Travelling the Great Ocean Road is one of the best trips you will ever do, but this doesn’t mean that everything is guaranteed to go smoothly. No matter what kind of car you drive, there is always the chance that something will go wrong, no matter where you happen to be at the time. If you are driving along the Great Ocean Road and your car breaks down, don’t worry – everything will be fine as long as you stick to the following advice.

Get Off the Road

The Great Ocean Road is extremely narrow in parts, so if you can at all help it, try not to break down in the middle of the road. If nothing else, push your car into a slightly more out of the way place like on the shoulder of the road, as this can help prevent a massive traffic jam from occurring. Once the car is out of the way, keep yourself off the road as well, as you don’t want to be struck by other motorists flying past.

Relax

Though it’s obviously a nuisance to have your car decide it doesn’t want to work anymore, it’s not worth getting too stressed about — after all, you happen to have broken down on one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the world! Your car will be fixed in no time, so until it is ready to go again, take advantage of being in a nice spot, don’t let the breakdown get to you and simply relax!

Call For Help

It might seem like you are in the middle of nowhere when you are on the Great Ocean Road, but you are actually well within range of a whole host of services. Some places offering car service in Melbourne are able to provide mobile car service too, so depending on where you are, you might be able to have someone come and fix it right there. Otherwise, you may need to get your car towed and serviced somewhere close by, or even have it taken to a bigger centre like Torquay, Geelong or even Melbourne.

Extend Your Stay

Use your car’s break down as an excuse to spend a bit of extra time wherever you are at, as no matter where you are, if you’re on the Great Ocean Road you are sure to be in the perfect spot. Check into a local hotel or caravan park and treat yourself to an extra few days of relaxing. You wouldn’t be in this situation unless you were meant to be, so relax and keep an open mind, as you never know — you might be about to have a life-changing experience!

Breaking down is just one of those things that happens to everybody once in a while, so don’t let it make you angry and definitely don’t let it ruin your trip. There are far worse places to have car troubles, so make a few calls, relax and you’ll be on your way in no time.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

Most people’s idea of the ultimate adventure is to do a year-long trip around the massive country that is Australia. There is such a huge variety of things to see and do that even a year probably won’t be long enough to see it all. If you decide to undertake this epic journey, avoid some of the not so great situations that are common with people travelling around Australia. Plan ahead, be smart and you’ll avoid finding yourself in the following unfortunate situations.

Breaking Down In The Middle Of Nowhere

Australia really is a huge country so do your research and have a good idea of how far you plan to go on a daily basis. Some parts of the country are quite underpopulated so it’s important that you are well prepared with all your needs covered if you are travelling through these areas. Make sure that whatever vehicle you are in is in good shape by getting it serviced when you are in one of the bigger cities. Car service in Sydney and car service in Melbourne are your best bet for value for money and excellent service.

Getting Horribly Sunburnt

It’s amazing how every year there is never a shortage of bright red tourists roaming the beaches of Australia and wandering around the cities in pain. The sun is crazy down here so take it seriously and avoid being burnt to a crisp. There is no better way to ruin your trip and possibly seriously damage your skin than a good burn, so don’t be an idiot and cover up as much as you can. There really is no such thing as a healthy tan.

Getting Alcohol Poisoning

Australian’s do drink quite a lot of alcohol, especially in the summer when nothing is quite as refreshing as an ice-cold beer or two. If you are going to have a few drinks, be careful not to go overboard as the combination of strong beer and the hot sun can leave you a bit worse for wear. Lots of visitors make the mistake of trying to keep up with the locals and can end up in the local hospital with alcohol poisoning. Drink responsibly and know your limit and you will be sure to have a way better time in Australia.

Being Bitten or Eaten By Something

It’s true, Australia really does have a huge amount of creatures that can bite and even kill you, though obviously this doesn’t happen every day. Learn what types of dangerous animals are in the area you will be travelling to and find out what they look like. You can generally avoid being bitten by exercising some common sense and knowing a little bit about the critter, so educate yourself if you don’t want to go home dead.

