If you have just bought a new car or if you are going to buy a cheap used car, maintaining the vehicles performance is vital. As much as startrescue.co.uk will make sure you can break down safe in the knowledge that you will be quickly looked after by the rescue team, Carhoots.com show us that there are a number of simple car maintenance tips that will give you even greater piece of mind when making those long trips on the road.
So with your new vehicle on the road and the breakdown cover sorted, follow these simple maintenance steps for greater security and car performance…
1. Regularly Change Your Oil
Your Dad will have probably told you this a thousand times before. You should change your oil!! And he is right! The car owner’s manual will tell you how often you should change your oil and it is always a good idea to be prompt with this change, particularly if you are making a long road trip!
2. Check Your Brakes
Let’s face it, the last thing we want is for our brakes to go all funny on us as we head down a steep hill, so make sure you frequently listen to and feel your brakes for any unusual noises or performance. If they are grinding or sticking this is a sign to go straight to a garage, before catastrophe strikes.
3. Keep Your Tyres Inflated
If your tyres are flat this affects the performance of the car as it will drink petrol, but it can also be a real danger as it can affect steering and brake times. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure which you will find once again in the owners manual, or on the manufacturers website. You should check your tyres every couple of months and you can add air for around 20pence at most garages.
4. Change Your Tyres
While you are checking to see if your tyres are at the right pressure, this is when you should also check to make sure your tyres aren’t bald or mis-shaped. Check the thread of the tyres and the shape, and get them changed if either are faulty.
5. Replace Your Brake Pads
Remember we said to listen out for noises on your brakes? If you hear a screeching or scraping noise, this most likely means you need your brake pads changing but possibly even your brakes, which is a whole lot more expensive. To prevent having to pay to replace both, replace your brake pads at the recommended milage, which is usually around 60,000 miles.
6. Change Your Automatic Transmission Fluid
This is perhaps the scariest maintenance tip on the list as most of us are unfamiliar with what automatic transmission fluid actual is. Well don’t fear because you don’t have to do it yourself. If you have an automatic car simply go into a garage every 30,000 miles to have it replaced for around £100, instead of paying £2000 to have it replaced when your transmission fails due to neglect. Sounds like a smart move to us!
7. Is Your fuel Cap Tightened?
Sounds simple doesn’t it? But you would be amazed at the damage that can be done. If your “Check Engine” light suddenly illuminates, this might be the simple fix. A loose fuel cap can interrupt the venting function in the fuel system.
8. Check Your Wiper Blades
Before any road trip or when rain is expected, check the condition of your windshield wiper blades. If they’re worn or cracked, replace them right away.
These simple tasks require very little effort and very little money but they could save you a lot of money in the future. If you still end up stranded on the side of the road, don’t worry as startrescue.co.uk will be there to rescue you!
Guest post by Luke Malcher - @lukemalcher
Breakdown Cover from 
