KAM's Annual Holiday Check

Hello faithful readers it has been another week of gremlin busting here at KAM as our talented team works hard to get your cars back on the road. We have seen many people coming in recently complaining of faulty air conditioning. Thanks to the recent surge in good weather more and more of you have been relying on your trusted air conditioning to keep you cool. But after a winter of being unused the air conditioning can sometimes have the opposite effect. It can become faulty and bacteria can build up resulting in a rather unpleasant smell. 

If you are experiencing similar problems with your air conditioning make sure to bring it down to KAM where we can undertake a free test to determine the problem. It may just be something minor but you must not hesitate as the problems can worsen. The test is free and can end up saving you money in the long run. The test is no obligations and so you will not be left with any hidden or added charges and we will not commence with work until you give the go ahead. For all your air conditioning needs come down to KAM and let us keep you cool this summer.

   I would also like to impart some more advice for all car owners for this upcoming summer. With Britons shunning overseas beaches to stay home and enjoy our fine shores it would seem that this would be the perfect time to get your car checked. However shockingly according to the Good Garage Scheme, 58% of holidaymakers will not have their car checked before departing on long road trips. Now if you were to breakdown on the way to your holiday destination this could prove very costly and dangerous. So to avoid having your holiday ruined let KAM check your car over to ensure that it is road ready.

Here at KAM we will undertake the most comprehensive tests to ensure that all gremlins are found and that you and your car are kept safe. We will check the tyres to ensure that the pressure and tread are within the correct parameters. One of our talented mechanics will happily top up all oil and fluid that is running low. This can be very important and prevents the engine from overheating. If the car’s wipers or washers need replacing we will call up our fantastic suppliers and get them at a fraction of the price so you save money. The brakes are the most important components to your safety and we implore you to look out for excessive noises and any changes in the quality of drive. If so the KAM team can check the discs and pads so that you are not putting your life in danger. We will finish this ‘holiday check’ by ensuring that the air conditioning is in good working order and you will be free to take to the road- worry free.

   Now back to this week, there was disappointment in Football with the England team being knocked out of Euro 2012.  With the wave of patriotic pride sweeping the nation it almost seemed a possibility that we could get through to the semi finals. But alas it was not to be and instead we must look forward to bigger and better things. With football out, it is tennis in and it is that time of year when the whole country must again pin all their hopes on Andy Murray.  With expectation weighing heavily, Andy Murray will again try to get his first grand slam and we shall wait with baited breath. Can he finally break through? Will we have our first British winner in 76 years? Only time will tell whether Murray can take that giant leap but I for one am looking forward to the next two weeks of exhilarating tennis.  I hope everyone has got their strawberries and cream ready.

It is also an exciting week for Nottingham as the Olympic torch will makes it way around Nottingham on Thursday and Friday. It will be great to see and we are especially happy, as the torch route will be passing our very own KAM depot on Queens Road, Beeston. Our boys will be cheering on those lucky torchbearers and we hope everyone has a great time. But remember it is these types of occasions you don’t want to miss and so make sure your car is in good condition before you embark into busy Nottingham. It is better to be safe than sorry and so if your car is suffering from any problems make sure to bring it down to your nearest KAM depot.

   You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/dr_kev and on our blog at www.drkev-kam.blogspot.com and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing.   Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell, Beeston and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.

Dr.Kev.

Mr S's race to the Euros

       This week we see the kick off of Euro 2012 and I am rooting for our boys to bring home the gold. As an avid sports fan I am looking forward to watching the match and seeing the patriotic wave of pride continue after the Jubilee. I would also like to mention the French Open and the historic win of Rafael Nadal. A record seventh win at Roland Garros is certainly impressive and I am excited to see more tennis this summer at Wimbledon. Maybe even Andy Murray could claim his first grand slam. Whatever happens it is going to be an exciting summer and I can’t wait to sit back and enjoy it all.

    

Now back to the football as this week’s diagnostic mystery was very much centred on the beginning of the Euro 2012 championships. It was on Saturday that our Beeston depot received a call from an irate Mr S. “Kev I can’t believe it, why does this have to happen at the worse time imaginable? Seriously what is going on?” Mr S seemed angry and confused, which was the tone of many of our customers whose cars have experienced problems. Mr S continued to tell us that the problem lay in his Volkswagen LT35 Van, which he was now sat in, in his drive way. “Kev I have turned the key and it is turning but the engine is not starting. It’s just not firing. Please say you can help.”

It was Saturday afternoon and the workshop was bursting with cars, I was worried that we may not be able to fit in Mr S straight away. That was until he made his final plea. “Kev you know there is an Ireland and Croatia game tomorrow? Well I have some people staying over at my hotel and I need my van to the cash and carry so everything is set for tomorrow.” Mr S further explained that the hotel he ran had recently had some Irish visitors who were very much looking forward to watching the Sunday night game. Mr S was responsible for getting food and beer and so was in desperate need of his van, which was currently out of action. This was a real emergency and Mr S needed our help, we could not let him or his guests down.

We immediately set of in the ‘truck wid da fwashin lights’ to rescue Mr S and a short while later he was in the warmth of the waiting room, seemingly worry free. “Kev I have read your newsletter and your Good Garage Scheme page and so I am confident you can find the problem. You’re the best in the Midlands aren’t you?”

We assured Mr S that we were and that any faults that lay within his car would be found and fixed immediately. We then dispatched him off in one of our courtesy cars promising to keep him updated. 

As this was an emergency we would need to put our best man on it and so Diagnostic Dan got armed with his multimeters to get to work. He hooked the car up to our state of the art machines and they showed that the fault lay in the timing belt. But where? Dan got straight to work stripping back the timing belt covers and after a little time exploring, the infamous words rang out. “I’ve got it Kev.”

This may have been a new record for Diagnostic Dan and we waited to see what the diagnosis was. It so transpired that some of the teeth on the timing belt had been stripped off due to wear and tear. As a result the engine timing was thrown out of sequence and this had been the reason for the van failing to start.

Now this was just one possibility and if the car still didn’t start with a new timing belt then the diagnosis would be a much more serious one. You see faithful reader if there was engine damage this would result in a large bill for Mr S and the possibility of no van for at least a few days.  The new timing belt and kit was fitted and Dan reassembled the covers. Now came time for the test.

  Dan anxiously got behind the wheel as we all waited with baited breath. He turned the key in the ignition as sweat dripped down his forehead and… There was a few seconds of silence and just before exasperation was about to set in the car purred back to life. “We did it Kev.” Shouted Dan unable to contain his excitement. The KAM team had done it again and thankfully for Mr S the fault had been easily found and fixed. We do offer timing belt checks and so if you think yours is faulty make sure to bring it down to KAM so we can get your car back to its best.

Mr S arrived later and was overjoyed to have his car back in such a short amount of time but also at a fantastically low price. He said: “Wow Kev that’s great. I am really happy I came to KAM. You really can fix any faults. As for it being a minor fault well I guess it’s just the luck of the Irish.”  

You can leave your comments, questions and queries at www.twitter.com/dr_kev and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kamservicing. 

   Remember faithful reader, our team of dedicated and hard working staff at the branches in Sutton, Long Eaton, Bulwell, Beeston and Belper along with our bodywork shop are open every day of the week, EXCLUDING Sunday’s, while the lads at our Sawley and Heanor workshops are at your service seven days a week, keeping your car where it belongs. ON THE ROAD.

So until next week faithful reader, drive safely and keep it shiny side up.

Dr.Kev.