Getting Lost

Being a large country with a lot of wilderness, it is not uncommon for people to go missing for days or even weeks at a time. Avoid this by having a really good map of all the areas you will be going to. GPS computers are great though make sure you have a map book too just in case your GPS goes haywire.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

Going on a road trip is usually lots of fun, though it is also something that you should take seriously. The most important thing to do in getting ready is to focus on your car and have it just right for a long adventure on the road. You are going to be spending a lot of time in your car so think about ways to have it not just running well but also as comfortable as possible for the journey. The following are good ideas for things to do to your car before heading off on a big road trip.

Get It Serviced

If it’s not running well it won’t matter how comfortable it is, so be smart and get your car a good servicing before you hit the road. Whether you go for a car service in Sydney or a car service in Melbourne, make sure you get a professional to make sure everything is in order before you head out.

An E-Tag

Most road tolls in Australia are now cash-less, which means you either need an electronic tag or a credit card to be able to pay your tolls straight away. If you will be travelling primarily in one state, it is worth getting an electronic tag for the car as this will take the worry out of continually paying tolls online or having to find post offices to make sure you aren’t being charged late fees.

Ipod Adapter

Every good road trip requires a heap of great tunes, so if your car doesn’t have a good stereo or if all your best music is on your I pod, invest in an adapter so that you can have all your favourite music for the drive. These inexpensive adapters are great as they mean everyone can bring along their I pods and have a huge amount of music at your disposal without taking up heaps of room as you would if you were bringing cd’s.

Curtains

If you plan on sleeping in your vehicle at any point on the road trip, it is well worthwhile to have a way to block the windows when you are sleeping. You don’t necessarily need professionally made curtains though even just having a few good long pieces of material and some way to put them up will be great at shutting out lights from the street or even prying eyes.

A GPS

If you are truly hopeless at directions it might be a good idea to invest in a GPS for your car if you want to avoid getting lost on your trip. These handy systems cover almost every part of the country and may be just what you need to take the stress out of your road trip. It’s a good idea to have a map book too just in case you have some kind of problem with the GPS or if you want to go to an off road area that isn’t covered by the GPS.

Being prepared and thinking ahead will mean you are guaranteed to have a great road trip.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

It is a good idea to look after your things if you want them to work well for you and last a long time. Some items get a lot more use than others and so need that extra bit of care if they are going to be able to keep on working at full speed. The following items are definitely worth putting a little extra time and effort into looking after.

The Car

Considering the huge amount of use most people’s cars get, not to mention that they are never exactly cheap to buy, it is worth taking special care of your car if you hope for it to last long. Washing it regularly is a good idea to help maintain the integrity of its body and can prevent rust and fading. It’s also important to get your car serviced either every 10,000 km or once every 6 months, and with car service in Sydney and car service in Melbourne available in almost every part of the city, it is an easy effort to make.

Phone

Another item that gets used often is your phone, so if you don’t want to have to replace it every year it’s a good idea to look after it. Having a decent padded case to protect it can make all the difference and even just making a point to be gentle with it can mean a phone lasts twice as long as it would otherwise.

Computer

Considering how much easier computers make our lives we should do a lot more to take care of them. They really are quite fragile pieces of technology so make an extra effort to keep it out of harms way and having it stay as clean as possible. Don’t eat over your computer, keep it away from surfaces that could get it dirty and clean the keyboard on a regular basis. Most computers will last for years if you treat them well; so make sure you don’t need to replace your computer until it’s absolutely necessary.

Camping Gear

For those of us who love getting out into the great outdoors, your camping gear is some of the most important items that you own. When getting back from a camping trip most people are too tired to properly clean and store their camping gear though this can mean that important gear like your tent and sleeping bags can be deteriorating way faster than they otherwise would. So when you get back from camping, take the time to clean off your tent and be sure to take your sleeping bags out of their stuff sacks and hang them up, this can extend the life of your camping gear by years and years.

Oven

Most of us use our ovens on a daily basis and there is no question it will last much longer if kept clean. Ovens aren’t cheap, so at least once a month take the time to properly clean your oven and stove top and give it a good once over. A clean oven works far more efficiently, so you will be benefiting from your efforts every time you cook.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

Going on your first big road trip is one of life’s greatest experiences, so if your child is gearing up to do their first epic adventure, why not play your part in ensuring it is awesome? The difference between a great road trip and a bad one is pretty huge, so do all you can to have things play out well for your kid. The following are some great ways to help your kid’s first big road trip be a classic trip they’ll remember forever.

