Once a month car maintenance

We all would love our car to run perfectly all the time. But there are some simple checks that can avoid and help you from breakdowns and in most cases save you lots of money. Through these simple check ups you can pick up on different smells, sounds that may indicate a problem. These simple check ups can be done every month therefore a problem arising can be picked up quickly and with less pain to the pocket or even a unnecessary breakdown.

Please note however, this is only a general guide and some cars carry there own instructions on general maintenance. Ensure that your car is always serviced by a qualified technician.

Checks to make before you hit the road

Engine oil
Radiator coolant level
Wiring, hoses and pipes
Automatic transmissions and power steering fluid levels
Battery
Windscreen wipers and washer fluid
Tyres/tyre pressure
Headlights and inside controls

Your engine oil

1. Ensure your car is on a level driveway or ground
2. Start the engine, and let your car run for a while
3. Turn you engine off
4. While your engine is still warm, remove the dip stick and wipe it with a lint free rag
5. Put the dipstick fully back – ensure that it is all the way down in its original position
6. Lift the dipstick back out and check the level. If it’s a low reading top up your oil using recommended oil from your cars manufacturers guide or ask a mechanical technician.

This procedure is important in order to maintain the oil level of your car. At least once or twice a month wipe over your cars engine parts and leads with a dry clean cloth. Even, going to the efforts of steam cleaning your engines parts once a year would be a bonus.

Your Radiator coolant level

You should be able to see a plastic reservoir tank, which holds coolant for your radiator. Ensure that the coolant is at the right level.

To top up your coolant, always make sure that your engine has cooled down completely. You can cause serious injury by removing the cap when your engine has not cooled down completely. Then, remove the cap and top up with the correct coolant concentration, again, refer to your owners manual or a mechanical technician.

It is always recommended to never mix coolants and inhibitors with different brands.

Wiring hoses and pipes

1. Look out for any frayed or damaged wiring. If you see anything that does not look right, contact your mechanical repairer as soon as possible.
2. Check hoses and pipes connections by following one connection to the other. Ensure that they are tightly secured and that there are no stains or leaks. If there are any stains this is a good indication that there are leaks and something needs replacing or is loose.
3. You should check your radiator hoses, heater hoses, fuel lines and any pipes associated with your power steering or brakes

Some other things to look out for would be soft and swollen or cracked hoses. These will need replacing straight away.

Automatic transmission and Power steering fluids

With this particular check you should refer back to your owners manual. Fluid levels can vary from one cars make and model to another. If however, you have not been provided with an owners manual, contact your service provider and they should be able to provide you with a guide on levels. Use only automatic transmission fluid specified by the cars manufacturer. A loss of fluid from the automatic transmission or power steering could indicate a leak and you should notify your mechanic as soon as possible.

Your battery

1. If your battery has caps, take them off and check that the fluid inside is around the 5mm mark above the plates, or between the levels indicated on the battery case
2. If low, top up with distilled water and do not overfill.
3. Refit the caps and ensure that electrical cables are tight on the battery terminals.
4. Wipe over and clean the top of the battery

Just some cautions to consider. Do not check your battery near a naked flame and keep smokers away. Batteries produce explosive gas when they are charged and the fluid inside is corrosive. Avoid any contact with eyes, your skin, skin and painted surfaces.

Windscreen wipers and washer fluid

Washer fluid

At all times use clean water and the right amount of widescreen washer additive to fill your washer bottle. Avoid using any household detergents as this will damage the paintwork of your car.

Widescreen Wipers

This is simple. Check that the rubber part of your blades is not cracked or split, this indicates they need replacing.

Tyres

1. You should check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold. The correct tyre pressure should be on the inside of the glove box, fuel cap or inside the driver’s side door opening.
2. Tyres have a pattern which shown the tread depth of 1.5mm this helps with the indication of tyre wear.
3. You should check your tyres for tearing, abnormal wear, cracks and bumps.

Helpful hint, incorrect tyre pressure can reduce the life of your tyres, and can certainly cause some major accidents. You can buy your own tyre gauge as there are occasions when petrol stations tyre gauges are not accurate.

Headlights & Inside controls

This a simple check and just involves you checking you lights.

You should check the following – on your dash and externally

1. Head lights
2. Blinkers
3. High beams
4. Fog lights
5. Normal Driving lights
6. Reverse lights
7. Brake lights
8. Rear lights
9. Horn
10. Other controls that assist you with on the road control

Take into consideration that lights are the only way of making your fellow drivers aware of what you are doing. It is vital for your safety to always check your lights and replace globes or attend to fixtures of wiring without hesitation.

You should check your steering whilst you are at this point. Turn your steering so that your tyres are pointing straight and turn your steering wheel left to right. If you find that the steering turns more than 50mm the steering will need adjustment.