5 Essential Skills Every Car Owner Should Know
If you’re a car
owner, there are some essential skills you should know, many of which are
surprisingly not covered when we learn to drive. Whether you’re a new driver or
you want to brush up on your skills, here’s a list of 5 skills you should know
if you own a car.
1.
Changing
a tyre
If you find
yourself with a flat tyre, knowing how to change it is practical and useful
information when you’re stranded on the side of the road. You can find the ins
and outs of how to change a tyre in our previous blog post.
2.
Breakdown procedure
Pull into the hard shoulder, if you’re on the motorway, with your tyres
facing the left.
Turn on your hazard lights and your side lights if it’s foggy or dark.
Exit the car through the left side doors, this also applies to your passengers, then
move up the bank or behind the barrier.
Call for emergency breakdown services.
If you don’t have a phone, follow the arrows on your side of the
carriageway; they’ll lead to an emergency phone that connects to the police.
3.
Replacing
wiper blades
Remove the wiper by raising the wiper arm from the screen
then remove the wiper blade by pressing the locking tabs inwards.
Get the new wiper blade ready from the packet and check it’s the right
way up.
Replace the wiper blade but keep hold of the wiper arm. When it’s in
place it should slot in and you should hear a click.
Lower the wiper arm at the base of the windscreen and check
it’s been changed correctly.
4.
Checking
Transmission Fluid
Your driving
instructor may have shown you how to check your oil, but perhaps not your
transmission fluid.
Automatic transmission fluid:
Check your owner’s manual for the type of
transmission fluid you need; they can vary from car to car.
Pull out the dipstick while the gearshift is in Neutral or Park
with the handbrake on and let the engine run. Make sure the engine is warm.
Check the fluid by dipping the tip of your index finger
into the fluid on the dipstick. Rub it between your fingers, it should be
pinkish or almost clear. If it looks or smells burnt or contains particles a
mechanic will need to drain the fluid.
Top up the transmission fluid
in the dipstick by using a
funnel so it reaches the ‘full’ line but don’t overfill it.
You can read up on how to change your manual fluid here.
5.
Cooling
an overheated engine
If
your engine is overheating,
shut off the air conditioning and open the windows.
If it persists, turn on the heater, because it transfers heat
from the engine to the passenger compartment.
If you’re in traffic, shift to Neutral or Park (if an automatic),
then rev the engine a little. In crawling traffic, only move up a gear when
there’s a significant gap between you and the vehicle ahead.
In more extreme cases, pull up safely on the roadside and open the
hood. Don’t open the radiator cap, and only add water when the engine has
cooled down.
We hope we have learned some new skills, from reading this, but if your have any more questions about your car then please feel free to get in touch with the experts here at Express Service. You could also book a service with us, to reduce the likelihood of needing to use these skills!
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Published: 11/07/2016
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