A safe, reliable car is ready for the road at all times. Diagnostic work, repairs and servicing by a professional are essential, but there are some basic safety checks you can do yourself to ensure your vehicle is ready for driving. None of them requires specialist mechanical knowledge, just a little time and attention. Here’s how to keep your car in good running order.
1. Check Your Tire Pressure
Maintaining proper tyre pressure is crucial for safety, fuel efficiency, and tire longevity.
A. Why It Matters:
Safety: The right pressure keeps a tyre in the best possible contact with the road, allowing a car to handle correctly, increasing the ability to stop at a safe distance.
Fuel Economy: Driving on properly inflated tyres can help improve your fleet’s fuel economy, reducing fuel costs.
Tire Longevity: Proper pressure reduces uneven tire wear, helping your tires last longer.
B. How to Do It:
With a Tire Pressure Gauge, Check Your Tire Pressure: You can follow the guidelines listed on the driver’s door panel or the instruction manual for the vehicle. Keep in mind that the pressure indicated there is for cold tires, which are tires that are not heated by driving (this is the most reliable way to get an accurate reading).
Follow Manufacturer’s Directions: Look up your tyres’ pressure in your owner’s manual or on the sticker on the driver’s side door jamb. Adjust pressures if necessary.
Tip: Be sure to check your spare tyre pressure too: you might need it.
2. Inspect Tire Tread
Good tyre tread keeps a vehicle gripped to the road when it is wet or slippery.
A. Why It Matters:
Traction: Good tread depth helps to keep the car from hydroplaning and contributing to handling issues.
Braking: Tires with good tread provide shorter stopping distances, enhancing overall safety.
B. How to Do It:
Flip Tire Test: Stand the tire on its edge and look all around it. If you can see faster wear, chords or a round tread with no bottom tread edge, it’s time to replace the tire. Penny Test: Insert a penny into the tread grooves with Lincoln’s head facing down. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tread is too worn, and it’s time to replace the tires.
Look Out for Uneven Wear When: Your tyres might not scream that they’re not safe. So ideally, it’s good to check for uneven wear once a month. Here’s how you can check your tyre tread: To Do This: Push a penny into the tyre’s tread grooves with Lincoln’s head down and facing you. If you can see all of his head, then it’s time for a tyre change.
Rotate your tyres: Maintaining balance among your tyres by rotating them will help to even out wear and keep your tyres working longer, for a safer driving experience.
3. Check Fluid Levels
Keeping your vehicle’s fluids at the correct levels is essential for its smooth operation.
A. Key Fluids to Check:
Check the engine’s oil level through the dipstick (Engine Oil: L, H, F) If the level is either low (Engine Oil: L) or high (Engine Oil: H) add oil of the right type (Engine Oil: F).
COOLANT: Check the level in the reservoir. It should be between the ‘LOW’ and ‘FULL’ marks. If it is low, add a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water.
Brake Fluid: Check brake fluid level – if low, top up to correct level. Use correct type of brake fluid – but low brake fluid can be an indicator of a leak and should be checked out by a professional sporting a white coat.
Windshield Washer Fluid: Add more windshield washer fluid to make sure your windshield stays clear and you can see.
Tip: Keeping fluid levels up and making regular check ups will help your car avoid breaking down and thereby aid the engine and any other part in living longer.
4. Inspect Your Brakes
Your brakes are critical for safety, and regular checks can help catch issues early.
A. What to Look For:
Brake Pads: When you check your tyre tread, look through the wheel spokes for signs of wear on your brake pads. If they’re under 1/4 of an inch thick, replace them.
Brake Fluid: As mentioned above, check the level of brake fluid. Low fluid is a warning sign of worn brake pads or leaking.
3. Brake Feel: Does your car stop smoothly? Is the brake pedal spongy or hard? Does the brake pedal drop to the floor or sink slowly? Notice how your brakes feel when you apply them slowly at first and then speed up a little. These feelings could indicate air in the brake lines or a fluid leak.
Tip: If you hear any squealing or grinding noises, or if your brakes no longer seem to work as they should, take your car in for a brake check.
5. Test Your Lights
Properly functioning lights are essential for visibility and communication on the road.
A. Lights to Check:
Lights: Did you check both the low beams and high beams for proper operation and aim?
Tail Lights and Brake Lights:A properly installed and working taillight and brake light can prevent rear-end collisions. In addition, some states or countries mandate the use of these lights to stop other motorists.
Turn Signals: Check all four turn signals to ensure they flash correctly.
Hazard lights: Flash your hazards to be sure they’re working properly in case you need to use them!
B. How to Do It:
Get Out Of Your Car: OK, so you’re macho, but before you try anything, park your car. Turn the lights on one at a time and walk around to make sure they’re working.
Bribe someone: Ask someone, ideally a bystander, to check your brake lights and turn signals for you as you move them from the driver’s
Tip: Clean headlights and taillights frequently to keep them clear, and replace any bulbs that fail.
6. Examine Your Windshield Wipers
Good windshield wipers are essential for maintaining visibility in rain or snow.
A. Why It Matters:
Blurry Vision: Wipers are a critical maintenance piece for safe driving since worn or torn blades will streak and decrease visibility, possibly leading to an accident in bad weather.
Safety: You need your windshield to be clean, so you can see the road – and obstacles – ahead of you. With good wipers, your vision will stay clear.
B. How to Do It:
Inspect the Blades: Cracked, split or stiff blades are a clear indication that wiper blades need to be replaced. If the blades do not appear to clear the windshield well, they probably haven’t been doing their job very well. They need to be replaced too.
Test the washer/wipers: Make sure the washer fluid squirts out and the wipers work, and that the windshield goes clear without streaks.
Tip: Replace your wiper blades once at least a year or sooner if they’re not performing well.
7. Check Battery Health
A well-maintained battery is essential for reliable vehicle operation, especially in extreme weather.
A. Why It Matters:
Starting Power: A healthy battery ensures your car starts reliably, even in cold weather.
Electrical System: Your battery is what provides power for your car’s electrical components. Have it checked to make sure everything is working properly.
B. How to Do It:
Check the Charge State—Look at your battery terminals—do you see a white, ashy substance? Yep? Get yourself some baking soda and water and clean those suckers out with a wire brush.
Check Connections: Ensure the battery cables are securely connected and free of corrosion.
Test the Battery: If you have a voltmeter, you can test the volts in the battery. A fully charged battery will read about 12.6 volts or more. If it is tested low, take it into an auto parts store and have it tested by a computer station.
Tip: If your battery is more than three years old, have it tested annually to see if it’s still holding strong.
8. Look Under the Hood
It is perhaps some consolation to owners that a simple eyeballing of the engine under the hood can often foreshadow expensive breakdowns.
A. What to Look For:
Leak: Check for any fluid leaks underneath the motor compartment. Oil, coolant and transmission fluid are easy ways to tell.
Belts and Hoses: Inspect hoses and belts for cracking, fraying, and excessive wear, which can threaten your engine.
Oil And Coolant Levels: You should have already checked these levels but just make sure they are still correct.
Aside: A good rule of thumb is to do some periodic checks under the hood to head off a breakdown on the road.
Conclusion: Simple Checks for a Road-Ready Car
However, by taking on a little maintenance and doing DIY checks on critical roadworthy items such as tyre pressure, oil level, windscreen wiper blades, lights, brakes and tyres regularly, you can minimise the annoying things – many things – that can go wrong with your car, and help keep yourself, your passengers and other road users safer and happier. Any of these checks should be very easy for you to do, even if they’re new to you, so give them a go. Your car will thank you, and so will the rest of us.