Car getting washed

Expert’s guide to a cost effective car wash

- 3 mins read

There really is nothing quite like a car wash to get you (and your car!) feeling incredible when you’re out on the road.   That said, if you’re not necessarily thrilled about the idea of manual labour in the name of getting your car looking tip top, then you’re probably no stranger to the local carwash […]

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Halt, why's your hand on that handbrake?

Zen guide to safely stopping when your brakes fail

/ - 3 mins read

Okay, we realise the headline might seem a little bit paradoxical, but here at My Auto Shop, we know the importance of staying calm no matter what situation you’re in, especially when it’s of the automotive variety. So you’re driving along, music blaring (invariably, right?) and you spot a red light up ahead.  Coolio.  Happens […]

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A little fella not feeling too good due to car sickness

Zen guide to avoiding car motion sickness

- 3 mins read

Oh man, we all have that one friend.  You know, the one who doesn’t take the corners too well on a long road trip, and before you know it, you’re pulled over and they’re dry-retching into a ditch. Well, safe to say that you better be quick when that request is made known, because we […]

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A tidy car interior

Zen guide to an organised car

/ - 3 mins read

If you’ve been following our series of zen guides to driving, you might remember an article which extolled the infinite values of keeping your car clean and free from clutter out on family roadtrips and the like.   Now, I feel like every time I step into someone else’s car, there’s always an apology – “really […]

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You'll want car insurance for this one

Wait, where’d my car insurance go?

- 4 mins read

Okay, hands up, who’s been here before?  You’re peacefully driving along, minding your own business, and then – “Crrrrchhh!” – it’s suddenly all gone pear-shaped.  You, my friend, have just been in a car accident. No worries though, right?  You’re smart, you got car insurance cover, and it’s time to inform your insurer that yes, […]

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Dealing with a touch of oversteer on the roads

How to drive and deal with oversteer and understeer

- 4 mins read

To be fair, much like the term ‘tune up’, the terms oversteer and understeer might seem a little out of date.  But, we humans like familiarity, and while the meanings have evolved, the words seem to stay the same. Basically, oversteer and understeer are motoring dynamics which remain with us, despite the profusion of electric […]

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Female driver standing over overheated engine

How to stay chill when your car is heating up

- 4 mins read

Okay, so you’ve read our Zen Guide to Peaceful Road Trips, you learnt all about how heat can bring about car motion sickness, and now you just want the cold hard facts – “How the hell do I cool this car down?!” Whether you use sun shades on the windows or window tinting to keep […]

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Car dashboard displaying the battery light

Expert’s guide to *that* battery light on your dashboard

- 3 mins read

We’ve covered off what’s going on with all those lights on your dashboard in a little bit of depth before, but today we thought we’d get into the nitty-gritty.  Under each of those lights, there’s a tonne of information that you could potentially read into, and so we thought let’s start with the beating heart […]

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Speedometer display on car dashboard

Expert’s guide to speedometers

- 4 mins read

Picture this, you’re cruising down State Highway 1, your favourite roadtrip tunes on blast, when you see a bright flash out of the corner of your eye.  What was that?  D’oh, of course it was a speed camera! You quickly check your speed, gently heading up towards the 120km/h mark.  Yeesh!  You start to slow […]

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Car engine air filter

Expert’s guide to replacing your air filter

- 2 mins read

If you’re a regular here on the My Auto Shop blog, you’ll know we like to keep you fully informed and equipped to deal with everyday car issues.   With the summer sun now shining into directly into our eyes (cue sunglasses), we thought it might be time to give you the down-low on how to […]

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Car dashboard displaying an odometer

Expert’s guide to identifying a wound back odometer

- 3 mins read

Odometers serve a very certain purpose in our cars.  We need to know how far we’ve travelled, as this gives us an indication of where a car is at in its lifecycle and what servicing requirements there are at any given moment. Many cars were equipped with the mechanical Auto-Meter gadget in the early 1900s, […]

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Little boy in child safety seat

Expert’s guide to child restraints in New Zealand

/ - 2 mins read

It’s no secret, child restraints save lives, plain and simple. New Zealand has a very clear framework for the management of child safety and child restraints in vehicles.  As we start to filter out onto the roads this summer, we thought it’d be useful to cover off exactly what the legal requirements are when it […]

