The wet season finds whatever was already tired on a vehicle. Brakes that were fine on dry roads, a cooling system that coped with winter, a battery that only just turned it over in July, and an earth that has been corroding quietly for a year. October is the cheap time to find them. Mechanical and electrical, checked in the one visit.
Why now and not in January
From about now through to the wet, the heat and the humidity build, the roads get worse, and every workshop on the Tablelands fills up with the same jobs at the same time. A vehicle that is only just coping in October does not get better in the build-up. Getting it looked at while there is still room in the week is the version of this job that costs least and takes least of your time.
The mechanical side
- Cooling system. Radiator, hoses, the cap, the coolant itself and the fan. The hottest, most humid months are when an engine leans hardest on its cooling, and a hose that has gone soft or a radiator half blocked with dust and grass seed will tell you on the worst possible day.
- Brakes. Pads, rotors, fluid and the hoses. Wet roads, red dirt that turns to slurry and steep runs off the range all ask more of a braking system than a dry winter does.
- Belts, pulleys and tensioners. A belt that is cracked or glazed can let go without much warning, and on most modern engines it takes the charging, the cooling and the power steering with it.
- Suspension and steering. Worn components make a vehicle vague on a wet, rutted road, which is exactly where you want it to be predictable.
- Filters, fluids and the service itself. If the logbook service is due or overdue, before the wet is the time to do it. We stamp the book, and having it done by a qualified mechanic to the manufacturer schedule does not affect a new car warranty.
The electrical side
- Battery and charging. Heat is harder on a battery than cold, and a battery that kept going flat over winter usually has a charging fault or a drain behind it, not just age. We test the battery, the alternator and the starter together rather than swapping the cheapest part and hoping.
- Earths, connectors and wiring. This is the one the wet season goes looking for. Corroded earths and connector rot cause flickering lights, dead accessories and faults that come and go with the weather. Rodent damage and trailer plugs gone green are common culprits.
- Lights. Headlights, tail lights, indicators and the trailer plug. You are driving in rain and low light more often from here on.
- Wipers and washers. Check the blades and the washers before the first storm, and if the wipers are slow, stop in odd places or will not park, that is usually a motor, switch or wiring fault rather than the blades.
- Air conditioning. Clearing a fogged windscreen in a humid downpour relies on the air con, not just comfort. If it has gone weak, it is worth finding out why before it fails altogether.
- Dual battery and 12V gear. If the fridge, lights and recovery gear live off a second battery, check the battery, the DC to DC charger and the wiring before you rely on them.
Why one visit for both matters out here
Plenty of faults sit right on the line between electrical and mechanical. A vehicle that will not start might be a starter motor, a fuel problem or a sensor. An engine running rough might be ignition, injection or something reading wrong. When the auto electrician and the mechanic are the same person, the diagnosis does not stop at the edge of one trade, and you are not booking two workshops or towing into Mareeba to find out which one you needed.
Servicing, brakes, cooling and diagnostics can usually be done on site across the Tablelands. Anything that needs the hoist comes into the workshop on Railway Lane in Atherton, and we will tell you which up front.
Common questions
- Do you do mechanical servicing as well as auto electrical? Yes, both. Logbook and general servicing, brakes, cooling, belts and hoses, suspension and steering, alongside batteries, charging, wiring and diagnostics. One call, one visit, which matters when the alternative might be a tow into town.
- Will a logbook service from you affect my new car warranty? No. Australian law lets any qualified mechanic carry out logbook servicing without affecting a new car warranty, as long as it is done to the manufacturer schedule with the right parts and stamped. We stamp the book.
- Why do electrical faults get worse in the wet? Moisture gets into connectors and earths that were already starting to corrode, so a fault that was occasional in the dry becomes constant in the wet. Finding and repairing the bad earth or connector properly is cheaper than chasing the symptoms one at a time.
- Can you come to me? For a lot of it, yes. We run a mobile service across the Tablelands, including Atherton, Tolga, Walkamin, Malanda, Kairi, Herberton and out to Mareeba. Hoist work comes into the Atherton workshop.
If something on the vehicle has been on your list since winter, this is the month to get it sorted. Give us a ring and tell us what it is doing.
Workshop in Atherton and mobile across the Atherton Tablelands. If you want it looked at properly rather than guessed at, give us a ring.