Guide to Preventing Vehicle Breakdowns
A vehicle breakdown is never fun. Between having to sit and wait for rescue and the cost of repairs, no matter where you are when it occurs or under what circumstances, you’re sure to be in for a headache. Fortunately, by properly caring for your vehicle, you can often avoid the nightmare that is a vehicle breakdown. Here, we’ll be showing you how you can work to prevent your vehicle from breaking down.
Check Your Brakes
Your brakes are an essential part of your vehicle, pivotal in ensuring safety while out on the road. You should have your brakes checked regularly by a professional, but there are some steps you can take yourself to keep an eye on them. We outlined these checks in a previous article, which you can find here.
Care for Your Tyres
Flat tyres are one of the most common reasons for a breakdown. However, by checking your tyre tread depth regularly, you may be able to avoid any problems. The tread depth should be a minimum of 1.6 mm. Any smaller than that and you risk compromising your tyres and a serious accident. In addition, any uneven wear on your tyres may be indicative of misaligned tyres. This is also a danger you should have checked out and remedied.
To prevent serious tyre faults, you should also keep a vigilant eye on the tyre pressure. If you’re going to be loading your car with heavy goods, it may be worth increasing the pressure in your tyres beforehand to compensate. You can find out how to do this in your vehicle’s handbook.
Battery Problems?
The battery is responsible for all electrical components of your vehicle. It also helps to start and regulate your engine. If it is flat or otherwise not performing correctly, you could encounter some serious problems. A sluggish start, low battery fluid levels or a leak of said fluid could all occur if you’re poorly maintaining your battery. Have your car serviced regularly to avoid this. You can find more on vehicle batteries in our previous article: Does Your Car Battery Need Replacing?
Use the Right Fuel
While it may sound obvious, you should only use the right fuel for your engine. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, including filling up our vehicles with the wrong fuel. Although it is best to remember which fuel is the correct fuel for your engine and leave it at that, if you do make the mistake then contact an engineer immediately. Do not start the engine. By contacting a professional before starting the engine, the wrong fuel can be flushed safely and efficiently out of your vehicle before it becomes a major problem. Failure to do so will result in a full engine compromise that will be costly to rectify.
Check Your Vehicle’s Fluid Levels Regularly
Another area of your vehicle to check fairly frequently is your vehicle’s fluid levels. They include:
- Engine oil
- Brake fluid
- Water
- Coolant
- Battery fluid
- Fuel
- Windshield washer fluid
- Power steering fluid
While some of these you may be hard pressed to monitor yourself, others, such as engine oil and your fuel gauge, are easier to check and should be regularly. Failure to keep these fluids topped up will result in a breakdown. To keep all of your vehicle’s fluids topped up and your engine in full working order, be sure to book an appointment at your local garage often for a service at Auto Exhausts & Tyres.
Auto Exhausts & Tyres offer the highest standards at the greatest prices when it comes to servicing your car. Be it a full car service or a shorter interim one, our fully trained and experienced mechanics will ensure your car is in the best shape and up to scratch with industry regulations. For more information, or to book a car service at our garage in Lincoln, contact our friendly team today.
