You are driving daily to work or other places. You get your car serviced periodically to ensure that everything is in order. But how many of us do a regular car safety inspection to make sure we are driving a car that is safe for ourselves and others? There are many checks that you must conduct on a regular basis even if your car has been serviced recently. You cannot depend on the workshop completely. There are daily and weekly checks to be conducted so that your drive is safe for everyone.
Daily Checks To Be Performed
The first thing to check every day is engine oil. This is very important as this is what keeps your engine running smoothly. You can check and top up if required. Nobody needs any education on how to check the oil. If there is lesser than the lowest required level you must top up immediately. You should ensure that the oil you use is the right one recommended for your vehicle. During severe winters you must use oil that is more viscose than usual.
A tire with less than required air can not only make your driving harder but also reduce the fuel mileage of your car. You must inspect this daily to see all tires have enough air. A visual inspection of all tires is enough on a daily basis. The next thing to do is to check your headlights. Make sure all the beams and the fog lights are working. During winter ensure to keep the headlight covers clean perfectly. Check on LightsPick.com to know how fog lights are work.
Along with the headlights, you must check your other lights too. Check whether your tail lights are working. Your signal lights on both sides in front and back should be working well. This is very important in avoiding accidents. You must also check whether your emergency flasher is working. This is very important during the winters if you are stuck on the way. You must also see that your brake lights are working.
Your windshields are the window to your road. They should be clean for a good drive. This is even more important during night and winter driving. Clean the windshields and check if there are any stone chips that can develop into a large crack. You must also check whether your wipers are working. Change wipers if you see any cracks and change to winter wipers before the cold climate starts. You must also check your rearview mirrors.
As you start to move gently apply the brakes and see if they are working properly. Another thing to check is if there are any warning lights flashing in your instrument panel. If there is anything you must check your user manual and see what it is. Take the car to the mechanic at the earliest. You must check whether your driving license and the car registration certificate copies are available.
Perform These Checks Every Week
Safety checks on your vehicles serve more than just one purpose of ensuring that your car stays in its best condition. It also ensures that you do not have any untoward experiences when you are least expecting a problem to crop up. For example, you need to check that the locks of your car are always in top order. If you feel that there is even the slightest issue, you should immediately contact a mobile locksmith on the central coast. The mechanisms of modern cars are different and sophisticated. Rather than tinkering around with the good old screwdriver, care should be taken to ensure that an experienced locksmith attends to the same.
A wrongly inflated tire could lead to disastrous consequences. Check the tire pressure on a weekly basis using a pressure that is sold in most tire shops. The recommended tire pressure will be pasted on the driver door usually. You must also check the spare tire for right inflation. You don’t know when you will need it. Check the tread depth with a depth gauge. You can buy this from tire shops. Certain countries have clear rules about how much tread should be left on your tires. Ideally, there should be 1.6 mm tread on normal days and 3.2 mm during rainy and winter seasons.
You can check your anti-lock braking system if you can find a place with very little traffic. Apply the brakes suddenly to ensure that your ABS is working properly. For checking your parking brakes, you must take the car to a sloping road. Stop the car and allow it to roll freely. Apply the parking brakes while the car is rolling. You must do it in both directions to ensure it is working properly. Always have your feet ready to apply the brakes if the parking brakes fail.
You must check your battery once a week. Ensure that the battery is mounted properly. The connections must be secure. Give a tug to the wires and ensure they are connected properly. You can check if the terminals are showing any signs of corrosion. This will tell you if the connections are fine. While checking oil you may also check the belts and hoses in the engine to see that there are no cracks on them. Replace if you find them cracked or chipped.
It is good to check the windshield washer fluid every week and top up if necessary. You should also check the levels of your brake and transmission fluid. Ensure that there is enough coolant in the tank. You must change to antifreeze as soon as winter sets in.
You must also periodically check the expiry dates of your insurance. It is good to check the hubcaps and loose wheel nuts regularly. Check your body for stone chips. When you have parked your car somewhere for long check beneath the car when you remove the car from parking. See if there are any oil leaks. Regular inspection of your car is always good for a safe drive.
