Use these maintenance tips for keeping your car in top condition:
Check engine oil. With the car on level ground and the engine warm (but not running), use the dipstick to check that the oil level is between the two marks and top up if needed.
Check coolant level. It must be between the high and low marks. If your car doesn’t have a reservoir, with the engine cool, check the level in the radiator after opening the cap. If it’s more than 25mm below the neck of the cap, top up. Some older cars may just require water.
Check wiring and hoses. Look for frayed, loose or disconnected wiring. Get a mechanic to check all hoses and pipes too. Ask him to replace any that are too soft, kinked, swollen or cracked.
Other fluids. Contact the service centre and have power steering, brake and clutch fluid levels topped up.
Tyres. Check and adjust tyre pressure when tyres are cold. You’ll find your car’s correct tyre pressure in the owner’s manual.
Lights. Make sure all lights work: high beam, stop, indicator and reverse.
- National Roads and Motorists’ Association, Australia
SMS: Unsafe While Driving!
Texting (or writing cellphone SMS messages) while driving impairs motorists more than being under the influence of drink or drugs, says a recent study carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) for the Royal Automobile Club Foundation in England, where nearly 50% of motorists aged between 18 and 24 sent such messages while driving. The study states that the average reaction times slowed by 35% when 17- to 24-year-olds drove in a simulator while writing or reading texts. They also drifted out of lanes more and had poorer steering control. The TRL study was done after a poll of 3000 drivers on the social networking site Facebook earlier this year.
The BBC quoted Dr Nick Reed, senior human factors researcher at TRL: “When texting, drivers are distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone, by trying to read small text on the phone display and by thinking about how to write their message. This combination of factors resulted in the impairments to reaction time and vehicle control that place the driver at a greater risk than having consumed alcohol to the legal limit for driving.”
Car Checks
