Happy New Year from the Redex team!
January may have arrived, but there’s still time to commit to a set of resolutions that will guide you through the rest of the year. While some people promise to lose weight, quit smoking or curb their drinking in 2017,
we think one of the best New Year’s resolutions is the promise to take better care of your car.
So if you love your car, here are 10 car care resolutions that’ll help it stay in great condition
throughout 2017 and beyond.
1. Change the oil every 5,000 miles to give it a proper health kick
If you’re planning a New Year’s health kick yourself, why not do the same for your car? When it comes to the health of your car’s engine, nothing is more important than motor oil. After covering a few thousand miles, the oil will be dirty and full of contaminants which can cause wear. We’d recommend changing it every six months or every 5,000 miles to keep it in healthy condition all year round.
2. Check the pressure and condition of your tyres every fortnight
If you can remember to step on the scales as part of a January keep-fit regime, you can check the pressure and condition of your tyres every once a fortnight, too. By checking your tyres regularly you’ll avoid premature wear and tear, and could even prevent a flat-tyre, puncture or, in more serious cases, an accident. If you aren’t sure how to check the condition of your tyres, TyreSafe.org have a brilliant guide on how to do just that.
3. Give your brakes a New Year’s detox
After mountains of festive food and drink, you’re bound to feel a little ropey when the New Year comes around. January is a great time to give you and your car a proper health check, and where better to start than the brakes?
A car’s braking system is incredibly complex, with a number of parts that can cause issues if not correctly maintained — from the fluid to the pads. That’s why it’s important to have the brake system inspected on a regular basis, particularly after winter when the brakes may have been used a lot in wintry conditions. Unless you’re confident with cars, we’d recommend taking your vehicle to a professional mechanic to have the brakes inspected.
4. Stick to the service schedule like a good diet plan
While sticking to a New Year’s diet plan might be a bit of a challenge, following your car’s service schedule doesn’t have to be. This year, why not pledge to keep on top of your car’s servicing plan? Doing so will help you avoid unexpected repair bills and breakdowns. Not only that, if you ever decided to sell your car, potential buyers will want to see that the car has been properly maintained and serviced in the vehicle’s logbook. If you neglect to have the car serviced regularly, this could impact the price you’ll get for it when it comes to selling it on or trading it in.
5. Keep on top of your car’s fluids
Ditching the booze for Dry January? Good for you. But while it might be OK for you to cut back on the drink, your car still needs all the fluids it can get — from coolant/antifreeze and engine oil, to brake and transmission fluid. If any of these liquids start leaking from your car, a fault or breakdown will surely follow. While transmission and brake fluid leaks are very unlikely, you should check the coolant/antifreeze level at least once a month to make sure it’s between the min and max mark in the reservoir tank.
6. Test your battery before and after winter
Feeling rundown and tired in the wake of Christmas? Chances are, your car’s probably feeling the same way too. The cold temperatures of winter can have a negative impact on some car batteries, leading to a significant drop in power output. If your car’s battery is over five years old, we’d recommend checking its charge before, during and after winter. You can do this yourself using a charge-checking device, or by taking it to a professional mechanic. If the battery is down on power, give it a charge using a battery charger or consider replacing the battery.
7. Keep it clean from January to December
Amid all the late night runs and trips to the gym, it can be tough to find the energy to go out and clean the car in January. If you neglect to clean it on a regular basis, however, salt and other harmful deposits can degrade the paintwork — leading to the onset of rust. In the New Year, remember to give your car a good wash at least once a month; you could take it to the carwash if you can’t be bothered to do it on the driveway.
8. Get minor problems sorted before they get bigger
We’re all guilty of driving with a minor fault from time to time — be it a weird creak, warning light or strange smell. But while your car may be driving OK for the time being, that small problem will likely become a much bigger one as time goes on and the miles rack up. In 2016, aim to get all those niggling issues sorted before they become much bigger and more expensive ones.
9. Drive safely and economically
To keep your car in optimum condition from Jan to Dec, it pays to steady up and drive more economically. By obeying speed limits you’ll not only save fuel, but will also avoid unnecessary damage from potholes and other faults in the road. The faster and more aggressively you drive, the more strain you’ll place on your car — something which could lead to premature wear and tear.
10. Use Redex fuel additives
Just like how a healthy diet and keep fit regime can help your body stay in tip top condition; Redex fuel additives are designed to reduce your car’s emissions and help your engine run more efficiently — helping to extend its longevity and improve its lifespan. By regularly adding a shot of petrol or diesel fuel system cleaner to your fuel tank, you’ll get more miles from a single tank of fuel and save money each time you visit the pumps.
For more information about our range of fuel additives, visit the Redex website.
Images sourced via Fotolia.