Regular maintenance is key to keeping your car in top condition and making your safety a priority
Every day we jump in our cars and without a second thought we rely on them to take us and our families/work colleagues/ etc to where we need to go & back. How much thought do you give to the safety your car provides for you and your passengers? A lot? Not a lot? A little?
Proper Maintenance of your car will ensure your car is completing the function of keeping you and your precious cargo safe. When we say proper maintenance, we are not just talking about keeping your car ‘serviced’ according to the manufacturer guidelines, we are talking about a little more than that.
Manufacturer guidelines are all well and good but if you read the small print, it will tell you as the driver it is your responsibility to keep your car maintained and it will point out that their guidelines are exactly that! Guidelines and nothing more.
We strongly URGE ALL drivers for your own and others on the road safety to regularly (yes that means more than once a year! once a month would be good practice!) check or have someone check for you.
LIGHTS – It is so important to be seen and to be able to see on the road. Check your brake lights are working (it surprises me every day on the road how many people only have one brake light working! but how will they know if they don’t check?). Indicators Working?
WIPERS Are they clearing your screen effectively in heavy rain? If not get them changed!
HORN – a Must for MOT and there is a reason your car has a horn, to warn others of impending danger.
TYRES – Tyres play such an important job in keeping you safe.
Particularly in Winter, your tyres need to have good grip / ‘Tread’ on them. So often we see tyres that are worn through (Bald as they can be referred to ) if you imagine hitting your brakes on a very wet road with surface water, trying to get to a stop because the car in front has stopped without warning, If your tyres are worn or at the limit (legal limit is 1.6mm ) your car can’t do its job to get stopped effectively the tyres have no grip therefore struggle to get a grip of the road beneath them causing a longer slowing time and coming to a halt doesn’t happen as fast as you are needing it to.
BRAKES – Keep a note of when they were replaced, have your mechanic check them at each service / MOT inspection, again these will depend on how many miles your are doing as to how often to replace. Remember if your car has sat for a period of time undriven, check your brakes cautiously before jumping in and driving off. Look out for noises such as ‘scraping’, ‘grinding’, ‘metal on metal’ sounds etc and if anything doesn’t feel right or sound right GET THEM CHECKED IMMEDIATELY ! Your and the cars around you depend on working brakes.
Routine Maintenance enhances the overall lifespan of your vehicle.
Checking your engine oil levels and coolant levels at regular occasions, by doing this you can help preserve & prevent long term damage to your vehicle’s engine.
If you notice any levels lower than usual, have it checked out straight away and do not continue to drive with low oil levels or low coolant levels.
NB! Vehicles take different specification of engine oils depending on its engine size /yr. of build/etc – so it is VITAL to only ever use the correct oil to avoid catastrophic damages to your vehicle’s engine. This applies to coolant as well; ensure you are using the correct spec according to manufacturer guidelines.
So! To Enhance the lifespan of your vehicle, keep its resale value up and ensure you are at optimum safety at all times travelling on the road work your way through this check list on a regular basis AND have your car serviced regularly! and if you do more than average miles make it MORE regularly!