Can someone tell me what an oil and filter change and tire (tyre) rotation and balance would be in Spanish

The car is going in next week and I want to make sure I don't request something like motor change

The guys speaks pretty good English but specifics like that can get lost in translation.

thanks

Well, what I can tell you is, that in the United Kingdom, that particular job is called "Tracking and Wheel Alignment" and balancing is usually only associated with the Tyre = 'Neumatico' 'el balancear or 'equilibrado'

Tracking generally refers to the alignment of and/or between the four wheels and the steering wheel 'Volante' "ajuste del Volante" or 'enderezar' = 'to straighten' or lign-up, which also relates to the 'adaptacion' (of) or 'tracking-in of the steering' or 'Alineacion de la rueda' .

I think that you won't need to mention more than these technical terms, in order for them to know exactly what you are asking for, and usually, but not necessarily, these things are done all at the same time, as part of the same service, and usually for one price, and having worked in the business I've always booked my clients in to have that done as an ''all-in-one-job'' for one price, so they shouldn't try and charge you for 3 separate jobs, like some rogues in the trade used to.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Angelo

Oh, and of course, a filter is a 'filtro' and Lubricante del motor is the engine oil, so just ask for that, 'Lubricante del motor y filtro'

Saludos.

filter changing is a given when you get an oil change so no need to say that.

oil change = "cambio de aceite".
tire rotation = "equilibrado" (as Angelo said).

saludos,
jer...

thanks, the main problem is I've got a bit of shake in the front wheels, didn't matter so much when I took the bus everywhere but my classes have changed and now I'm driving more.

Part of the problem could be I'm still running winter tires. I left them on from Germany. Germans tend to run winter summer tires since my car is older and doesn't go that fast and is rather nosiy I figured I'd run winter tires year round. Wasn't planning on moving to Spain at the time. So same idea run them till they wear out and then buy new ones.

Another couple of things that you might want to keep in mind, are the steering rack, and front end shock absorbers.

All too often, many vehicle owners and mechanics overlook these two items, because (and I know this from experience in motor mechanics & servicing) if there is excessive play in the steering rack, which should be examined regularly, it alone will be the source of a lot of vibration, uneaven steering (pulling to one side or the other, and general roughness of the ride, loss of overall acceleration, and/or power, and fuel economy, and in addition to that, the front end shock absorbers are also not taken in to consideration when trying to determine various things like increased road/trye noise, with increased/accelerated wearing-out of the tyres, (often uneaven) like you buy two brand new tyres, but one wears out faster than the other, especially on one half of the tyre, which is an abnormal condition, (which should be dealt with as a matter of urgency). Also, accurate braking of the front brakes will be affected if steering is out, even by a fraction, which means you will have to push them harder to stop, and they will wear out much faster too, and unevenly worn brake components are not good news, so keep them checked regularly, to be sure that there are no signs of uneven wear, which I might add, can cause sticking of the linings, which will cause vibration at the front end, and could suddenly pull the vehicle to one side in an emergency stop.

My recommendation is, that you get it all checked out thoroughly at least ever 24 months, the whole front end, and if the vehicle is up to 50.000 miles, just change the shock absorbers without question, and get that steering rack checked out properlly, those two things can save you untold expense later on. You think about the kind of pounding that all of those front end components get on the roads in Spain, it's horrendous, all the pot holes, lumps & bumps, kerbing the wheels when parking, etc, are you surprised that shock absorbers need replacing at some point in the life of a vehicle? They do make a big difference to how a Car will handle & perform/sound/feel, etc, they're only good for so many thousand miles, then they need kicking out, just like tyres & brakes.

Good luck.

Angelo.

Well car went in and I'm 300 euros poorer but it needed to be done. The oil (and air filter) change was abit on the expensive side but I can't complain. Rotating and balancing the tires and a front end alignment did the trick for the shaking. They did comment on the fact I was running winter tires (tyres?) but that's a German thing, so at some point I'll have to change them. but tires are cheap.

if your interested this is who I went to

Talleres Belchite
Batalla de Belchite 3
28045 Madrid
91 467 7150
91 468 6971

Ask for Carlos hijo he speaks good english

Nice to hear the feedback Tim, sorry about the chunk of Euros, but at the end of the day, it has to be done at some time or another, and better safe than sorry, and as for those winter tyres,(UK) tires,(US) well, I think they are probably not doing that much harm except to your pocket, as the economy would be affected very slightly, less so if they are fairly well run-in & worn down a little, but if still thick with extra grippy treads, the extra traction/friction will definitely affect the fuel economy, but great for dashing around in the awful Madrid rain storms when they hit, but for the summer, you might as well change them to a set of slicks, and save the winter ones for next winter, (assuming that you've got somewhere to store them that is.

Also, I don't know about you, but I'm really very fussy about the tyre pressure thing, and am always checking to make sure that they are what they need to be, i.e. up to the Max Psi, as I hate to drive a car with splashy tyres, i.e. (too soft) it's not a good situation at all, better for them to be slightly on the high side, especially if you're gonna be carrying others, with or without loads of shopping, and again is something that will have an effect on performance & economy.


Saludos.

Angelo