If you are anything like me and get tired of sitting in the house, it could be the time for a short road trip. I mean, I have to be home to get the boys off of the bus so it isn’t like I can travel very far. However, before you take an hour or more trip away from the house, sometimes it’s best to do a quick routine car safety check. This car safety check is something you can do by yourself and pretty quickly so you can get on the road.
- Checking your car’s engine oil is one of the simplest and most important maintenance activities. It is very simple to do and can save tons of money on repairs down the road. To check the oil, locate the dipstick. Pull the stick out and wipe the oil residue off the end. Replace the stick and pull it out again; this time look at the end of the stick that was in the engine. You want the oil to be on the full line.
- Checking the transmission fluid is just as simple as checking the oil. Look for the dipstick labeled “transmission.” Repeat the same steps as checking the oil. You are also looking for the transmission fluid to be smooth and clean with no metal flakes.
- Do a visual check of the battery terminals. You are looking for clean terminals with no corrosion buildup.
- Check all your lighting functions. This will let you know if one of your lights are burned out. This actually should be done more often as lights tend to go out.
- Check your tire pressure. Luckily most cars now have sensors to tell you if your tires are low but you’ll still want to look them over and make sure nothing is stuck poking into one.
- Make sure there is water in the radiator. This is important since the radiator keeps the engine cool.
- Check the air filter. The cleaner the air filter, the more air that flows into your car’s engine, which in return gives you better gas mileage.