My Auto Shop Info Hub

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 […]

Giving your car’s paintwork a wash is one of the easiest ways to take care of your vehicle. With most of the My Auto Shop team’s cars being covered with dirt dust from summer road trips, we’ve put together our tips on keeping your car’s paintwork at its best. Start by cleaning your wheels Before […]

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 […]

As the Velvet Underground song goes, “I got a foggy notion!” … but, I confess, when it comes to fogged up windows, I don’t have the foggiest. Having full understanding on how to stay safe when your windows mist up is essential driver knowledge. There are always things to learn in the automotive world, 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 […]