When you buy a car, it no doubt becomes the pride and joy of your driveway or garage. You’ll show it to your family, friends and even talk about it to total strangers. For all intensive purposes, it’s a child. And because of this, it should be treated well, cared for and enjoyed. If you look after your vehicle well, it could last you twice as long as most. It’s all about knowing what checks you can do yourself to keep your car in tip-top condition.
Choose A Good Insurance Policy
Before any of the other checks we are going to talk about, you must first choose a good insurance policy for your vehicle. You don’t want to get into an accident and have to pay out an enormous excess cost. Choose your plan carefully. Visit a site such as cheapautoinsurance.co to research the different types of policy for you and find one which suits your lifestyle. It might even be a good idea to install a black box to save you some pennies.
Engine Checks
The first thing you want to do to maintain the health of your car is to carry out checks on your engine regularly. One check which is essential is the oil level. You can do this by lifting the cap under the bonnet and taking out the dipstick if the level is between the minimum and maximum, you’re ready to go.
In the winter, it is also important to check your antifreeze levels regularly to prevent your engine from freezing up, the opposite applies to the summer months where coolant levels should be maintained.
Wheels and Tyres
Tyre Tread is the first important thing to check on a regular basis as the tread is what gives you traction on the road and stops you from slipping. You can check the tread by looking at your tyre, and most will have a line which is the minimum level the tread should be before changing. If you can’t see the line, you may need to change your tyres to avoid accidents.
Pressure is easy to check, as many new cars will alert you to any changes. You can use a pressure gauge to fill your tyres up at home, or simply visit a garage and use the air pump.
Paintwork
Cleaning your car, shampooing and waxing it may be partly down to pride and vanity, but also the condition of your vehicle’s exterior. If birds regularly poo on your car, the acidic compounds can burn through your paintwork. However, if it lands on a waxed surface, there is a protective barrier between it and your paintwork.
Lights
It is illegal to drive if your lights are broken, which is why you should conduct regular checks to make sure they are in working condition. Invest in some car light bulbs like these: https://www.philipsautolighting.com/ and leave them in your vehicle in case you are ever caught while out and about with a broken light, this way you can fix it and be on your way safely.
