Car-care basics you need to check in lockdown

Thursday, 9 April 2020

While you should always keep an eye on the condition and general road worthiness of your car between warrant checks, the fact that the government has extended WoFs and regos during the coronavirus lockdown makes it crucial for the driver to stay on top of things if you do need to leave the house.

Here are five points of your car to regularly check, even when it's locked in the garage - all you have to do is a quick twirl around your car. Or rather, a TWIRL; check the Tyres, Windscreen, Indicators, Rust and Lights. It's easy to do and even easier to remember.

TYRES

Tyres are possibly the single most important feature on your car.

Fortunately, they are also the easiest things to check and don't require any particular expertise to see if there is anything wrong with them. When it comes to tyres; if it looks wrong, it probably is.

**READ MORE:

* New Kiwi company offers WoF solution

* How to take care of your car during lockdown

* How to stay safe on wet roads

* Over-50s leave youngsters stranded on basic car maintenance**

The minimum depth your tread can run is 1.5mm but more tread is always better, with stopping distances drastically reduced (particularly in the wet) with a good amount of meat on your tyres. Most tyres these days also have a tread depth indicator in the groove of the tyre to make it easy, but you can also put a 20-cent coin in the tread - if the whole of the number 20 can be seen, it means there's less than 2mm remaining.

You must have at least 1.5mm of tread depth on each tyre. It might be difficult to get fresh rubber if you're running a bit bald at the moment though.

Visually checking for any signs of damage or unusual wear is vital, while carefully running your hands over the inside edge of the tyre to check for damage you can't easily see is a good idea. They shouldn't have lumps or bulges that indicate damage, exposed cords or cuts in the sidewall that are more than 25mm long.

Make sure your tyres are correctly inflated at all times. It's basic safety but it also drastically increases your chances of identifying other issues with steering and suspension.

Many of us don't do it enough, but checking tyre pressures is quick and easy.

And don't forget to check the spare. It needs to be properly inflated and securely mounted.

Don't get caught out by poor vision. Give it a regular clean, inside and out.

WINDSCREEN

Making sure your windscreen is clean, clear and undamaged is another vital and remarkably simple thing to do - just take a look!

You should make sure your windscreen is clean inside and out, with a completely unobstructed view of the road ahead.

Any damage, such as chips or cracks, should be fixed by a professional straight away although this might be a bit more difficult at the moment.

Along with checking the windscreen, also make sure that your mirrors are clean, clear and pointing in the right direction (pro tip: the internal mirror isn't for checking your reflection in), as well as checking your windscreen wipers are in good condition and your washer reservoir is topped up.

You should make sure your windscreen is clean inside and out, with a completely unobstructed view of the road ahead.

INDICATORS

Making sure your indicators work properly is vital. After all, that is how you let everyone else on the road know what you are up to!

Simply putting your hazard lights on and walking around your car will show up any faults, with any non-functioning bulbs needing to be replaced.

RUST

While a bit of surface rust in the middle of a door may not be a major problem, any rust that is in a structural area of a car needs to be addressed right away.

You certainly shouldn't have this much rust, but keeping an eye on small amounts is important.

Anything on the roof or door pillars and the sills could affect the structural rigidity of your car, meaning it will be offer less protection should the worst happen.

Any rust in a these areas needs to be checked by a professional as soon as possible.

LIGHTS

Hopefully you won't need to go out much after dark but if you do, better safe than sorry.

The front lights should be clear and unbroken - hazy or fogged up lenses can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the lights.

Also, you should actually make sure all your lights are working. Sounds obvious, right? But because you can't actually see all your car's lighting while you're driving, it's easy to overlook.

Have someone stand outside the car and check that lamps (low/high beam) and daytime running lights (if you have them) work.

Have a look at the high-stop brake light, especially if it's one of those aftermarket jobs that you stick on yourself: see that it's still securely attached and operating at full illumination. They wear out over time but are easily replaced.

If you don't have anyone to help, you can easily check your rear lights by carefully backing close to a wall and checking the reflections in your mirrors.

Hopefully you won't need to go out much after dark but if you do, better safe than sorry.

ALSO…

As well as the basic TWIRL, you should also be aware of anything that feels off in your car, particularly to do with the steering, suspension and brakes.

All are critical to safety, for obvious reasons, and are actually pretty specialised to check, but if you have a well-maintained vehicle you will be able to identify impending problems with steering, suspension and brakes.

If everything is properly maintained and your tyres correctly inflated you'll soon notice whether your vehicle is pulling to one side, the steering is unusually stiff or there are issues with suspension performance - including unwelcome noises.

Steering racks do wear out on older vehicles because they are subject to high temperaturess under the bonnet and road debris can damage components and contaminate fluid. Ensuring the power steering fluid is changed at the appropriate service time can go a long way towards extending the life of the rack.

You might not be able to spot brake problems, but if your car is otherwise healthy you'll feel them.

Again, a holistic approach to other areas of maintenance will increase your chances of identifying brake problems. Noises, vibration, poor pedal feel… they all indicate potential problems that should be attended to.

This might be a bit too much for a lot of people, but you can take a look for obvious deterioration and especially rust: there should not be corrosion within 150mm of a brake mounting point.

While previously only essential service workers could access vehicle repairs, other people are now able to get critical repairs done for the purpose of accessing essential services, as the Government is now allowing essential repairs, like sorting out punctured tyres or damaged windscreens.