Check your tyres, your pressures and fluid levels before leaving on Holiday

We are now half way through the summer holiday period but lots of people have still not gone on there annual holiday.

If you are heading off in your car/motorhome/caravan soon then a few basic checks before you set off could save you time and money in the long run.

Tyre pressures.

What was the last time you checked your tyre pressures, if like most of the population it would have been when the car was last serviced by the garage (that is if they did check them). Tyre pressures should really be checked every week. So get out your tyre pressure gauge and quickly check them. If you do not have one then any good car parts store should have a good range of gauges to choose from, you could also use the tyre inflator at your local garage but these can be unreliable as they are dropped and knocked about by other users. One thing to remember is that a fully loaded car will require the tyre pressures to be increased above the normal level, details should be either on the drivers door jam or on the back of the fuel filler cap, if they cannot be found in these 2 locations then the owners manual should have the information you require.

Correct tyre pressure also reduce your fuel consumption and reduce the risk of a blow out and puncture.

Also don't forget to check the pressure in your spare tyre, it no use having a spare if it is flat when you need it.

Tread depth

Tyre wear down as we use them, which means from time to time they have to be replaced. Check the depth of your tread, the legal minimum depth is 1.6mm but it is recommended that you consider changing your tyres when they get to 3mm. This is because from 3mm down the level of grip reduces dramatically. Also remember that the more tread depth you have on your tyres the easier it is for your tyre to displace the water on the road if you drive in the rain.

Tread wear.

As you are looking at the tread depth on your tyres also look at the tread pattern, are the tyre wearing evenly across the whole tyre or just on one edge? This could be indicating that the alignment on your car has gone out (may be by hitting a pot hole); this can increase the wear on your tyres and increase your fuel consumption.

Coolant

Low coolant levels can lead to your engine overheating. Cylinder heads can warp to engines can seize. A quick check (and fill up if needed) could save you from having to change your engine if the above happens.

Oil level.

Oil is the life blood of your engine; it keeps metal from rubbing on metal and also helps cool the engine down. Low oil level can lead to bearing failure and possible seizure. Also the more work the engine is having to do due to the lack of lubrication can increase your fuel consumption and reduce the life span of your engine.

Brake fluid

If you don't have brake fluid you won't have brakes. Need I say more?