Maintenance

Maintenance is a subject that many drivers, particularly Learners are rather confused about! It doesn’t really matter that you own a car that is fresh out of the factory or one that is ten or more years old…they all need looking after. Preventative maintenance may one day save your life or that of someone else!

 At the very least a good regular programme will keep your car in a pristine, safe and drivable condition long after your neighbours car has gone to the Great  Crusher in the Sky. So time spent on maintenance will save you heaps of money over time and much less inconvenience.

 Cars never break down when it is convenient for you, like on your driveway or in the Garage or on a nice safe wide road where you can park safely. It will usually be when you are on the way to an Interview or the Airport on holiday or touring a beautiful remote region like the Burren for example in Co. Clare. Or even on a dark night with the rain and wind howling! You don’t want to go there…no definitely not!

So what to do? How can you ensure that all will keep ticking over nicely every time you take the Beauty out for a spin? While there are no guarantees that you will be breakdown free, even with a new car (read my article…..in the members Area) you can tip the balance in your favour by learning some basic rules.

1.     Do your Weekly Checks fervent... it is surprising what you can find out when you open the bonnet (hood). Or take a brief stroll around the car. There are often clues to impending disaster. Like damp patches which can be coolant or oil leaking. Or a Tyre that looks rather different to its sisters!

2.     Ensure when you purchase your car... that there is a Manufacturers Manual in the glove box. If there isn’t, this should be a warning to you. The car probably hasn’t been well looked after and in any event you will need the manual to do all kinds of important checks and even to find the location of certain things within the car such as  verifying tyre(tire) pressures and location of fuses, even where the hidden bonnet release latch might be!

3.     Ensure that you know where the tool kit is... and is complete. It will be difficult to change a wheel after a puncture if the brace is missing or if the tyre is flat. Many second hand cars have bits and pieces missing so a check list is essential when you are buying (and also bring along some technical help in the form of a Mechanic or your obliging Driving Instructor! as well, to provide moral and other support).

4.     A  F.S.H (full service history)... will be invaluable since you will be able to track what servicing was done and when and if any major repairs were carried out. The main areas of concern would be Cam Belt (or timing belt as it is often called) brake servicing and whether or not servicing has been carried out to the Manufacturers Mileage specifications. Certain main elements in a car need to be changed to specific time frames and if you cannot verify that these have been carried out then you could be asking for trouble.

5.     In another page in this section... we will give you a list of Kit that you should compile and keep in the car for Emergencies or everyday occurrences. Other items can be kept at home for use as appropriate.

6.     Tracking and Balancing... is nothing to do with your Bank account although a regular visit to your Bank is probably just as important as a regular visit to your Tyre (Tire-USA) Centre. In the case of the Bank visit you will either be pleading for more money in order to repair your car or looking for a loan to buy a new car to replace the one that has driven you crazy! Wheels can get severely unbalanced over time or if you are unfortunate to hit what we affectionately call Pot Holes here in Ireland. A more accurate description for some of these horrors might be “massive hole in the Road”. This visit is recommended every 5000miles (8000kms) and will be done in an hour or so with the latest technology. It’s not expensive…say €50.00 but will repay you with a better and smother ride and longer lasting Tyres (Tires).

7.     Do keep rigidly to your recommended service cycle ...(detailed in your Manual…remember we mentioned the importance of this?).This is when the oil will be changed and many other important checks carried out by the Garage. It’s worth pointing out here that the lead times for booking cars in for Service are increasing substantially  with all main Dealers as they sell more and more new cars and need to allocate time for the servicing of all their customers. An average wait would be two and a half weeks now so don’t expect to ring up your Garage and book the car in for the next day…they will think you are joking!

8.     When major repairs are being done... you must make alternative transport arrangements since not all jobs can be diagnosed and completed in a day even if you are hammering at the gates at 7.30 in the morning! Often parts will have to be ordered from outside the State since inventory is at a relatively low level these days .A case in Point several years ago was when the steering Rack in our Peugeot 106 decided it had had enough .There was not a single steering rack in the Country despite this being a very popular Model. The part had to be ordered from France and the car was off the road FOR THREE DAYS. So be warned …check the service cycle and book your car in several weeks ahead to be sure of getting the job done with the minimum of inconvenience.

9.     Service cycles with all new cars... now for the last couple of years have been increased dramatically thanks to great strides in technology and reliability.5000miles gave way to 10,000 miles which has given way to 20,000 miles in some cases. But do double check your Manual!

10. Maintenance is a necessary evil… takes money and time but will repay you well especially when you come to trade in your faithful first Banger for a new model or one that is suitable for your new found Driver Status....trust me on this!

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