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I know it sounds stupid, but I keep reading stuff and seeing people stuck at the side of the road freezing to death. So I thought I would drop a quick note.

Weekly / long distance / Checks
Check there is some oil in the engine, above the min and below the max.
Kick the tyres to see if they are as hard as normal, if not top up.
Check that there is nothing poking out the rubber.
Check there is some screen wash, and that it has blue stuff in it.
Check there is some pink coolant in it, check the level
Check there is some brake fluid.
Check for anything that doesn't look right.
visually check belts to check for fraying.
Take the oil cap off and check it for excessive sludge.

If you want to check levels, you can just rock the car gently as you lean on it.

I don't want to insult anyones intellegence but by checking these things *before* a problem develops, will save you money, save your engine, and could very well save your life.

My girlfriend doesn't know anything about engines, but I pointed out these things, and she keeps an eye on them. You won't get mucky, and it will not ruin your hairstyle. But if you breakdown because of somthing stupid, it WILL riun your day.

PS- take a jacket with you so you don't freeze if your car breaks down - or in the case of a FW - 'fails to proceed.'

dont forget check your lights

I find best to check your lights when driving past a window or reversing, you can see them reflect.

That's all very true

I never really have any problems with my car because I keep it maintained

The state some people let their cars get into is shocking, there is no excuse for driving with bald tyres and no brake lights

JWC wrote:I know it sounds stupid, but I keep reading stuff and seeing people stuck at the side of the road freezing to death. So I thought I would drop a quick note.

Weekly / long distance / Checks
Check there is some oil in the engine, above the min and below the max.
Kick the tyres to see if they are as hard as normal, if not top up.
Check that there is nothing poking out the rubber.
Check there is some screen wash, and that it has blue stuff in it.
Check there is some pink coolant in it, check the level
Check there is some brake fluid.
Check for anything that doesn't look right.
visually check belts to check for fraying.
Take the oil cap off and check it for excessive sludge.

If you want to check levels, you can just rock the car gently as you lean on it.

I don't want to insult anyones intellegence but by checking these things *before* a problem develops, will save you money, save your engine, and could very well save your life.

My girlfriend doesn't know anything about engines, but I pointed out these things, and she keeps an eye on them. You won't get mucky, and it will not ruin your hairstyle. But if you breakdown because of somthing stupid, it WILL riun your day.

Worth mentioning that you do all this with the engine turned off and cold.

yeah, plenty of time to check it while the missus gets ready.

-Geez I got almost enough time to rebuild the gearbox.

Seriously, you should be checking the fluid levels, with the engine off, and cool, and on a flat surface. If the car is tilting backwards, the oil will read low, the water will read low.

At the end if the day. Know your car, you soon spot when somethin aint right.