Keep the cost of expensive repair to a minimum
Keep the cost of expensive repair to a minimum
Vehicle have literally hundreds of components that at anytime could break down.
By carrying out regular maintenance checks to your vehicle you can help to minimise these breaking.
A once a year MOT to be honest only gives you an understanding of the condition of your vehicle at the time it is in the testing centre.
Luckily, they have the facility to advise you of items on your vehicle that are close to needing replacement or repair. But this only come down to the items that they are required to check.
They don't check things like your tyre pressures, you oil levels etc, unless you pay for a service at the time of the MOT.
This is where you come into action!
Just setting aside 10-15 minutes once a week to check basic things like the fluid levels of your car, your tyre condition and the pressure in the tyres and that all your lights are functioning correctly will help to keep your wallet a little fuller, and you on the right side of the law.
Checking that you expansion tank for the engine coolant is within the minimum-maximum marks on the side of the tank, could avoid your engine overheating, which will avoid the potential of a seized up engine.
The same applies for the engine oil. Just by leaving the car switched off for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain into the oil sump and then removing the oil dipstick, cleaning it off and the reinserting it pulling it out again and checking the level of the oil in the sump, could avoid seizing the engine up.
A seized engine could cost you thousands of pounds, a couple of minute check once a week could have avoided this happening.
Checking your clutch and brake fluid (usually in the same reservoir) will ensure your clutch works correctly and you have brakes when you need them.
By checking this fluid it will give you a rough idea as to the condition of your brake pads as well. As your pads wear out, the level of the oil naturally drops. If you have had to fill up the reservoir a couple of times, it is likely that either the pads are getting low and may need replacing, or that you may have a leak somewhere.
TIPS!
When filling up engine oil, ALWAYS ensure that you have enough to allow the oil to be somewhere between the minimum and maximum markers, DO NOT overfill it. By overfilling it you risk blowing some of the engines oils seals which in turn will cause an oil leak, reduce the amount of oil in the engine and ultimately end up causing the engine to seize up through having insufficient oil to lubricate the engine.
NEVER undo the cap from a radiator or expansion tank while the engine is hot. Engine coolant inside the tank or radiator is under pressure and very very hot. If you have not allowed the engine to cool down before undoing the cap there is a high likelihood of being scalded. As you undo the cap the pressure within the coolant system will want to escape very quickly and can cause the water within the engine to come out with that pressure. This can be sprayed all over you and cause very nasty burns. Let the engine cool and then fill if necessary.
When checking your tyre pressures, it is always advisable to check them while the tyre are cold. This is because tyre pressures will read higher when the tyres are warm as the air molecules increase in size when they are hot. Check with your owners manual for the correct pressure required.
Be sure that you adjust the tyre pressure to the manufactures recommend pressure dependant on how many people you are carrying in the car (this usually changes the more people or weight you are carrying).
