It’s important to keep your car in good condition, for obvious reasons. You hold responsibility for making sure that you and your passengers are kept as safe as possible. As such, it’s important to do regular checks and servicing on your car as necessary, not just worrying about it when an MOT is due! Besides, if you don’t keep your car running as happily as possible, it’s likely to cause you more money in the long run.

So, what can you do?

Basic checks

Start off with some basic checks, which you would (hopefully!) do before an MOT anyway.

1. Check your tyre tread and pressure
2. Check your lights – it may be easier to ask someone to help you, particularly when it comes to your brake lights
3. Test the horn
4. Make sure that your oil, brake fluid and screenwash are at the correct levels
5. Check your windscreen wipers and windscreen washer jets (don’t forget the rear too)
6. Check that all the seat belts are fully operational
7. Make sure you don’t have any warning lights on the dashboard. If you do, consult the manual.

Test drive

Go for a test drive without the radio on and listen for any unusual noises you may have not noticed. Pay attention to how your clutch and brakes are performing. Are they as effective as they should be, or are they slipping?

Also, make sure that your steering is working well. Problems with the car pulling to one side or vibration could potentially be symptoms of a tracking issue.

 

Servicing

As well as doing the basic checks and making sure that any problems are rectified (e.g. bulbs replaced and fluids topped up), there are other things you should do on a regular basis.

Tasks such as replacing the engine oil, oil filter and air filter are all relatively simple. However, if you don’t feel confident and live in the capital, you can always get your car serviced in London from a reliable garage like Iverson Tyres Ltd.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with Iverson Tyres Ltd. All advice on car maintenance is based on my own knowledge and opinions.