Top ten car maintenance tips
 Danielle McCormick reveals her top ten car maintenance tips 07 November 2008 Danielle McCormick, author of ‘Essential Car Care for Girls’ tells Dom Sacco why women shouldn’t have to leave car maintenance to men – and gives us her top ten tips. “When it came to car maintenance I would always run to the nearest boy – I really was rubbish.” Danielle McCormick is the author of ‘Essential Car Care for Girls,’ a bestseller in Ireland which is hotly tipped to be in WHSmith’s Top Ten Christmas Sellers this year. Despite her initial lack of knowledge, Danielle loves cars – and decided she should learn as much about them as possible, rather than rely on the experts. Now she’s an expert herself and her book is already on UK shelves. “It’ll teach a girl what she needs to know without weighing her down – even girls who don’t know how to open a bonnet.” We’ve got ten signed copies of the book up for grabs! Click here to enter our competition Top ten car maintenance tips As a driver who passed her test at 17, Danielle has had plenty of experience on the road – not without a fair share of car breakdowns. Her worst moments include blowing a head gasket on her way to an airport, which cost around £2,000 in repair bills, and being stranded in France after running out of petrol. To make sure a similar scenario doesn’t happen to YOU, Danielle gave us her top ten car maintenance tips: 1. Check your oil Check your oil once a month. Wait until the car has been stationary for five minutes so the engine is cool, and open the bonnet for an accurate reading. Make sure the oil level is above the minimum mark and below the maximum mark. Top up accordingly – check your vehicle handbook for the correct oil. This video explains how to check your oil:
You need Flash Player 8 or higher to view video content with the ROO Flash Player. Click here to download and install it. 2. Check the coolant Open the bonnet and ensure your water levels are topped up correctly. 3. Check brake fluid It’s important to see if your brake fluid is at the right level – but don’t change it yourself – leave this to the professionals. Don’t open the container or touch it yourself. If a bit of dirt gets in this can damage the whole system. 4. Get regular maintenance checks You wouldn’t get into an aeroplane which hasn’t been checked regularly by an engineer, so why not do the same for your car? Try and make sure your car gets checked regularly, and have an awareness of its condition. 5. Check your tyre pressure This will extend the life of your tyres and you’ll save up to ten per cent on fuel if your tyres are pumped up correctly. Under-inflated tyres on a bike will make it harder to pedal – cars are similar. 6. Check the tyre tread depth The minimum legal requirement is 1.6mm of tread depth which is a safety requirement too. Worn down tyres can skid – if this happens it’s likely your tyres are nearing the end of their life. Try and get them changed as soon as possible.
7. Don’t avoid a service It’s really important to have brake pads changed and your engine checked. Brake pads could get worn down and lose their stopping power, so it’s worth paying for a service. Air filters may need changing every 6,000 miles and any other problem will be identified. This will also improve the value of your car and keep it fuel efficient. 8. Don’t ignore dashboard signals Warning signals are your car’s way of telling you something is wrong, so don’t ignore them – you could run yourself into expensive damage. 9. Change windscreen wipers Your windscreen wipers should be changed once or twice a year, depending on their usage. You can change these yourself to avoid garage labour costs. 10. Look after the bodywork Try and get any bodywork damage fixed right away – otherwise rust can set in. Ring around to try and get the best deal. Always make sure the mechanic uses the correct paint colour before making any repairs or changes to the car’s paintwork. We’ve got ten signed copies of the book up for grabs! Click here to enter our competition ‘Car Care for Girls’ is out now priced £9.99 in all good bookstores. The book is also available from essentialcarcareforgirls.com |
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