, it’s also critical to your car’s electrical system, mainly to […]

Okay, so you’ve picked the car of your dreams (or at least, one that fits neatly into your budget), you’ve figured out the best negotiation techniques, and now you’re down at the card yard looking to pick up those hot new wheels for summer. Then the dealer throws in a last spar, “would you like […]

There’s a terrible joke that speed demons love to tell, which goes something along the lines of, “if you need to remove unnecessary weight from the vehicle, start with the brake pads.” We’ll let the laughter die down for a moment before we proceed… Or not? Your brakes are one of your car’s most vital […]

“It’s tax time, baby!” … said no one. Ever. For many of us, the end of the financial year can be a bit of an… adventure, let’s say. But not necessarily the kind we’re used to here at MyAutoShop! After a few questions here and there from your accountant or tax agent, and perhaps a […]

Every day, parents, carers, and grandparents face the school run and manage to survive, but whether you emerge a frazzled mess or unfazed depends on your preparation and tolerance. Let’s go over a few strategies we’ve uncovered to get through the school run without so much as a bead of sweat trickling down that forehead […]

When it comes to car auctions, you’re like to imagine motor-mouthed auctioneer exclaiming, “sold to the man in the yellow hat!” or something along those lines. It’s a high energy environment, for sure, and you wouldn’t be wrong in your estimation of what it’ll be like. This is still true in some auction houses, but […]

Rightio, so you’ve organised a car service through MyAutoShop, organised to get your car serviced (within the recommended timeframe as well, well done!) and, at the time of dropping your car off at the mechanic’s, they ask if you’re after any additional service items. You may be wondering what they’re referring to, given you’ve ostensibly […]

With the abundance of road works happening my area at the moment, I’ve noticed a few daring drivers take to the bus lanes to escape what seems to be an ever-increasing traffic problem in Auckland City. Most urban regions have built bus lanes so buses can travel free of general traffic, even during peak hour […]