Skills books › Caring for Your Vehicle

Weekly car checks that prevent breakdowns

Five minutes a week prevents most breakdowns. A short walk around the vehicle, a look under the bonnet with the engine cold and a check of the lights catch low tyres, leaks and broken bulbs before they become a breakdown or a fine.

The walk-around

1. Tyres: does any look low? Any bulges, cuts or nails? Is the tread even?
2. Under the vehicle: any fresh drops or puddles where it was parked?
3. Body and glass: new damage, or cracks in the windscreen?
4. Lights: lenses clean and unbroken?
5. Number plates: clean, secure and readable?
6. Wipers: blades not torn or perished?
7. Inside: seat belts and horn work, and no warning lights stay on after starting.

Under the bonnet

Check on level ground, with the handbrake on and the engine cold.

Never open the radiator or coolant cap when the engine is hot. The cooling fan can start on its own, so keep hands, hair and loose clothing clear.

• Engine oil: the level on the dipstick is between the two marks, and the oil is not gritty or milky.
• Coolant: between MIN and MAX in the plastic reservoir.
• Brake fluid: between MIN and MAX. If the level drops, have the brakes checked. Do not just top up.
• Washer fluid: full.
• Battery: terminals clean and tight, with no white or green crust.
• Belts and hoses: no cracks, fraying or leaks.

Lights and glass

Switch on the side lights, headlights (dipped and bright), indicators and hazards. To check the brake and reverse lights alone, reverse up to a wall at dusk and watch the reflection. Have windscreen chips repaired early, because they grow with heat and bumps.

What a leak tells you

Slide a sheet of cardboard under the engine overnight.

• Clear water under the front passenger area: air-conditioning condensation. Normal.
• Brown or black and oily: engine oil. Check the level and have the leak looked at.
• Green, orange, pink or blue with a sweet smell: coolant. Have it checked soon.
• Red or pink and oily: gearbox or power-steering fluid.
• Clear to yellowish and slippery, near a wheel: brake fluid. Do not drive.
• A strong smell of fuel: do not drive, and keep flames away.

Smells and sounds

Notice burning smells, squeals, grinding, knocking and clicking when you turn. Note when it happens (cold, braking, turning or at speed) and tell the workshop exactly that.

Before a long trip

Do this a few days before you leave, so that there is time to fix anything.

1. The walk-around and bonnet checks.
2. Tyre pressures, including the spare, set for the load.
3. Tread and sidewalls, looked at closely.
4. Lights, wipers and washer fluid.
5. Is a service or timing belt nearly due? Do it before the trip.
6. Jack, wheel spanner, locking-nut key, warning triangle, torch, jump leads, first-aid kit and water.
7. Licence disc, driving licence, and insurance and roadside assistance numbers.

Keep a record

Write down the date, the kilometres and what you checked or topped up. Patterns, such as oil dropping faster than before or a tyre that always loses pressure, tell you and the workshop what is happening.

This guide is based on Chapter 2 of Caring for Your Vehicle, which includes a check card for the cubby.