West Berkshire & North Hampshire

In today’s modern age of cars, with built in sat nav’s and stereo’s that we can plug our ipod’s into, it is very easy to forget the most basic things that a car needs and runs on (besides from petrol).

Regularly servicing your car once every six months or once a year is the standard servicing times for most cars. At around thirty to forty thousand miles it is recommended that you take your car in for a big service where things like timing belts and spark plugs are replaced.

On top of all of this however, it is good to keep an eye on certain things in your car to make sure they don’t run out, otherwise your car will stop working.

Things to look out for:

Oil level

The oil level in your car is perhaps one of the most important things to keep regularly topped up. The oil in your car is there to reduce the amount of friction that occurs in the engine. If there isn’t enough oil then the engine will be put under enormous stress and become severely damaged.

It is recommended that you check your oil level at least twice a month

Engine coolant

The coolant in your engine prevents your engine from becoming over heated (the clue is in the title). If there isn’t enough coolant in the system then it will cause gasket damage and is costly to repair.

Alternatively if there isn’t enough coolant in the engine during the winter months, then the water in your engine will simply freeze and cause the headgasket to expand and engine failure.

It is recommended that you check these levels once every 3 months and insist to the garage that they inspect it when the car goes in for its service.

Washing the car

Now it may seem like the easy option and by taking it to the car wash but it is a sensible solution to maintaining a fresh and clean look to your car.

You can wash your car yourself, thousands of people do it everyday but if you are going to wash it yourself, be sure to use specific car washing detergents. Normal soap may look as though it is doing the job, but overtime is makes the paint on your car fade.

Tire pressure and rotation

Maintaining the right tyre pressure will improve your miles per gallon and prevent your tyres from wearing out faster. On the inside of the driver’s door is guide for how you can check the tyre pressure on your own car.

There you have it, things to look out for and maintain on your own car. It is always recommended though that when you take your car in for its service that you ask them to check all of these for you, just in case.

Next week we shall be talking about how you can tell whether your tyres are legal or illegal.