Lend Them Your Car

The best way to make a road trip great is by having a great car, so show your support for the big road trip by offering the use of your vehicle. It is really easy to add extra drivers to your insurance so why not show some faith in your kid and have them driving something decent? Get it serviced beforehand just in case as whether you go for a car service in Sydney or a car service in Melbourne, you are going to want to make sure that nothing goes wrong with your car when it’s out on the big trip.

Give Money

A great way to support the big road trip is by chipping in some cash towards the expenses of the mission. Between food, petrol, accommodation and of course having fun, road trips can end up being quite expensive, so your cash support will be massive no matter how much you give.

Phone Card

Chances are that nothing will go wrong on their road trip, though if it does you are going to want to make sure that they can contact you for help. Having a phone card on hand for emergencies is a really good idea anytime, though especially if you are on the road. Giving your kid a phone card will be letting them know that you support their trip and are ready to help if they need you.

Petrol

A perfect send off for your kid and their crew is to fill up their car with the first tank-full of petrol of the road trip. There will be plenty of occasions to fill up throughout the trip though getting the first tank-full for free will have them off to the best start possible.

A Food Voucher

Being a parent you will already know how much food young people eat, so one of the best things you can give your kid for their road trip is a voucher for food at any major grocery store. Depending on the length of the road trip, food can be one of the most expensive costs involved, and nothing says ‘best parent ever’ like making sure they have enough to eat and giving a food gift voucher.

Beer

If your kid is of age, a gift that will make you seem like the best parent ever is to buy a case of beer for your kid and their crew to enjoy on the trip. Obviously be sure to talk to your kid about the dangers of drink driving, though if the beers are kept for enjoying around the campsite, you will be playing an awesome role in their adventure.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

Having two of anything can be a really good idea especially if it is something that plays an important role in your daily life, and nothing plays a bigger role in most people’s lives than their car. It may seem like overkill to have two vehicles, though it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The following are some of the great reasons to get that second vehicle.

Provide You Own Back Up

A fact of life about owning a car is that at some point or other you may have to deal with car troubles, with the worst case scenario having it not be running at all for whatever reason. Even if your car is one hundred percent reliable, you are still going to need to take it to be serviced once in a while, leaving you without your car while this takes place. Car service in Sydney and car service in Melbourne are generally very efficient and won’t take very long, though if you rely on your car for work, having a second vehicle can be essential.

Different Vehicle for Different Needs

If you work in the city chances are you are going to want a small vehicle that is good on gas and that will also fit into quite small parking spaces. Though when holiday time comes around and you want to hit the road with your friends or family, you will want a larger, more spacious vehicle that will make your holiday missions luxurious. The obvious answer is to have two vehicles. There is no hybrid version of these two types of cars, so why not have a city car and a holiday car? Having both vehicles will be saving you stress during the week as well as in your free time and you will see that the investment is easily well worthwhile.

Help Out A Friend

Having two vehicles is not only awesome for having a bit of variety, but can also make you a saviour for a friend who is experiencing car troubles. Owning two vehicles will mean you can lend one to your mate until they are able to get their car back on the road, making you their best friend forever. Some people are weird and possessive about their cars, so don’t be like that and show you how much your friends mean to you by stepping in and lending a vehicle. It’s easy to temporarily add another driver to your car insurance and the gesture will be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for them.

Canoe Trips

If you aren’t already in love with canoeing, you must not have done it yet. One of the best and most relaxing ways to enjoy the great outdoors is to pile all your necessities into a canoe and float off down the river. The only hard part is that you need one car at each end of your journey so you can get back to where you started. Anyone who has gone canoeing knows the challenge of finding that second car, so make your next trip a sure thing by having two vehicles on hand and ready to go.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

We rely on our cars a lot, from getting us to work each day to taking us on those great road trips, though if you want your car to be around for a while, you have to show it some love. You car is kind of like your body and needs to be taken care of in order to prevent serious problems arising. Most things you can do for your car are simple and inexpensive, so be smart and look after your car, this will avoid you having to deal with a huge repair bill later on. The following tips are a great way to start looking after your precious vehicle.

