Guide to Basic Car Maintenance

While car maintenance should be left to the professionals, there are some quick and easy regular checks you can do yourself between regular servicing.

The following tips serve as a guide only, and should not be seen to take the place of professional advice. If you have any doubts regarding the maintenance or safety of your car, make sure that you have it checked out by a professional qualified mechanic immediately.

Tyre Tips

Tyres help your car steer, brake and corner correctly. Low tread depth, incorrect tyre pressure and poor condition can cause bad handling, poor fuel consumption and losing grip on the road and control of your car. Check your tread depth, pressure and general tyre condition.

• Check your tyres each week - this sounds like a hassle but only takes a few minutes.
• Check your tyres when they are cold - warm tyres give a higher pressure reading.
• Ensure tyres are at the recommended pressure - consult the owner's manual or a small plate inside the door or glove box.
• Use a tyre pressure gauge to check tyres.
• Keep an eye on the tyre tread - when the tread wears down, small bars will appear, evenly spaced in the tyre grooves on the tread pattern around the tyre.
• Check the spare tyre to make sure it’s properly inflated and check that you have a jack and wheel brace at all times.

Brake Tips

Being able to brake properly in all conditions is crucial, especially on winter roads. Monitor condition of your brakes and have them checked immediately if you notice if they are not working properly.

Look for changes such as:

• brake pedal softer, or even worse, if it touches the floor
• brake pedal requires more pressure to stop
• vehicle pulls to one side when brakes applied
• steering vibrates or brake pedal pulsates when brakes applied
• brake warning light appears (if your car has one)

Consult your owner manual to find out how to check:

• oil levels
• radiator water levels
• brake fluid levels

Remember, you can have the best brakes money can buy, but with low tyre tread, braking distance increases dramatically in the wet, which means you may take longer to stop.

When driving, become familiar with the feel and sound of your car. All changes should be checked. Changes may include: a shudder or rattle developing, the steering movement increasing, turning becoming heavier or the car starting to wander. Seek professional advice from a qualified mechanic or licensed vehicle tester (LVT) if necessary.

Steering Checks

There are some sure signs of a problem with shock absorbers, which directly affects steering.

These include:

• steering wheel shakes excessively after hitting a bump or pothole
• car seems unstable on rough or unsealed roads
• vehicle nosedives excessively when braking
• car swerves to one side if brakes applied suddenly

Simple Checks for Checking Seatbelts

Buckle up on every trip - long or short - no matter how remote the location. It's just not worth the risk.

• Check for fraying or damage to seatbelts, including poor retraction.
• Ensure head restraint is at correct height - as close to the back of head as possible and no lower than eye level.
• Ensure you have the appropriate restraint for your child and it is correctly installed - this depends on child's age, weight and size.

Simple Checks for Lights, Wipers and Windscreen

Winter brings dark, wet AND foggy conditions, so lights become more important. Ensure your car can be seen in all weather - from any direction - and also check that headlights, brake lights, indicators and interior lights are in working order.

You obviously need to be able to see in the rain - so make sure windscreen wipers are fully operational.

• Use a damp cloth to clean lights.
• Check headlights work and globes have not blown or gone black.
• If you change a globe and it still does not work - have it checked.
• Check lenses - if cracked or broken, have them replaced.
• If someone can't help you check brake lights, park in front of a shop window so you can see brake lights' reflection.
• Check all indicators.
• Examine wiper blades for wear and tear - replace if need be.
• Windscreen and rear window demisters are fitted and operating correctly.