Easy DIY Auto Inspections (Part 1)

While breakdowns can be at best a great inconvenience the good news is with a little time spent doing some inspection and maintenance they can often be prevented. Most people just drive until something breaks then they want to curse at the car and call it a piece of junk ,the truth is it’s just […]

While breakdowns can be at best a great inconvenience the good news is with a little time spent doing some inspection and maintenance they can often be prevented.

Most people just drive until something breaks then they want to curse at the car and call it a piece of junk ,the truth is it’s just a machine and anything with moving parts invariably has wear involved.

The first step in doing some routine maintenance is familiarize yourself with the parts of your car that need attention regularly to keep everything rolling along smoothly.

If you bought your car new an owners manual should have accompanied the vehicle during purchase and most owners manuals have a routine maintenance guide in the book.

It’s always good to keep a record of the inspections and maintenance you have performed (or had done by someone else) and the mileage when the work was done.

Okay, let’s start with the basics and work our way into more technical areas. You may want to make a copy of this list to reference until you get used to doing these checks.

Simple outside checks to keep you aware of any problems before they become major

1. Visually check tires for wear,cuts, and low air pressure ( daily)

All can lead to tire failure and it’s better to have it repaired or replaced at your convenience than on the side of the road

2.     Check air pressure in tires with a gauge (weekly)

While visual inspection can give you an immediate determination of a problem, it’s impossible to see if the pressure is exactly what it should be for optimum performance. Low air pressure can cause premature wear, tire overheating and degraded fuel mileage and tire failure.

Don’t forget to check the air pressure in the spare tire occasionally. The only thing more disappointing than having a flat on the road is discovering the spare is flat too!!

3. Visually check for rust lines around lug nuts (daily) rust lines leading from the lug nuts on a wheel can indicate loose lug nuts and this can be a potential accident waiting to happen , not to mention a very costly repair should they strip or break off.

4.     Visual inspection of the back side of the tires (inboard) (monthly)

What you’re looking for here are signs of fluid or grease streaming to the outer edges of the tire or accumulating inside the rim.

This quick and easy inspection offers up some information to alert you of possible leaks in the brakes system and/or wheel seals that may be getting ready to fail.

5.     Turn on all the lights and do a visual check to insure that all are burning and visible

When doing this check don’t forget the high beams and turn indicators

6. Visually check windshield wiper blades and check the operation of them when inside

7. Visually check under car to make sure nothing is loose and/or hanging down i.e. exhaust, wires, mufflers. Also look for any fluids leaking.

8. Walk around and check for loose items on your car, antennas, mirrors, chrome or moulding.