Car Maintenance Checklist

1. Fuel – Do you have enough fuel for your next journey? Is your MPG (miles per gallon) in a normal range for your vehicle? If not there may be an issue underlying that could cause you to be using more fuel than normal or indicate that your car is due a service.
2. Levels – have you checked your oil, coolant, and screenwash levels recently? Keeping them topped up can prevent further issues. It’s worth checking these on a regular basis.
3. Oil – Not only keeping it topped up but checking the condition of your oil is also important. Oil degrades over time and needs to be renewed. We recommend an oil change every 12 months or 12,000 miles whichever comes first.
4. Water – Screenwash and coolant are vital parts of your car’s engine. It’s an MOT fail not to have working washer jets, often this is just that the screen wash tank is empty, but keeping the levels topped up with the right concentration of screen wash for the season is important. Coolant helps keep the engine cool by circulating through pipes and the radiator in the car. A hot car can cause all sorts of issues. Coolant can also protect the pipes in your car from freezing, expanding and cracking so making sure you have the correct grade of coolant that is giving you a good level of protection is vital for the longevity of your car’s engine system.
5. Electrics – are your bulbs in good working order? Have you checked them recently? Get someone to help you check the brake lights. We offer a free bulb check, and most bulbs can be replaced for less than £10!
6. Tyres – Tyre condition, are they free from damage? Is the tread depth above the legal minimum requirement of 1.6mm? Is the wear even across the tyre? Are they correctly inflated to the right pressures? Lots of things to check when it comes to tyres. Tyres are the only thing that connect your car to the road so it’s really important they are checked on a regular basis.

These are some of the things you can check on a regular basis to make sure your car is in top-tip condition. For a more professional and in-depth check as well as vital fluid changes don’t’ forget your service – Car Friend offer servicing from as little as £99 for an interim. All our services come with a list of vital checks, fluid changes and a full itemised report for your records. Our friendly staff will run through everything that has been done and even offer personalised recommendations for future maintenance checks like timing belt intervals. This will keep your car in good working order providing peace of mind for all your journeys.