A little Auto love n care

I was invited to take part in the campaign A little Auto love n care by Fife Autocentre. I blogged about my car before, my day-trip essentials, the importance of having the right tyres. This time I’m going to talk about car love. The car we currently own is our 3rd car. We got our first one 10 years ago.

I am smitten with having a car, I rarely use public transport. I went a couple of times with the train in London and once with the coach and it was tiring and actually more expensive than driving. Around Liverpool and Manchester we always use the car and this means we need the car to be reliable. The last thing we want is to get stuck on the side of the road with a broken car. While this might happen no matter how good we are taking care of the car, it’s still pretty important to show it a bit of Auto love.

I thought about it and these are my 5 tips for car maintenance:

1. Tyres. It’s so important to have the right tyres. Check them regularly, check the tyre pressure and the tyre tread. If you need new ones, there are plenty of options available. You can order tyres in Dundee online on Fife Autocentre website. My husband and I always pick good quality tyres, at the moment we have Pirelli, even though they are more expensive, they last longer, consume less fuel, are better on wet and are quiter.

2. Whippers. Make sure the whippers are doing their job of cleaning the windscreen. Used whippers aren’t as efficient as the change in temperature, in time, affects the rubber. Have a look and change them if is needed. You don’t even need to go to the service for this, it’s an easy job to do. Also, check you have enough washer fluid, so you don’t run out when is muddy and you really need it.

3. Change the oil and filters. I think it’s better to change them before the recommended time passes. For our car, is recommended every 5,000 miles. Some suggest is better to change them at 3,000 miles. Because we tow the caravan, we should change it closer to the 3,000 miles mark. It doesn’t take long to do it. It’s true that is a hassle and it’s an expense, but is surely better than having problems with the engine afterwards. From time to time, check the oil level and top up with oil if is needed.

4. Don’t let it run dry on fuel. This is another thing that can cause issues in the long term. Fuel can have impurities and if the car runs on low fuel, those impurities can get into the engine. So, make sure you have plenty of fuel. I know we don’t always make sure we have enough fuel and it happened to run out of fuel exactly when we’ve entered the petrol station, but make it a goal to refuel even if you still have £15 worth of fuel in the car.

5. Check the lights. It is obvious that you need good lights, is mainly a matter of safety. As with the tyres, I would suggest buying a good quality brand as they will last longer. You might not realize you have a problem, especially if you are mostly driving in a well lit city. Before leaving for a longer drive, especially if it means leaving the city and going on country roads, check the lights. It takes only a minute to do it. Also, is not difficult to change the lights, so make sure they are working.

I hope you found my tips for A little Auto love n care campaign helpful.

* Post in collaboration. All opinions are my own.