Get It Serviced Regularly

You car doesn’t run on good vibes or magic, it is a mechanical structure which though impressive, can only keep functioning if it is maintained properly. At least once every six months or every ten thousand kilometres you should get a mechanic to do a thorough service of your car. Car service in Sydney and car service in Melbourne have great mechanics that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, so be good to your car and take it in for a service regularly.

Think About Your Petrol

What you put in your car’s petrol tank and when you do it makes quite a big difference to the running of your car. If you can afford it, you should always opt for the higher quality petrol when filling up. The lower level petrol will still work but nowhere near as well as the top quality option, so spend that little bit extra on your car and notice the difference. It is also important to not wait until your car is on empty before getting petrol as any crud in the bottom of your petrol tank will be getting dredged up and into your car’s engine. So if you can, don’t let your car’s petrol gauge slip below half and your car will thank you for it.

Hit The Highway

A lot of people use their car primarily for getting around the city and hardly ever go above 80km/hr. While this may seem like it’d be better for your car it actually isn’t. All the stopping and starting of short trips in the city is hard on the wear and tear of your car and doesn’t give it the opportunity to run at full capacity. The old saying of ‘use it or lose it’ really does apply to cars as well, so take it out on the highway once in a while and give it a chance to really run. Obviously don’t speed, but just the act of taking it on the highway for a hundred kilometres or two every couple months will actually increase the functioning and life span of your car.

Making sure your car is healthy and happy is as simple as just being conscious of what it needs. Being sure there is enough oil, water and petrol in your car is a really good start as a lot of people don’t even do this. Learn a little about your car, think about what will help or hurt it, and be smart; you probably invested a bit of money into buying it so you may as well make it last.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

As our lives getting busier and busier each year, with our lists of things we need to get done on a daily basis growing longer and longer. While our modern conveniences have made a lot of things way more convenient, at the same time it seems we have created more ways to fill up any free time we have created. Some things are definitely more important than others, so even if you only do them once every six months, be sure to make time for each of the following things.

Get Your Car Serviced

If you want your car to be at its best and to last for a long time, getting it serviced every 6 months is an absolute must. Especially if you are doing mostly city driving, it’s important to get your car looked at and kept in good shape as there is a lot that can start to go wrong if you aren’t getting it looked at regularly. It doesn’t need to cost you a lot of time and money either, as whether you are looking for car service in Sydney or car service in Melbourne, there are a lot of great companies that offer competitive deals and some will even come to you.

Properly Clean Your House

Some people go overboard and spend hours each weekend doing a deep clean, though you can probably get away with a basic clean every couple of weeks, as long as you do a serious clean once every six months. This clean should be a whole weekend job and you should treat it like you are getting ready for a house inspection. A proper clean will give you the opportunity to replace things that are no longer useful or even downsize a bit, while at the same time feeling better about the state of your home.

Throw A Party

Our busy lives these days have meant that we seem to have less and less time to socialize and spend time with friends, leaving many people isolated and wondering where all their work is getting them. Even when you finally get a small window of time, it seems that there are never any good parties or decent places to catch up with your crew at. The solution is to do it yourself and hold a party every 6 months. House parties are always the best kind of party and you will be providing a way for all your friends to reconnect as well as have something to invite new friends and work mates to. Someone has to host that awesome party, so take the lead and do it!

Do Something Special

Time seems to have sped up over the last ten years with each year flying by faster than the last. Don’t be that person who at year’s end can’t think of one special thing they did this year; be sure to create some highlights! At least once every six months, make a point of researching and planning something special for you and even a special someone to do. You spend the majority of your life working so make sure you at least have some great times to show for it.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

It’s always good to be organised, and while you can’t always be ready for every situation, thinking ahead can often save you a lot of dramas. Whether you drive often or rarely, just being out on the roads will have you exposed to a whole range of potential challenges, so think before you get out on the road and do your best to cover your bases. A lot of the issues that can arise on the road can easily be rectified by always having some essentials in your car with you, so be sure to have the following things in your car to save both time and hassle.

A Phone

You can get fast and easy assistance anywhere, for almost any problem that you may encounter on the road, as long as you have a means to call for help. Whether you require car service in Sydney, car service in Melbourne, or you need to call for police or an ambulance, it’s important to always have a phone handy so that you can get things sorted out quickly.

