Alcomoto Limited 🚗

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🤔 Do you really need to service your car if you only drive a couple of thousand miles a year? This Toyota came into us with an issue relating to the VVT valve, and after carrying out some investigation, Alex discovered something rather important. The owner hadn’t had the car serviced for a couple of years because it only covers a few thousand miles each year. Unfortunately, low mileage doesn’t mean your car doesn’t need maintaining. The lack of regular oil changes had started to have an effect on the engine, with contamination affecting the VVT system and ultimately stopping the VVT valve from operating as it should. This is exactly why manufacturers recommend servicing based on time or mileage, whichever comes first. Even if you barely use your car, the oil and other fluids still age and can become contaminated over time. Alex has been working through the diagnostics to make sure we properly understand what has caused the issue rather than simply throwing a new valve at the car and hoping it fixes the problem. Because replacing a part might solve the immediate fault, but if the underlying cause is still there, you could quickly end up with the same problem again. Regular maintenance might feel like an unnecessary expense when you barely drive your car, but as this Toyota shows, neglecting it can end up costing considerably more in the long run. Look after your car, even when you aren’t using it very often. 🔧 #Alcomoto #Toyota #VVT #CarMaintenance #CarDiagnostics

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🤔 Can you believe this brand new Ford Transit doesn’t come with self locking doors? This Transit came into us brand new, and Alex discovered something rather strange. The vehicle had a self unlocking function, but didn’t have the automatic self locking feature enabled. So rather than fitting anything or changing any hardware, Alex went into the vehicle’s software and found the hidden settings needed to activate the function. After some coding and programming, the Transit now has its self locking feature working exactly as it should. 🔒 It’s pretty crazy to think that this new Transit shares its platform with the latest Volkswagen Transporter, yet features like this can still vary depending on how the vehicle has been configured. It really shows how much of a modern vehicle is controlled through software these days. But it does make you wonder… Should features like automatic self locking come as standard on every new vehicle? And why do you think Ford chose not to enable it on this one from the factory? 👀 Let us know what you think! #Alcomoto #FordTransit #FordTransitCustom #VehicleCoding #CarDiagnostics

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🤔 Did you know there’s a limit on how often you can use your seatbelt? Okay, not quite! 😂 But there is actually more going on inside a modern seatbelt system than you might think. This Volkswagen ID came into us with an issue relating to its seatbelt pretensioner. The pretensioner is designed to tighten the seatbelt when the vehicle detects a significant braking event or impact, helping to keep the occupant securely positioned. This particular Volkswagen is used as a learner vehicle, so the pretensioner is likely being activated far more frequently than it would be in a normal car. What we didn’t realise until looking into this system is that the pretensioner has a programmed activation limit. Once it has been triggered a certain number of times, the unit needs to be replaced. So this wasn’t simply a case of fitting a new seatbelt unit and sending the car on its way. The replacement unit also needed to be correctly coded and calibrated to the vehicle before everything could be put back into service. It might seem like a lot of technology for something as simple as a seatbelt, but modern vehicles are packed with safety systems that all need to communicate correctly. This is just a little behind the scenes look at another job that comes through the doors at Alcomoto. 👀 #Alcomoto #VolkswagenID #SeatbeltSafety #VehicleDiagnostics #CarSafetyu