Maintaining your vehicle

Maintaining your vehicle keeps you safe on the roads, saves fuel and protects the environment.

The best method of knowing about your vehicle is by going through the owner's manual which provides complete information about your vehicle. You need to inspect your vehicle on daily, weekly or at intervals specified in the manual.

Know how cars work

Follow these maintenance tips to keep your vehicle fit and safe.

Daily or weekly checks
Regular service
Tires

Daily or weekly checks

• Keep your vehicle clean from inside and outside.
• Check tire pressure. Proper tire pressure means better mileage and safer driving. Check tires for damage or wear.
• Check the working of all the lights.
• Check that windshield wipers are properly attached to wiper blades. If your wiper blades leave streaks on the window, replace them.
• Check the oil, coolant/water in the radiator, windshield washer fluid, brake fluid and battery fluid when the engine is cold.

Regular service

• Change oil
• Change air and oil filters
• Change transmission fluid
• Change axle differential oil
• Check drive and axle shafts
• Check steering, brake and clutch reservoirs
• Check cooling system levels
• Check brake system
• Check front suspension, including alignment and condition of ball joints, steering rods, shock absorbers and springs
• Check engine adjustments - valve clearances, ignition timing, distributor and spark plugs
• Check carburettor or fuel injection system and air filter element
• Check headlight aim.

Winter maintenance

A well-maintained vehicle will generally start in all weather conditions. However, whenever possible, shelter your vehicle from rain when it is parked because even the best maintained vehicle can’t run if the engine is soaked.
Cold weather puts extra strain on the vehicle’s systems. With lights, heater and defroster working at once, batteries do not get a good charge at idle speed. Have your battery checked and terminals cleaned at least twice during the winter.

Faulty exhaust systems are especially dangerous in the winter when drivers are more likely to drive with windows and vents closed. Have your exhaust checked if it sounds noisy or rattles.

Tyres

The condition of the tyres is very important for your safety while driving, especially on highways. Keep these points in mind when you buy or replace tires, and check your vehicle owner's manual or the tire manufacturer's guide for recommendations.

• Rotate tires regularly; and practise good driving habits.
• Replace tires when the tread is less than 1.5 millimetres deep or when tread wear indicators touch the road.
• Replace tires with bumps, bulges, knots, exposed cords, or tread and sidewall cuts deep enough to expose cords.
• Any tire on a vehicle must not be smaller than the vehicle manufacturer’s specified minimum size or largeer so that it doesn't touch the vehicle or affects its safe operation.
• Use similar tires on all four wheels.
• The pressure of the spare tire should be the same as the pressure of the tires that are in use so that if has to be used, it doesn't cause imbalance.