How Often Do You Check Your Car Before Starting A Journey

[james_60]

Hi Folks

How Often Do You Check Your Car Before Starting A Journey

Basic Checks Are Often Being Forgotten Due To Being Late Or Being In A Rush Etc Etc

Suprisingly They Only Take A Few Minutes But Could Save:- Someones Life, A Fixed Penalty Fine/Court Appearance/Lost Licence

1. Always Check The oil Level

It Is Suprising How Often We Forget This One Despite It Being A Vital Engine Fluid.

Usualy If Your oil Is On The Minimum Level It Takes One (1) Litre To Top It Back Up To The Max Mark.

When Your oil Level Starts Getting Lower Than This Vital Components In The Cars Engine Can Start To Overheat Or Rub Together And Cause Wear At A Greater Rate Than Acceptable. A Litre Of Oil Can Cost Between £3-20 A New Engine Anything Up To £5000

2. bulbs

A Failure Of Just One Main Bulb Can Cause An Accident. Failed Indicators/Brake Lights/HeadLights Can Confuse Other Road Users, Fail To Warn Other Drivers, A Good Quality Bulb Can Be Bought From £1 Right up to £20 Always Change Them In Pairs Because If One Has Failed The Other Is Likely To Pop Pretty Soon, A Bulb Failure Can Attract A Fixed Penalty Fine and Points Right Up To Loss Of Your Licence If You Knock Someone Down Through Not Being Able To See The Person/s

3 Tyres

These Often Get Overlooked To The Extent That They Never Get Inflated Between Services (I have Seen This Myself Through Working At A Garage) Low Tyre Pressures Can Cause :- Increased Wear/Longer Stopping Distances/Higher Fuel Consumption

Always Check The Tyre Pressure At Least Once A Month Or When Refueling. It Could Save You Hundreds.

And Always Check Your Tread Depth 1.6MM Is The Legal Limit over 3/4 of the tread, Insist On Changing Tyres when they reach 2mm if you travel Long Distances.

Worn Tyres Can Also Cause Greater Stopping Distances/They Can Cause You To Slip Easier Due to Less Tread And Your Are At A Greater Risk Of An Accident With Worn/Bald Tyres Plus You Will Attract a Fixed penalty fine and Points On your Licence or Worse Still An Accident.

The Amount of cars that I have seen with one bulb blown is shocking !!!

Jamie

[jimrex]

Have to say, I am quite guilty of neglecting the basics, tyre pressures is my worst! I once checked them having owned the car for a year and a half and never checking them, to find one of the rears on 13PSI... the recommended pressure is 30!!

Definitely worth a quick check once a week along with all the fluid levels.

[Preee]

Guilty !.

It start's woohoo, then Drive :)

[james_60]

please rate my topic where it says Like This If you find it useful :-)

Woohoo then drive :-) Good Job We are not playing the sims haha or woohoo means something else haha

13psi lol Didn't you feel that when going on a roundabout or when carrying rear passengers :-)

Jamie

[johnH]

i normally do a full check every week to make sure everything is working and all fluids are good.

If im going on a long journey i check before that and top up fluids and tyres up.

Mind you im pretty OCD, from being in RAF and a bus driver....if a bulb blows, i will get it sorted as soon as possible...Hate being in a car with a blown bulb...makes it look like you dont look after it and hence gets the attention of the law and agencies and other cranks on the road.

EDIT: i do tell a lie, my only thing is not washing the car or hoovering...dont see the point in winter or when there is loads of salt on the roads...where you wash it and after 2 mins it is covered again.

[gforce]

Think on an advanced driving course a couple of years back the 'instructor' used the acronym P.O.W.E.R. - Petrol, oil, Water, Electrics, Rubber.

Must admit, I wouldn't do it EVERY time I get into the car, but do check my oil and water levels every now and again, and would obviously keep a close eye on the others, fuel, electrics/bulbs and my tread depth and tyre pressures.

[stef123]

I check most things on both cars every couple of weeks (she does check her own most weeks), although I don't always bother with checking the oil on the mondeo to be honest - never moved from the max mark in the 2 years I've had it and its serviced every 6k miles although the last service was after 2k!

bulbs I check when washing the car usually, although as I do alot of night driving a blown headlight bulb is usually quite obvious.

The only thing I really like checking is the brakes, lights, tyres and fluids on the bike every time I have it out. Usually when I get the bike out I will start it up the garden, check it over and go get ready to go out..

[Stoney871]

Work car is checked before every shift.

Tyres for wear/pressure/damage, water, oil, fuel levels and lights.

Own car is checked weekly for oil and water but tyres and lights daily.

One thing many people omit is washer fluid, it's actually a offence to drive a car with an empty wash bottle.

Another one forgotten is the horn, also an offence.

[Stoney871]

Further to this- how many check that their number plates are clean and fully visible and that their lights are also clean?

