10 Essential Car Maintenance Tips For Easy Motoring
Whether you love or hate it, maintaining your car is important for safe, smooth and cost-efficient travel. You can keep overall costs down by preventing expensive repairs with our car maintenance secrets and tips. From tyre tips to coolant checks, enjoy getting more out of your vehicle for less!
Here we’re going to have a look at ten of some of the most important steps to looking after your car.
Why should you check your brakes?
Regularly checking your brakes is essential to avoid risking expensive repair bills at your annual service. Brake pads can be inexpensive to repair, but if you let them wear down too thin, you could be looking at a more costly repair job.
Your brakes are also one of the most important features of your vehicle for the safety of all road users, so it’s vital to take their performance seriously.
If you notice any of the following signs, it’s time to give your brakes some extra attention:
- Squealing, squeaking, or grinding sounds when you brake.
- An illuminated dashboard brake pad warning light.
- A longer stopping distance.
- Spongy or less responsive brakes.
- Vibrating through the steering wheel or brake pedal.
- Your vehicle pulls to one side when braking.
- A burning smell after heavy braking.
If your vehicle is showing any such symptoms, or you just want extra reassurance, pop by your local National Tyres branch for a FREE brake check. Our technicians will comprehensively examine your brakes and report any issues back to you.
Why check your car battery?
You should regularly check your car battery terminals to see if they have corroded at all – this is even more relevant after or during cold weather.
If you see corroded terminals on the battery, this could be contributing to a low charge rate, dim headlights and trouble starting your car. Changing your battery ASAP will prevent problems from worsening and help protect other areas of your vehicle.
Carry out a simple battery check at home by:
- Looking for corrosion, cracking, leaking or bulging.
- Turning your headlights on and seeing if they appear dim.
- Using a multimeter to get the most reliable, accurate idea of the battery’s condition.
You can also get the experts to do the hard part for you by booking a FREE battery health check. We’ll diagnose whether your battery needs recharging or replacing and give you peace of mind.
Check and replace your engine oil regularly
Many drivers neglect to change their engine oil regularly, but it’s vital to do so as it plays a key role in keeping your engine healthy. Engine oil works by:
- Lubricating metal parts.
- Cooling your system down
- Cleaning and protecting your engine.
Aim to get into the habit of checking your car’s oil level at least once a month. If it’s low, just refill to the line. It’s also important to change your oil regularly as old oil can cause more harm than good. The frequency of oil changes will depend on mileage and how you drive your car.
Why shouldn’t you ride the clutch?
If you drive a manual car, avoid resting your foot on the clutch pedal while the car is in motion. Doing this can add extra weight to the transmission and create serious problems in the long-run.
This handy but simple trick could save you hundreds in repair costs!
You can book in for a free clutch inspection today if you’ve noticed something off with your clutch. We’ll identify any potential issues before they grow into costly repairs.
Avoid resting on your gear stick
As with the previous point, if you drive a manual car, avoid leaving your hand resting on the gear stick when not shifting gears. This adds extra weight to the transmission and can cause some expensive problems.
Tyres
Checking your tyre pressure at least once a month is essential maintenance for your car. Additionally, rotating your tyres every few months can ensure even tread wear on all of your tyres.
How can you check your tyre pressure?
- Use a tyre pressure gauge.
- Use a petrol station digital air machine, they often have a gauge built-in.
- Use your tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) as a guide, alongside a pressure gauge.
- Visually inspect your tyre to see if there’s any flattening at the bottom.
While you’re looking at your tyre pressure, take a glance over at your tyre tread depth too.
How can you test tread depth?
A popular and easy way of checking your tread is using the 20p coin test. Insert the coin into your tread grooves, and if you can see the outer rim of the coin, your tread may be too shallow and the tyre illegal.
If your tyres are worn or damaged, you can pick up a new set for safer, smoother journeys today.
Shop new tyres.
Keep your windscreen clean
Keeping your windscreen clear is a lot more important than you may think. If your windscreen is dirty, you may not be able to see any chips or cracks that appear while you’re driving. Not only this, but a dirty windscreen can cause some unnecessary damage to your windscreen wipers.
In fact, driving with a dirty windscreen can land you with a fine of up to £1,000! That’s because a grimy windscreen can obscure your vision, making it harder to see hazards or pedestrians when driving.
How to clean your windscreen?
Simply wiping your windscreen with a damp, static cloth, then a chamois leather cloth, can help keep it pristine.
Check your coolant levels
Another area people forget to focus on when maintaining their car is the cooling system. Failing to maintain the coolant levels can lead to serious overheating in your engine, which will cost a lot to rectify if it leads to serious damage. If you ever discover a leak in your coolant system, get it checked right away.
Keep the air clean
If your car’s air filters get clogged up, this can lead to a loss of power and a serious reduction in your car’s fuel efficiency. You should check your air filters regularly to ensure they are in good working order. See your owner’s manual for more information on how to replace these.
The etiquette of filling up
We all like to get as much as we can at the pumps, but over-filling your car with fuel could actually be causing damage to your car. When you feel the first click of the fuel handle, indicating that your tank is full, you should stop filling then – even if you know you can get a little bit more in until the next click.
Overfilling your tank can cause issues with the venting system, as the cold fuel from the storage tank will warm up and expand in your car’s tank.
There you have it - our top maintenance tips and tricks to keeping your vehicle performing at its best. With safety, legal compliance, and reliability vital for everyday journeys, don't forget the obvious steps of schedueling your regular service to maximum peace of mind today!
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