Ten Important Motoring Readiness Checks That You May Overlook

by Lesley Sampson Freelance Writer

It’s easy to overlook car maintenance if you’re a driver. Whether you drive regularly and simply ‘don’t have time’, or drive infrequently and think it’s not worth the bother, you need to make yourself fully aware of just how important car maintenance is. You should do regular checks on your car anyway, but particularly so before embarking on long journeys or driving in the winter months. Here are ten car checks you can do to keep your car in tip-top condition and to ensure you’re safe on the road.

1. Keep your car clean: Power washers are ideal for giving your car and other vehicles a rigorous clean. The high pressure of a power washer means that you can easily remove dirt from hard to reach places, making car cleaning much more efficient and allowing you to notice problem rust spots on your car much earlier.

2. Check your tyre pressure: make sure you know the correct tyre pressure for your vehicle and check your tyres every couple of weeks using a good quality air pressure gauge. Feel for cuts and small holes on the side of the tyres; if you find yourself constantly topping up the pressure of one tyre, it may have a puncture. Change any punctured tyres as soon as possible.

3. Engine oil: check the dipstick regularly and before any long journey. Ensure you use oil of the correct specification when changing.

4. Water levels: regularly check the coolant level and top up when necessary, as long as the engine is cold. Check the antifreeze concentration before winter to avoid the coolant freezing during icy weather conditions.

5. Windscreen wipers: wiper blades become gradually worn over time, leaving smeary marks on the windscreen; replace them once a year to ensure maximum performance.

6. Screenwash levels: check and top up regularly; water alone won’t fully clear oily grime from the road and freezes faster in winter; ensure you use a good screenwash additive.

7. Windscreen: check your windscreen for stone damage. If you notice a small chip, get it seen to as soon as possible to stop it from developing in to a crack.

8. Lights: Check all of your vehicle lights weekly. Ask a friend to stand outside your car to make sure all lights are fully working. Remember to test indicators, brake lights, fog lights, as well as hazard lights, headlights and reverse lights.

9. Check the weighting: make sure you don’t regularly carry very heavy or uneven loads. Doing this can reduce fuel efficiency and make it more difficult to control your vehicle.

10. Servicing: make sure you regularly have your vehicle serviced to ensure efficient running and safe driving.

As well as all of the above maintenance checks, you may wish to invest in a satellite navigation system. Sat navs are built using gps; this helps them to direct the driver to their destination. All you have to do is enter a postcode and the sat nav will guide you to wherever you’re going. You can turn on the voice command feature, allowing you to keep your concentration fully on the road, rather than the directions screen, keeping you much safer whilst you’re driving. Not only that, the latest sat navs also come complete with speed camera alerts to remind you to reduce your speed in particular areas. You can buy a live sat nav if you’re one of those drivers constantly on the move; this will keep you updated with all the latest road and traffic information to ensure you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam on your way to an important meeting.