Vehicle preps

[yorkshirewolf]

I have a three day course in rural Wales and because of the drive i thought i'd give the vehicle a check over, whilst doing it my wife came out and asked what i was doing, when i explained she said 'well you only had it serviced a couple of months ago' -not really prepper mentality!

For me a quick check and top up (if needed) of oil, coolant, washer fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and a check there was nothing amiss in the engine bay (turns out the fuse box lid was loose - soon rectified with a couple of cable ties) is just a 'done thing' before a decent journey? -Like checking, topping up and charging the battery before winter?

Is it the case that what i think of as basic vehicle maintenance checks have become so uncommon? and at what point does something cease becoming a normal expectation 'just something you do' (like having a wash or locking the door) and become a prep? -something you do as a preventative or preparatory measure?

Is there even a difference?

What does everyone think of as vehicle preps and are they 'just something you do?'

[Jamesey1981]

A lot of people don't even know how to do the basic checks, they've tacked a couple of questions relating to basic maintenance onto the driving test now, but I suspect that most people just immediately forget about it afterwards. People are lazy, the number of commercial vehicles and taxis I see with lights out every day worries me, these are professional drivers that make their living with their vehicles, if some of them can't be bothered to check them over then I have little hope for your average driver, especially as halfords ask if you want fitting when you buy a headlight bulb, I will admit that I paid a tenner to get them to fit a battery in my van once, but that was mainly so I didn't have to carry it out, that thing was HEAVY.
Think a lot of it is down to modern cars, my Grandad's generation had cars that needed constant checks and tinkering to keep them going, modern cars will run for ages with zero maintenance until something fails in a big way, so people don't realise the importance of basic maintenance until something goes wrong, and then it's always the fault of the car, not themselves.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Sadly car makers try and corner you for any job look at the Renault Megan with the impossible to change headlamp bulbs.. Most new car makers don't even supply a spare wheel now. ..


Its shocking walking about a car park and seeing the condition of many car tyres....

I check mine weekly oil and coolant and every 2 weeks on tyre pressures
Mine tells me if a bulb goes out

[Jamesey1981]

Sadly car makers try and corner you for any job look at the Renault Megan with the impossible to change headlamp bulbs.. Most new car makers don't even supply a spare wheel now. ..


Its shocking walking about a car park and seeing the condition of many car tyres....

I check mine weekly oil and coolant and every 2 weeks on tyre pressures
Mine tells me if a bulb goes out

You do have a point there.
I had a Mercedes A class for a while where you had to change the headlight bulbs by poking your arm through a little hatch inside the wheel arch, daft idea.
Then you have the Audi A2, you couldn't even see the engine, to access it you had to find two hidden catches that weren't mentioned in the owners manual and dealers were instructed not to tell you about and lift off the engine cover.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Sadly car makers try and corner you for any job look at the Renault Megan with the impossible to change headlamp bulbs.. Most new car makers don't even supply a spare wheel now. ..


Its shocking walking about a car park and seeing the condition of many car tyres....

I check mine weekly oil and coolant and every 2 weeks on tyre pressures
Mine tells me if a bulb goes out

You do have a point there.
I had a Mercedes A class for a while where you had to change the headlight bulbs by poking your arm through a little hatch inside the wheel arch, daft idea.
Then you have the Audi A2, you couldn't even see the engine, to access it you had to find two hidden catches that weren't mentioned in the owners manual and dealers were instructed not to tell you about and lift off the engine cover.

You should see how much / how many hours auto data gives for a clutch in a A class .. Many are scrapped at this point.......
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/o ... iew/26314/

[preparedsurrey]

I would say they are routine basic checks that I would do anyway, but thats how I was bought up. I agree about tyre condition the number I see that are down to the wire or have sidewall damage is shocking and that's just when walking about

[jansman]

One of my daughters has a Fiat 500. She took it to Halfords for a bulb change. Glad she did, as there is a knack to it, and only a slip of a girl with little hands was able to change it! The thing with modern cars and those 'routine' checks ( or lack thereof) is explained easily. Cars are modern. My Dad's cars were British built crap. They were crap when they were new!

Both my Wife's car and mine are new and newish, and don't need to be looked at between services. Anything is wrong, like a lightbulb, the car tells you. And that suits me as I hate cars, do not profess any mechanical expertise, so leave it to those who do.

[BadgerSE]

Besides the fact that checking your car before any journey is well worth it's weight in gold to make sure it's safe to drive and road legal, ultimately checking your car (especially before a long journey) is worth doing just because it's your life and others at stake if something goes wrong on the road!

Or what if you broke down on the road in the middle of nowhere and due to your investigation or the breakdown persons check it revealed that it was a minor issue that could have been sorted when a check before you set off might have prevented the break down in the first place. A simple once over before the journey might have saved you a lot of time.

Checking tyres, lights, fluids and general wear and tear should be routine in my option. Besides the fact if your tyres are nearly bald it's incredibly dangerous - Mr Traffic cop will slap you with a hefty fine for not being road worthy. Something a 5 minute check could have prevented before you set off. That's a no brainer for me. Modern cars are getting better on the reliability front these days, but nothing mechanical is fool proof yet!

Once a week should be suitable for a check, and for those who really can't be bothered to check then every month would be justifiable.

[preparedsurrey]

Both my Wife's car and mine are new and newish, and don't need to be looked at between services. Anything is wrong, like a lightbulb, the car tells you. And that suits me as I hate cars, do not profess any mechanical expertise, so leave it to those who do.

With respect that's a bit silly in my opinion, fluid or coolant leaks can develop at any time, engines start to use a little oil. Waiting until you get a warning light will usually be too late to avoid expensive damage. The same applies to tyre pressures and condition - the car may tell you if the pressure is low but it won't tell you if that last pothole took a big chunk out of the tyre wall or knocked the tracking out sufficiently for the tyres to begin to wear unevenly, a quickly weekly check would let you spot potential problems before they turn into bigger ones.

[Yorkshire Andy]

One of my daughters has a Fiat 500. She took it to Halfords for a bulb change. Glad she did, as there is a knack to it, and only a slip of a girl with little hands was able to change it!

I've done headlamps indicator and day running lights on a 500 even with my shovel hands I had no issue unlike my puntio unscrewing the rusted blobs that were once a sxrew in the arch liner...