Essential maintenance
Car maintenance tips
Think FLOWER
To help you remember your essential checks, just follow the FLOWER system.
Fuel
Always make sure that you have enough fuel or charge for your journey.
Lights
Clean your exterior lights at least once a month and check for cracked lenses or blown bulbs.
Oil
If you’re driving a petrol or diesel car, check your oil levels weekly, if you wait for the red oil pressure light to come on, your engine may already be damaged.
Water
Check your engine coolant and windscreen wiper fluid every fortnight.
Electrics
Make sure you protect your battery’s health by turning off your lights and removing all charging cables (phones etc). The vehicle’s battery will be checked and tested when the vehicle is being regularly serviced and will be replaced when/if required.
Rubber
Make sure your tyres are properly inflated at least once a week or before travelling a long distance. They should also have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.
Did you know? You can use a 20p coin to test tread depth. Simply place the edge of the coin in the main tread groove - if the outer band of the coin is visible, your tyres need to be replaced.
Every 2 weeks
- Keep the battery in condition by starting the engine. Keep it running for around 30 minutes to let the battery charge up, but make sure you do this in an open space, not a garage as the fumes can be toxic
- It’s a good idea to top the fuel tank, it helps to stop moisture from getting in and stops the pipes and seals from drying out too much
- Check your coolant, oil and screen wash levels
- If you have a diesel, try to take it for a drive (within government guidelines)
- Release the parking brake from time-to-time and move the vehicle back and forward to reduce the risk of breaks seizing up
Even with these steps, if you haven't driven
your car in a while, it’s possible you could find that your battery
or tyres are flat when you next
come to use it.