How to maintain your car.

Car maintenance and servicing basics you need to know to maximise the life and performance of your car, here is a simple list of items you should check while you own your car. Some of these parts of your car should be checked regularly while others only in the long run. Be sure to follow your vehicle’s maintenance schedule and service interval record.

Read the owner’s manual

Your car service manual may not be quite as exciting to read, but it’s full of handy information and tips: which fluids to top up (and how often), how to check tyre pressure, what to do when your engine overheats and how to change the bulbs in your blinker lights. It will tell you how to perform basic maintenance jobs the correct way.

Don’t skip your scheduled service

Make sure you keep track of your scheduled services. These usually involve a thorough check of the vehicle and immediate attention to anything that needs replacing: spark plugs, timing belts, etc. There’s a written record of the car’s service history, which becomes important for buyers when you want to sell the car in the future.

Maintenance and servicing checklists

With modern, computer-controlled engine management systems, the old days of popping the bonnet, grabbing a wrench and having a ‘she’ll be right’ moment are long gone. However there is list of simple things you can do to keep your car running right and these haven’t changed are largely the same as half a century ago.

Checklist to increase your car’s longevity

With modern, computer-controlled engine management systems, the old days of popping the bonnet, grabbing a wrench and having a ‘she’ll be right’ moment are long gone. However there is list of simple things you can do to keep your car running right and these haven’t changed are largely the same as half a century ago.

Seatbelts – check tension and belt buckle operation
External Lights – replace bulbs if necessary
Handbrake – ensure that it can hold the vehicle on a slope
Windscreens & mirrors – check windscreens for cracks
Windscreen wipers – check wiper blades, replace if necessary
Horn – ensure this works
Fluids – check engine oil and engine coolant levels
Tyres – ensure tyres are the correct pressures, check treadwear Spare tyre & jack – ensure they are operational, check toolkit

Fluids checklist
• Engine oil
• Radiator coolant
• Brake fluid
• Power steering fluid
• Windscreen washer fluid
• Gearbox oil
• Differential fluid

Lights checklist
• Headlights Indicators/hazard lights
• Brake lights Reverse lights
• Park & Fog lights