Vehicle Maintenance, Hints & tips to keep you on the road.

By David Sholicar

Here are some simple tips to ensure that your vehicle is kept on the road safely for a longer period of time. The following tips can be carried out by yourself without need for specialist equipment.

man driving

Wheels and Tyres

Clean brake dust off regularly. The dust can gather and after a while start to bake to the car. This is because of the heat coming from the vehicle.

Every 5,000 miles, rotate the wheels.

Check your tyre pressure. This can be done at most petrol stations and home kits are available.

Check your tread depth. Thinner looking tyres may look more stylish but they’re not great when it comes to driving for a long period of time. If the tread is too low then have the tyres replaces.

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Engine

Check your oil regularly. If there is too much or too little oil then it can lead to ongoing problems with your vehicle.

It is also important to check your coolant level. In the same way as oil, it can lead to problems if the level is too high or too low. The container will have high and low markings and the liquid should always be between the two.

Battery

If carrying out any electrical work on your vehicle then it is important to disconnect the battery first. For more information about how to change a car battery, visit our guide here.

Lights

If one indicator light is flashing faster than the other then it could indicate that a bulb has blown somewhere. When taking your vehicle for an MOT and service, the lights will be checked so if you’re not confident on changing the bulb yourself, book in ASAP.

Do not touch the glass whilst carrying out work on the lights. Most headlights are now halogen and the glass of the bulb will be coated in a special formula. By touching this with bare hands, you could leave residue of dirt or grease on the bulb. This in turn could cause that part of the bulb to get hotter eventually leading to cracks.

Some of the issues mentioned above will be picked up in a standard vehicle service. However, others will not so maintain your vehicle and it will be safer and running for a lot longer.

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About the author

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By David Sholicar
David is the National Retail Operations Manager for Protyre. One of David’s areas of responsibility and expertise is dealing with the DVSA and MOT’s for Protyre. As the Authorised Examiner Designate Manager ( AEDM ) David deals with applications for changes to the many Vehicle Testing Stations ( VTS’s) including managing the growth of the Number of MOT testing stations that Protyre operate, allocating MOT tester roles, and monitoring the MOT Test logs to ensure that Protyre MOT standards are maintained as the best in the industry.
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