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Car with deflated tyre needing replacement

Expert’s guide to checking your tyres for air leaks

- 3 mins read

Oh yeah, we know it, you know it, we all know it.  Check the tyre pressure.  Yeah, yeah.  Sure.  But who’s really doing it?  Well, to put it plain and simple, regularly checking your tyre pressure is critical to the safe operation of your vehicle. Tyres lose pressure over time (funny that!), which is why […]

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Man looking at his broken down car engine

Expert’s breakdown equipment and preparation checklist

/ - 4 mins read

We can thank our lucky stars that you don’t need to be a qualified mechanic in order to find yourself adequately prepared for that odd occasion when you experience a roadside breakdown. In fact, it happens on a regular basis, just generally not to the same individual driver, assuming the vehicle is regularly serviced by […]

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Checking your car engine oil

Expert’s guide to choosing the best engine oil for your car

- 3 mins read

As drivers, we’re always looking for that new edge when it comes to our engine performance.  Whether you’re wanting better acceleration, higher top-end speeds or just a bit of a smoother ride, you want to get the most juice out of your engine. Well, we’re here to tell you that it’s possible to get these […]

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Sun strike leading to blind spot in car mirrow

Expert’s guide to checking for blind spots

- 3 mins read

Okay team, we’re not trying to tell you how to suck eggs here, but we’re thinking maybe an article about blind spots has, in fact, been sitting in our blind spot here at My Auto Shop.  So, here it goes, let us open your eyes to the elusive and potentially dangerous “blind spot”. A blind […]

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Electric vehicle air conditioning

Expert’s guide to air conditioning in electrical vehicles (EVs)

- 2 mins read

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a hot topic right now, with a variety of factors influencing customer adoption as well as economic estimates and consequences for manufacturers.   Indeed, getting a feel for what you really get for the cost with an EV and what to look out for is a bit of an exercise unto itself! […]

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Jump starting a car battery

Expert’s guide to a safe jump start

- 3 mins read

“Just jump start it, dude!  You’ll be sweet!” … And they were never heard from again. Okay, so that might be going a little bit far, but the point we’re making is that while it seems everyone under the sun is quick to tell you they “just jump started it” – it does take a […]

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A car jack lifts a car ready to change a tyre

A (car) jack of all trades?

/ - 4 mins read

If you ever find yourself in a pickle with a flat tyre, or you’ve seen a car jack lurking around in your car boot but are unsure exactly what it’s for, or what to do with it, know that you’re not the first (nor will you be the last) in either of these situations! Or […]

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Keeping kids safe around cars

- 3 mins read

It’s so important that you teach your kids how to be safe in and around cars. Crossing the road, not opening doors or windows, seat belts and always paying attention around roads and cars. All of these keep your kids safe around cars. We’ve got some tips for rules and processes, to keep your kids […]

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What brake rotors are right for my car?

/ - 4 mins read

There are different types of brake rotors for different requirements. If your car has disc brakes, it’s something that will need to be serviced, sometimes machined, occasionally replaced. When you do replace them it’s worth thinking about what you might want. If you need brake rotors replaced, or any other work for your car done, […]

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Air-cooled vs water-cooled engines

- 3 mins read

Nearly all modern production cars have water cooled engines nowadays, however, there was a time when air cooled cars held their own. Cars like the VW Beetle, Porsche 911 and the Fiat 500, all used air cooled engines. There were some advantages to an air-cooled system but ultimately the efficiency and reliability of water-cooled systems […]

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What’s the best spark plug for my car?

- 3 mins read

Your engine inhales air and fuel, at the top of the compression stroke, the spark plug ignites the mixture. The spark plug only has that job, to ignite the mixture. Yep, you’ve got a whole ignition system for the sole purpose of one spark each cylinder at the top of every combustion stroke. The spark […]

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Why do I need a wheel balance?

/ - 2 mins read

Your wheels are round, they have tyres fitted over the top of them and they roll. Why fix what isn’t broke? Well, your wheels do roll, that’s where the problem comes from. Your wheels may be round and roll nicely, but without balancing, they won’t do that very well at all. If you need a […]

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