Top 5 Basic Car Maintenance Tips
Car Maintenance
Want to know the best maintenance tips for your car? Then read on to find out more.
Be observant
If you want to save on car maintenance bills then be observant, so you notice problems as they emerge and you can resolve them more easily, reducing the potential for hefty repair bills. Walk around your car and see how it is fairing, looking out for signs of wear and tear. Inside your car, don’t simply observe, but also take note of the sound and feel of your car as you drive, as any irregularities could indicate a problem. If warning lights go off on your dashboard – investigate the problem without delay – don’t ignore them.
Keep your car clean
Keep your car clean. A regular cleaning routine will keep your car looking good inside and out, be more pleasant for you to drive and it will help you to retain its value for longer. However, more importantly, if you are cleaning your car regularly, you’ll remove dust, grit and dirt that could cause your car to corrode; and given you’ll be in close proximity to your car – you’ll see any emerging issues. When you are cleaning your car also take a few minutes to check the lights, indicators and windscreen wipers are all working well too.
Top up fluids
Be sure to keep your car’s essential fluids at their optimum levels, so that it’s working as efficiently as possible. Also, be sure to change your engine oil and filters at regular intervals to prevent potentially harmful pieces of dust, dirt or debris getting into your car’s engine.
Tyre checks
To ensure your car is safe and efficient, then check your tyres regularly. Take a look at their general wear and tear, look out for cracks, splits, bulging, blistering or any other abnormalities, as these could indicate replacement is necessary.
Check the tread depth too. Remember you need to have a tread depth of 1.6mm all around your tyres and across the central three-quarters of the tread pattern for them to be legal. Do the 20 pence test on the tread (in three separate places on each tyre) to ensure they are safe and legal to drive, simply pop a 20p into the tread, and if you can’t see the rim, it’s legal.
Also look at whether the wear on your tyres is even if they are worn more on one side than the other, it could indicate they are not aligned properly, so have their alignment checked and amended.
In addition, check the pressure of your car’s tyres, if they are under or over inflated it could affect the wear of your tyres, meaning they will not last so long. More importantly, your handling of the car and ultimately your safety could be adversely affected.
Keep up-to-date with services
Don’t scrimp on services for your car; it’s a false economy. Owners that don’t keep their car services up-to-date tend to face more substantial repair bills at a later date – so don’t go down that route.
So there you have a few tips for maintaining your car in good condition, be observant, keep your car clean, check the tyres and essential fluids; and also ensure your services are up-to-date.