Water

In a place as hot as Australia, water is always a big issue, so never leave home without at least a few liters of water stored away in your car. It is very common for even newer cars to overheat, especially during the summer, so make sure you have water on hand. All you will need to do then is pull over, let your car cool down, give it some water and you’ll be on your way again. Without enough water you can do serious and sometimes permanent damage to your engine.

Maps

Whether you have a GPS installed in your car or not, be sure to have a map in case you get lost or your GPS stops working. If you have a map it is easy to find your own way again or even have someone direct you by pointing out your best route on a map.

Jumper Cables

These important cables can make the difference between being broken down somewhere for hours or minutes. They are quite inexpensive to buy and will allow someone to help jump start you or for you to help others, so be a prepared and helpful motorist and get a set of jumper cables.

A Spare Tyre and Jack

If you don’t have a spare tyre you shouldn’t be on the road. Getting a flat is a very common thing to happen, though you will be hard to help if you don’t even have a spare. Having a spare but no jack is also ridiculous and will mean you are going to have to just hope that someone else goes out of their way to help you.

A Radio

Having a working radio is a smart move, not just for the luxury of listening to good tunes, but also to listen for traffic updates. Having the radio on can alert you to traffic problems in your part of the city and allow you to avoid spending unnecessary hours stuck in traffic jams.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.

In order to produce motion, car engines turn chemical energy into mechanical power. However, any mechanic will tell you that cars don’t do this all that efficiently. In fact, around 70 per cent of petrol is converted into heat instead of energy — certainly enough to cook your car parts if it wasn’t for the cooling system. It’s for this reason that the cooling system is so important. However, the cooling system isn’t just about dissipating heat — it also needs to ensure the engine remains at a consistent temperature (about 93 degrees Celsius) to optimise performance.

The basics of car cooling

At 93 degrees Celsius, the engine has the following benefits:

• The combustion chamber is hot enough to vaporise the fuel entirely, allowing for more efficient combustion and less emissions.
• The engine’s lubricating oil is thinner, so the engine parts are able to move more freely. This enables the engine to use less power.
• The metal parts will wear slower.

Most modern vehicles use liquid cooling systems, circulating fluid throughout the engine. The liquid absorbs the heat, cooling the engine, and then makes its way into the radiator.

Car cooling plumbing explained

Much of the plumbing in your car is there as part of the cooling system. It all starts at the pump, which delivers the fluid to the engine block before making its way around the cylinders through various engine passages. As the fluid leaves the engine, it passes by a thermostat which regulates the amount of water going into the radiator. If the fluid is cool enough, it makes its way straight back into the pump. If not, it is sent to the radiator where the heat is lost to the atmosphere and the cooled fluid is eventually sent back into the engine.

Using the right fluid

The fluid used to cool the engine needs to have a very low freezing point and a very high boiling point. Unfortunately, water freezes at too high a temperature to be effective for car engines. As a result, most cars use a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, more commonly referred to as ‘antifreeze’.

What causes overheating?

Overheating will occur when the cooling system’s capacity to absorb, transport and dissipate heat is compromised. As a result, many things need to be checked during your car service to ensure cooling is taking place correctly. Some of the reasons behind overheating could be:

• Low coolant level: If coolant levels are low, then there simply won’t be enough water running through the engine to cool it down. All service stations have watering cans on hand that allow you to add more water quickly and easily.
• Coolant leak: If the coolant is leaking, you’ll have another problem altogether. The coolant levels will start getting low and eventually run out completely; what’s more, you won’t be able to fix it simply by refilling. You’ll need to locate the source of the leak and have it fixed, and you may need to get a car service in order to achieve this.
• Poor heat conductivity inside the engine: This can occur due to an accumulation of deposits in the water jackets.
• A defective thermostat: If the thermostat is not working correctly, it won’t be able to properly regulate the flow of water through the radiator. This may result in overheated water being sent back into the pump.
• Poor airflow through the radiator: This will inhibit the radiator’s ability to release the heat from the coolant.

Lube Mobile are "The Mobile Mechanics" equipped and trained to perform any Car Repair or Car Service. We have a mechanic come to you at a time and a place convenient - 6 days a week. Convenience, Quality and Service are guaranteed. For more information or to make a booking, visit Car Service.