Knowing how to keep your car in good condition is beneficial for a number of reasons. As an expensive investment to begin with, adding costs on by not looking after your car is not ideal. As it’s February, let us take you through a few ways you can show your car some TLC.
Look After The Battery
Issues with a battery are not only inconvenient but can also be expensive. The car battery keeps all the electrical systems in a car operational, but to do this it needs to be used often. If you do not use your car more than once a week, make time to get it out and about.
This is because regular use of the battery is important to keep it healthy. During winter, this is even more important as a cold battery doesn’t hold charge for as long as a warm one does.
Drive With ‘Mechanical Sympathy’
‘Mechanical sympathy’ is a great way of describing best practice for driving a car. Taking care of your brakes is important, so avoid braking suddenly or heavily unless you must. Don’t drop down your gears as a way of braking either. Instead, give yourself plenty of space and time to brake slowly, dropping gears as your speed decreases. This will also help your fuel efficiency!
Other best practice tips include not overloading your car, using the steering wheel smoothly and avoiding potholes. This will all contribute to keeping the components of your car happier and healthier.
Check Your Tyres
Your tyres are the only point of contact between you and the road so it’s essential to be able to recognise when they need some TLC.
Regularly checking the tread depth (try the 20p test) will give you an indication of how much grip the tyre has on the road. You will also be able to notice any nails, stones or other sharp objects in your tyres before they become too big a problem.
Another benefit of checking your tyres regularly is that you will see if the tyres are wearing down unevenly. Any signs of bulging, tears or uneven patterns of wear is telling you to get them checked professionally.
Get Your Car Serviced Regularly
Servicing a car, at least annually, is always recommended. There are parts of a car that even a well-experienced driver won’t be able to see, understand or fix, which is why a qualified mechanic is needed.
There are many issues mechanics deal with that are worse because they weren’t noticed sooner. Even if a service is done once a year, it is better than breaking down or failing an MOT test because of a problem that could have been prevented.
Keep The Fluids Topped Up
Fuel isn’t the only liquid your card needs to work properly. Engine and transmission oils, brake and power steering fluids should be checked regularly. Engine oil is the most important one to check, at least weekly. This not only checks the amount left, but also the quality of the oil. It shouldn’t be dirty and thick.
Don’t forget your screen wash and water needs topping up regularly too. Ask the mechanic to show you how to top everything up the next time your car is in the garage and refer to the car manual to ensure you use the right type of fluid.
Keep Your Car Clean
Giving your car a regular wash with car shampoo and waxing it afterwards not only makes your car look clean and shiny. The act of cleaning and drying the car removes dirt, salts and corrosive materials that have been picked up. These can damage the paint work and create rust which is much more difficult to remove. The wax creates a barrier to keep grime away for longer.
Keeping your car in good condition is simple when you follow these guidelines:
- Look after the battery
- Drive with ‘mechanical sympathy’
- Check your tyres
- Get it serviced regularly
- Top up fluids
- Keep it clean
Not every car problem can be solved with this guidance so always make sure your car is looked at regularly by a qualified mechanic, especially if you feel that something isn’t right. Bring you car to the team at Bodymek for regular servicing by the experts.
