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Dear Start My Car,
Well, the year has kicked off to a mad start. In the first ten days international stories have dominated the headlines.
Closer to home, Eskom continues to annoy us and the economy continues to struggle. Which is why it is so important to take advantage of our amazing deals. Please have a look and don’t miss out.
Also have a look at the Wheels24 article below that will give you a sense of what car sales were like in SA in 2019.
I again wish you all the best for 2020.
May it be a great one for us all.
Regards,
Baruch
Battle of the SUVs
While the South African economy did not impress too much in 2019, large luxury SUV sales continued to deliver consistent sales results.
Leading that charge is the BMW X5. The big German SUV sold off an impressive 1399 units in 2019, and in the process ensured that it was the number one choice when it came to a new R1-million SUV.
The Toyota Land Cruiser 200 managed a sales figure of 1048 units over the last year, just clear of the Range Rover/RR Sport on 1030 units. The Toyota Prado sold off 1010 units in 2019.
Sub-500s
The fifth best-selling SUV in this category was the Land Rover Discovery.
The bulky Landy saw 497 units roll off showroom floors, followed by the Range Rover Velar (422 units) and Volvo XC90 (402 units).
Volkswagen managed to sell 351 of its Touareg last year, the same number as the Jaguar F-Pace.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee rounds out the top ten for the year on 313 units.
The top ten large luxury SUVs in our list had an accumulative sales figure of 5424 units in 2019.
GUESS THE PART
LAST WEEKS WINNER:
Werner Hattingh
ANSWER:
Viscous Fan Clutch
SILLY SPARES
Weekly Deals
For more than 60 years, the Pratley brand has been fixed in the minds of D.I.Y enthusiasts and industrial users as a market leading manufacturer of ultra-high performance adhesives. (One of which, Pratley Putty®, is the only South African product to have gone to the moon!). Pratley manufactures over 800 products, has filed more than 350 patents world-wide and is an ISO 9001:2008 accredited organisation.
Workshop Wisdom
See to your CSC
How to replace a concentric slave cylinder
Vehicle clutches are complex systems, comprising many individual components. Among these, and becoming increasingly common, is the Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC). The CSC is essentially four clutch components in one: a slave cylinder, pivot/actuation lever, release bearing and guide tube – in a compact, lightweight unit that is more efficient to produce and install.
The CSC architecture offers several benefits over the traditional external slave cylinder mechanism. They are compact and lightweight, heat resistant, self-adjusting and have a longer service life as they comprise less moving parts.
However, when damage does occur, the CSC cannot be repaired – replacing the cylinder is the only option. It is also considered good practice to replace the CSC when replacing the clutch or when removing the transmission.
Below we have listed the general guidelines to replace your CSC, however it is always recommended to follow the manufacturers installation instructions:
1. Disconnect the hydraulic tube coupling at the transmission with the quick disconnect tool. Do this by sliding the plastic sleeve toward the slave cylinder.
2. Remove the transmission per Manufacturers instructions.
3. Remove the bolts retaining the slave cylinder to the transmission.
4. Remove the slave cylinder from the transmission.
5. Clean the inside of the gearbox bell housing . Also clean the pipework and couplings to the CSC. Use a water soluble cleaner such as Prepsol or M7 from Startmycar.
Note: Do not use an acid-based cleaner or Brake Cleaner. Ensure that everything that has been cleaned in Step 5 is the dried and that no cleaning fluid or solvents is left behind.
Note: never manually depress the CSC. This will cause damage to the seals.
6. Install the new slave cylinder. Ensure the slave cylinder is installed flat against the transmission mounting surface. If the CSC is not seated correctly the back plate may push out and cause failure.
7. Install the slave cylinder attaching bolts and tighten to the vehicle’s torque specs. Check to make sure the slave cylinder is not cocked.7. Re-install the transmission.
8. Inspect the hydraulic tube coupling for damage and contamination. Replace the “O” ring and lube with clutch fluid.
9. Reconnect the hydraulic tube by inserting the male coupling into the female coupling. Make sure the coupling is secure.
10. Carefully clean the top and sides of the reservoir before opening. This will prevent contamination of the system with dirt, water, and other foreign material.
11. Remove the reservoir cap.
12. Remove the reservoir diaphragm when checking or adding fluid.
13. Fill the reservoir with new clutch hydraulic fluid or an approved DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid
Note: Do not use fluid that has been bled from a system to fill the reservoir, as it may be contaminated. Never use transmission fluid, motor oil, power steering fluids, or any mineral oil fluids.
14. Do not pump the clutch pedal, as repeated pumping can cause the CSC to overstroke. Depress the clutch pedal and wait a short period for the system to stabilise.
15. Open the bleeding screw or nipple and release any air.
16. Close the bleeding screw and release the clutch pedal. Torque as per manufacturer specification.
17. Repeat steps 15 & 16 until all the air is out of the system.
18. Top up the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir.
In 2017, 131 million new vehicles were expected to be equipped with a CSC. And these numbers have only grown since then. By popular demand, Start My car now stocks a comprehensive range of concentric slave cylinders; the BETA range is offered as economical replacement parts, and the Valeo as the premium OE quality alternative.
The Valeo CSC range exceeds 150-part numbers. At Start My Car, we have access to the full local range of Valeo CSCs. Most of these parts are not listed on our website, but please contact us and we would be delighted to quote you and source your part.
