Servicing your car is an essential part of maintaining the safety and performance of your vehicle. However, there are plenty of things you can do in between your visits to the garage. Performing some general maintenance on your car can help to prevent the need for extensive services and reduce your MOT bill.
1. Keep an eye on your tyres
Naturally, your tyres are one of the most important parts of your vehicle so looking after them should be a priority. The easiest way to do this is to make sure they are at the right pressure: this can help to increase their lifespan and improves your driving performance. Another thing to keep an eye on is the thread depth. This is the depth of the grooves in the tyre which help it to grip the road and deal with rougher surfaces. You can test if these are at a safe depth by putting a 20 pence piece in: if the outer band of the coin is obscured by the thread then you are within the legal limit.
2. Learn the meaning of dashboard indicators
If you’ve seen a light flashing on your dashboard and had no idea what it means, you’re not alone. However, learning the meaning of these indicators is one of the best ways of understanding your car and keeping yourself safe. The main lights on the dashboard include the check engine light, electrical fault light, brake warning light, anti-lock braking systems light, coolant warning light, oil warning light and service engine light. If you know what your car needs, you’re in a much better position to act on what it needs.
3. Liquid levels
This is the easiest way to keep your car in good condition. Your engine contains many parts which endure friction when the car is running. To counteract the heat and stress caused by this friction you need engine oil and coolant. Checking the level of these two liquids helps to keep your engine running smoothly by reducing the stress the engine experiences. These are easy to replace as most modern cars have filling levels indicated on their oil stick and coolant tank respectively.
Having your car serviced is an essential part of keeping your vehicle running properly. However, it’s also important to have a good understanding of your car. This can minimise the number of issues that need to be resolved by a garage, which saves you money and keeps your car in better condition.
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