Now that many of our cars are laid up with the global pandemic raging, I thought this would be a good opportunity to present a video guide on what sort of regular maintenance checks your car would benefit from.
I am going to adopt the FLOWER term that is widely used within the motor Industry, where FLOWER stands for the following:
- F – Fuel
- L – Lights
- O – Oil
- W – Water
- E – Electrics
- R – Rubber
Fuel
Fuel checks are straightforward in that you turn on the engine and look at the fuel gauge. But how often do you do this? Do you fill up when the fuel gauge indicates a quarter tank remaining or do you fill up when the car gives you a warning light? A tip here – do not let the fuel tank run very low as you will suck the sediment from the bottom of the tank up into the fuel lines and either clog the filters or damage the fuel pump.
Lights
How often do you check your lights? Do you know if your number plate lights are working? Ideally you should turn on all the lights before any trip to ensure you will be able to see if the need arises to drive in the dark.
Oil
How often do you check your oil level? Do you even know how? And how are you supposed to know what grade of oil to use in your car?
Water
When did you last check the coolant in your car’s engine? And have you topped up the washer fluid?
I also expand this ‘W’ to include the windscreen and the wiper blades and give you a tip on how to get dead bugs off your windscreen.
Electrics
When did you car last run? If the car has been sitting idle for an elongated period of time, odds are the battery has gone flat. How do you prevent this from occurring?
Rubber
When did you last check the pressure in your tyres? And the tread depth? Do you know how to check the tread depth? Are they wearing evenly? And how do you read the labelling on the tyre sidewall anyway?
Come and review the video below to get the answers to all these questions and hopefully prevent issues arising with your car.
The Guide
(Click here if the video doesn’t play)