Chassis care is easily neglected; emergency solutions for mechanical damage. When your car breaks down far from a repair shop, it can be quite frustrating. It's always better to be prepared, and having a car means paying attention to its maintenance in normal times.
When it comes to car maintenance, the chassis care is often overlooked by drivers. However, the importance of good chassis maintenance becomes evident during winter or slippery weather conditions. In winter, you need to thoroughly clean and rust-proof the chassis. First, the chassis should be cleaned thoroughly. If there is too much mud and dirt, you may need to use a degreaser to wash it again until the original "color" of the chassis is revealed. Only then can the rust-proofing process begin. In professional beauty shops, the car can be lifted onto a lift for cleaning, wiping, and rust-proofing. It’s important to ensure that all water on the chassis is completely dry before applying rust-proofing treatment. The coating must be applied evenly to form a long-lasting, uniform rust-proof layer. After the entire process, let it air dry naturally for 5-10 minutes, and the rust-proofing treatment will be complete.
Even after professional chassis care, it doesn't mean everything is perfect. One common misconception is that people often wash their cars themselves and add some cleaning agents, but be aware not to use alkaline cleaning agents (such as laundry powder) to wash the body and chassis, as this will affect the rust-proofing effect and shorten the rust-proofing time.
It is recommended to go to a professional beauty shop for chassis care. A simple method to test the quality is: after the rust-proofing treatment, if the chassis almost does not retain water droplets after being washed with high-pressure water, then the treatment is genuine and effective, providing good rust protection.
When encountering mechanical damage to the car's chassis far from a repair location, different emergency methods can be used depending on the fault situation to drive the car to a place with repair conditions.
If the brake caliper leaks brake fluid or the caliper pipe is broken, you can make a small pad from iron or copper sheet at the caliper pipe joint to block the pipe, then tighten the screw, or flatten and curl the break to stop the leak, making that wheel ineffective for braking. However, this might cause single-side braking, so drive cautiously.
If the master brake cylinder lacks brake fluid, alcohol or liquor can be used as a substitute. In special cases, water can be used temporarily. If the brake lining swells, soak the swollen lining in hot water for 10-20 minutes to remove oil components, which can restore the lining to its original size.
For clutch friction plate burnout and slippage, less severely burned friction plates can be used flipped over. For severe cases, several layers of cotton cloth or canvas (with thickness consistent with the original friction plate) can be fixed using wire or steel wire through the holes in the steel plate. Drive smoothly when starting and shift gears quickly.
If the tie rod ball joint is damaged, remove a screw of similar total length from places like the bumper or other areas that do not affect driving, replace the damaged ball joint, install the steering knuckle arm and nut, and rivet the exposed part of the screw with a hammer. For three-axle cars with damaged differential gears, if any differential gear in the middle or rear axle is damaged, the transmission shaft and half-shaft of that axle can be removed to continue driving. If the front differential is damaged, the hub coupling disc can be removed to continue driving.
Related articles: Eight habits of car owners leading to 'heart disease' in cars, how to practice Sun-style Tai Chi, practicing Tai Chi without coordinating breathing, Liu Yinhu talks about Tai Chi push hands.