Buff Up Your Car Ready For Summer

The internet is full of information telling you how to prepare your car for winter, but there seems to be a shortfall of information about preparing your car ready for summer. Looking forward to making the most of your car this summer? Collected beneath are some tips to get your car summer ready!

Tyres: This is the single most important aspect of your vehicle, tyres have a huge impact on both the performance and safety of your car. Regularly check your tyre pressure, especially to ensure they are not underinflated, and modify accordingly. Also check the side of the wheels for bubbles and dents, if either of these are present then replace the tyre.

Brakes: Brakes often take a beating during the cold winter months. This is due to the extreme thermal cycling which occurs. Namely, massive temperature changes resulting from the warm brake pads meeting cold, frozen water and deep puddles. It is advisable to remove your tyres and check the brake pads for significant signs of wear or cracking. If you suspect this is the case, or do not feel comfortable doing this, then seek professional help.

Oil: Pull the dipstick out of the car, in order to check both the colour and level of the oil. If the oil is a clean shade of amber and meets the fill mark then all is well. However if the level is too low, or the colour is black then empty it and change it as soon as possible. Again if you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, seek professional help.

Ensure The Coolant Is Cool: Inspect both the coolant level and also the coolant mix. For the best results you should change your coolant at least once a year. The overflow or radiator tank should be full. If you are unsure how to test the coolant mix, a coolant tester can be obtained from most car garages and part shops, this test will inform you as to whether the water to coolant ration is correct, and whether it needs adjusting for optimum performance.

Check The Battery: The battery contained in modern cars consists of lead plates which are suspended in a water-diluted acid bath. You should check your battery level regularly, to ensure that the liquid level is topped up and to ensure there is no leakage or discharge on the battery’s top. If you have a traditional battery, you should top it up using only distilled water.