Important car maintenance checks all parents should follow
Any driver knows that maintaining your car is an important part of road safety, and this is even more important when transporting kids.
Taking a road trip with kids in toe? Although regular car maintenance should be carried out throughout the year, a vehicle requires additional care during the school holidays when you have your kids with you in the car.
Follow these car maintenance tips from BP to make sure you reach your destination safely:
Clean the radiator
This will boost the engine’s cooling effect and lessen the chance of your engine overheating.
Replace the oil and oil filter
You should change your oil regularly, as stated in your driver’s manual. You should get oil changes more often if you take extended trips with lots of luggage, or if you are towing a boat or trailer.
Regularly check your tyre pressure
You should check your tyre pressure at least once a month, and always before a road trip. Under-inflating is a tyre’s number one nemesis because it can cause damage that may lead to tyre failure.
Check the tyre tread
If your tyres show uneven wear, ask your service professional to look for and adjust any misalignment, imbalance, or other mechanical obstacles.
Prevent over-heating
It’s important to keep all the vehicle’s fluids at the recommended levels before a road trip, as this can prevent overheating. This includes motor oil, coolant, transmission, differential, power-steering, and windscreen washer fluids. If you’re unsure about which fluids to use or how much to add, ask your mechanic for help.
Change your car’s wipers
Yes, it is winter, but it’s probably going to rain at some point. Worn wipers create nasty streaks across the windshield and can affect your vision while driving. Replacing them doesn’t cost much, but it can be a fiddly operation. If you’re in the habit of taking your car in for oil changes, ask them about the wipers, too. Sometimes a dealership will sell you the wipers and install them for free.
Stick to a service mechanic you can trust
Much like you have a regular family doctor, because he knows your medical history and understands your unique requirements, the same applies to the servicing of your vehicle. Credible workshops will keep a detailed history (service log) of your vehicle and will be able to reference it if they are unsure about what has been replaced, or what may need replacing.
