we Come from a long time ago warning of how a time to this part has been increasing the disaffection of the drivers by their cars. And much we fear that this trend is going to grow, gradually, with the incorporation of the new generations. We’re not going to hide that we feel sorry for the fact that fewer drivers feel a real passion, and devotion, for your car. And as much as we strive to convey that sense, I’m very much afraid that we’re hardly going to get to reverse the situation. But yes we are going to launch our fierce criticism of the tendency, increasingly, to think that a car is a simple electrical appliance, like a washing machine, which is used over and over again until it spoils, and then is changed or repaired by a technician. All driver – and I repeat – every driver should know about these 5 work minimum of maintenance to avoid problems in the long run can translate into major breakdowns, your car, or to solve them. And we do not talk about work extraordinarily complex, but simple tasks that anyone can perform without much knowledge of mechanics.
1. Check the engine oil level.
Review the level of the oil only takes a couple of minutes, and can save you a lot of headaches.
To make sure that our car is working properly, and above all to avoid problems or incidents in a trip, it is very advisable to periodically review the levels of the lubricant in our engine, especially if our car is old or is in shooting. Often with respect to maintenance periods is not sufficient, and by different causes, or even small leaks in the circuit, our car can consume, or suffer loss of oil that we are obliged to fill in between periods of maintenance.
Is a maintenance task basic, that everyone should know. The intervals at which you should perform will always be approximate, and will depend on a lot of the oil consumption of your car. It is advisable that you schedule this task and others, as a function of time (for example, once a month or every two months) and the mileage you walk. It is also a good idea to check the oil level before starting a long trip.
How do you check the oil? Is as simple as find the dipstick, remove it, and check that the oil level is between the two notches that indicate in the rod the maximum and the minimum recommended levels of lubricant. Simply remove the rod, clean with a damp cloth that does not leave remains on the rod, the enter, you’ll extract and you make sure that the levels of lubricant are correct. In any case, it is recommended that the oil levels exceed the maximum volume recommended. The rod is simple to identify, as they are usually located next to the engine and has a plug with a ring in a bold color, often yellow. In any case the book of instructions of the vehicle always has to indicate its position. The level of oil you’ve always check it cold and with the vehicle stationary in a horizontal position.
2. Check the tire pressure.
Review the pressure will lengthen the life of your tyres and make your car more secure.
The maintenance of a correct pressure in the tires is crucial to maximize its useful life, and above all to avoid serious problems that compromise our security, such as loss of stability, to lengthen the braking distance, or even an elevated risk of blowout or desllantado. The revision of the pressure of the tires is a task that should not only know how to do all the drivers, but that should also be done regularly. A study from 2014 revealed that half of the cars inspected flowed with a pressure excessively low in your tires.
How to check the tire pressure? Review the pressure is extremely simple (see how to check the tire pressure) and it will not take more than 5 minutes. You can take advantage of the time you go to a service station to refuel to check the pressure and adjust it if necessary. Although in the last few years have been imposed on the gauges that require you to pay to adjust the pressures, there are still many service stations in the that is still free. It is advisable to have a service station usual to perform this task, especially to avoid problems such as that in a gas station given your gauges may not work correctly (sometimes it happens). Also you have to remember that the pressure should be checked cold. That is to say, check it out after they have travelled a few miles (from home to the service station) and not after a long trip.
The recommended pressure for the tires of your car you will find in the book of instructions and/or on a sticker usually found in the profile of the door and the sill…
3. Change a wheel.
If your car has spare wheel learn how to change a wheel will save you many headaches, and wait for the roadside assistance, if you click a tire.
Theoretically all drivers should know how to change a tire. Theoretically… A survey of Goodyear in 2012 found that only a quarter of young drivers europeans knew how to change a wheel. Many drivers refer to the service of road assistance to resolve this problem, when in reality it is a simple task, that even if it is just for precaution all drivers should know how to perform (you never know when you’re going to find with a puncture in the car).
it is Also important to know the tires of our car and the solution employed to address this emergency. The driver of a car fitted with run flat tyres there is no need to change a wheel. Drivers of cars with a spare wheel have to know how to perform this maneuver and also make sure that the spare tire has the proper pressure for your use, also something that we monitor regularly and that are generally neglected. We must also be aware that the wheels temporary spare, known colloquially as “biscuits”, also have a terms of use very limited, both in speed, such as distance to travel to fix the punctured tire.
How do I change a wheel? Our advice is always to practice the manoeuvre to avoid us with surprises when we find ourselves with a flat tire. It is important to learn how to place the cat (it has to be situated in a position very concrete of the low of your car, which is usually indicated with a notch in the very low and in the instruction manual of the car). It is also important to learn to manage the wrench to loosen and tighten the nuts, and use a technique as basic as the loosen and tighten in a cross, starting with a nut and following that is located right in its diagonal.
4. Change the windshield wiper blades.
The first safety feature of your car is the one that stands between your eyes, in the passenger compartment, and the outside. A windshield clean is a guarantee of safety. And a windshield wiper broken does not clean well and may cause damage to your windshield.
it Is easy to identify a squeegee in a poor state, it is enough to check that the cleaning of the bezel is uneven, or even that hisses when it starts to rain and activate the wipers. Never you should let it come up to that situation, since the proper cleaning of the windshield is a critical issue for your safety, and a wiper blade in poor condition can cause scratches on the windshield. It is especially advisable to check that the wiper blades are in good condition before the arrival of the autumn, by increasing the precipitation and by the fact that the heat and exposure to sunlight this summer may have degraded these brushes.
How do I change the brushes? There are different systems of windshield wipers, and with each one of them tends to slightly change the connection of the wiper blade with the arm that swings on your windshield. Usually these brushes are connected to the arm through a clip very easy. With a few exceptions, it is usually not difficult to find brushes that are compatible with our car, not only in the official repair shop of the brand, but also in hypermarkets or shops specific accessories and spare parts for cars.
5. Changing a light bulb.
Well-known to the lighting technology of your car and if you still can replace the lamps in the headlights or rear headlights learn how to change them to avoid problems.
Although this task has been rendered obsolete with the arrival of the headlights for Xenon, LED headlamps, and LEDS, as a minimum we should know the particular technology that employs the iluminaci��n of our car and to check their proper operation regularly. To verify the headlights just ask for someone to help us and go by connecting the lighting position, short-and long-range, antinieblas, brake light and reverse gear, to make sure that there is no problem. For its technology, both headlights-Xenon as the headlights and the LEDS, should not be so prone to a problem such as an incandescent lamp, a light bulb, which with time, use, or oscillations in the current intensity, can melt. And you never know when you can melt a lighthouse, with which it is advisable to know how to replace the bulbs and even be cautious, and check that they all work properly before starting a long trip, especially if we travel at night or in adverse weather conditions.
How do I change the bulbs? In the headlights modern we’ve reached a point in that any fault in the lighting system requires passing through the workshop. Even on older cars that still retain incandescent lighting, the task to disassemble a headlight to change a bulb has been complicated hugely by the fact that for reasons of safety and space-saving, or even design, the use of anchoring systems that are definitely not so simple as those employed by the cars of yesteryear. If your car uses incandescent lamps, in the manual of instructions you will find a guide on how to disassemble the headlight and replace the bulbs.