[stef123]

Further to this- how many check that their number plates are clean and fully visible and that their lights are also clean?

That's another one that winds me up! Those who think they can drove around with their plates totally obscured with dirt!

[artscot79]

once a week for everything except oil like steff i never use any besides the engine bays that clean ide see a squashed midgie on it lol though like has been said i regularly see those with only headlight working and main beam on or drls on with headlights on and !Removed! fogs on

[b4zz]

i have always checked my fluides very week but dont check the tyre preshers reguarley

[james_60]

Kool Replies

Imagine Not checking your tyres for a week and one of them has a cut or bulge and it exploded on a journey,

Would that make you check them more often

Jamie

[IINexusII]

Really hate it when people drive with blown dipped beams. especially on the motorway on the fast lane!

[vince_13]

too true nexus, i dont understand how people "don't notice" clearly 1 light isn't working its not rocket science haha

as i drive 250+miles a week i usually do all my checks on Sunday, very rarely ill check oil, ill rely on the light for that, also with doing alot of motorway driving i also make sure i have enough petrol because i was once told its an offence to run out of fuel on a motorway (maybe someone can clear that for me)

with regards to tyres, before i set off anywhere i usually walk the opposite way round the car to the drivers door and do a visual check on the tyres (not flat as a pancake)

[Stoney871]

It is classed as an offence but is very rarely prosecuted apart from by very over-zealous traffic officers.

It's basically one of those little laws that sit around gathering dust.

[Fastfordman]

That's another one that winds me up! Those who think they can drove around with their plates totally obscured with dirt!

I've had to clean my plates and lights every other day this week. I have always been of the opinion if you make sure your car looks like you've looked after it the police will pull someone else who stands out with mucky plates etc. Not that I'd do anything wrong anyway,but why make myself an obvious choice to stop and check.

I am forever telling our drivers at work to clean the lorry lights/plates and they only moan but it will be mucky again soon.

[Stoney871]

If I see a vehicle with filthy plates then I will pull them, makes me curious as to why the plate is left so dirty.

We have ANPR on our cars and at various places around Plymouth, plus average/gatso speed cameras plus bus lane/red light ones too.

As far as I'm concerned they may be trying to avoid them.

[Alexm]

I do a check over every day, being a HGV driver makes sure of that. Although my main concern is tyres

Keeping records recently attributed to me winning a case in court, a top barrister grilled the crap out of me, accusing me of having a faulty works vehicle or driving like an idiot, when his client (who was uninsured) rear ended me whilst I was stationary at traffic lights ! It soon shot him down when I said I have records of daily vehicle checks and when asked how I do the brake lights, used shop window reflections!

[johnH]

Ive not washed my car for the past 3 month or so, covered in salt....the plates and lights are still very visible mind.

We are quite lucky up my way darlington police and durham dont believe in speed or red light cameras, though they have anpr everywhere to catch the avoiders of paying certain things. Another good thing is they pull random cars and set up check points to cath drunk drivers.

Ive been in one of these checkpoints and soon as i showed them my licence and said i just finished work driving buses they let me go without blowing into the tester. Must have been something to do with still wearing the uniform.

Anyways btt my major gripe is blown bulbs people on the a1(m) with a head light missing or as ive seen recently a lorry with no rear lights and no rear markers!!!

[James ADI]

I'm lucky as an instructor I get my students to do tyres and lights, opening the bonnet is part of the test so they check the levels (not oil as too hot) as well.

Good to get in the habit of doing a visual check on the rubber each time you approach your car as you have the oppotunity of sorting out the flat while still in your driveway.

[jeebowhite]

Im not very good at checking before every journey, I keep a regular eye on them (once a week or so) but a lot I do every other week, or even once a month. bulbs are my most regular check, I keep spares in the car, but replaced them all with LED's so that shouldnt be a problem now!

As for the tyres, I keep an eye on the pressure mainly by sight to tell me if I need to check with a device. Its never failed me yet and when I check I tend to have lost two or three PSI.

oil level, I check the floor around my car now and then, if there is any gunk on the floor or under the hood, I check, but I have yet to run on less than half the dipstick markings :)

Most of checking your car is common sense. I know the police do as a matter of course check thoroughly before every drive, however I dont think its necessary for your everyday driver to do the same.

[Stoney871]

I have to check mine, make sure it's clean and fuelled up and then sign off on it as fit for duty.

Luckily only I drive my wagon so no nasty surprises ever await me. (rotten cans of meat paste under seats or such goodies left by some other nice officers used to be the standard jape in shared vehicles)

[Alexm]

Suprising how there's bad apples in every game though, I've seen some one-eyed vans and filthy focus policr cars in Hampshire

[Stoney871]

It's all about pride in appearance.

My work car is washed off defore every duty and any crap dug out.

Can't stand a manky wagon.

Fair enough it smells of musty dogs and farts but nobodys perfect :d