Keep your car in shape during lockdown
To keep your engine going for a while as well as batteries and tyres in shape, you will have to keep your car in shape.
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In a country where public transport does not reach all, cars are essential for locals to get back and forth during their daily activities. The Covid-19 pandemic has, however, left you and your car stranded at home, and only essential driving is now possible.
To keep your engine going for a while as well as batteries and tyres in shape, you will have to keep your car in shape.
Tiger Wheel and Tyre reminds motorists that even, and perhaps especially, when your car is stationary for long periods of time, it still needs to be looked after.
Here are the company’s top five tips to keep your car in shape during lockdown:
1. Keep the battery charged. Start the car and let it idle for 15-20 minutes, at least once a week. Do this outside or keep your garage door wide open and any doors leading into the house firmly shut. Or disconnect the battery and connect it to a trickle charger, if you have one.
2. Check your licence disc expiry date! The only thing more tedious than lockdown is figuring out how to renew an expired licence. Read the regulations regarding car licence and driver’s licence, (Fikile Mbalula, MP, Minister of Transport, acting in terms of section 18 (7) of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996), hereby extends the licensing and registration period.) Published on March 30, 2020.
3. Keep your tyres inflated. It’s not just driving, but the passage of time that makes air escape from tyres. If you’re able to inflate them at home, do that first before making essential trips or when lockdown ends and you return to work. Maintaining the correct tyre pressure avoids flat spots and protects the tyre’s sidewall from damage.
4. Clean your car. Bird droppings, water stains and even dust can get baked into the paintwork, causing lasting damage. Washing your car will prevent this from happening, and besides it’s a great way to mix things up and pass the time during lockdown.
5. Be safe in all the ways that count. Keep your vehicle in tip-top safe shape, drive safely and when you’re out on essential trips, keep your distance from people you don’t live with, don’t touch your face, and wash your hands when you’re done.
For more tips, advice and all things Tiger Wheel & Tyre, visit www.facebook.com/TigerWheelnTyre/