Prevention of Breakdowns on a Motorway. Section 6

   Breakdowns do happen and usually not in the most accessible of places. Park the car as close to the left of the hard shoulder with your Hazard lights on and phone for the Gardai (Police) from the roadside telephone without delay. If you have a Warning Triangle, which is mandatory for touring in Europe, you should display it a good distance from the stricken vehicle. Walking or crossing the carriage way is not permitted.

   Special Care is required when planning a Motorway journey to ensure that your vehicle is in the best shape possible thus reducing the possibility of breakdown. If there are known or developing problems with your vehicle that will require the attention of your garage then it’s best to postpone any trips until the servicing or repairs are completed. A breakdown on a Motorway is not only dangerous but likely to cost you dearly in towing charges not to mention the inconvenience of ruining your trip! Key checks as always should be as follows.

(a)  Ensure you have enough fuel.

(b)  Fill up your Screen wash reservoir …in bad weather you will get through a large amount keeping both front and rear screens clear.

(c)  Tyre pressures need to be adjusted, particularly if you are carrying a heavier load than normal. This will require checking the guidelines provided by the Manual for your size of wheel and tyre and increasing the pressures accordingly. Don’t forget to check the pressure of your spare wheel!

(d)  Oil of course should be topped up if need be. A long high speed run with a low oil level is not the best way to treat your engine!

(e)  Coolant levels needs to be checked as well. Again a high speed run will highlight very quickly a problem with your cooling system. Even a small drop in the level of your coolant indicates a loss of coolant that may be of the drip, drip, drip variety. If you haven’t spotted this and done something about it is quite possible that you will lose all your coolant during a long run which means serious overheating of your engine and possibly destroying it completely.

e)   The Cylinder head (top of the Engine) warps with the heat. In this situation the engine will seize up and not only will you be stranded on the Motorway with steam billowing all over the place but you will be off the road for a fortnight with a massive bill at the end of it! Could be more than the Car is worth if you are driving your first car and its something of an old timer!

The above advice is very pertinent since it is frequently the cooling system that gives out first in an old car as the rubber hoses deteriorate. Does this sound like the voice of painful experience? Got it in One!

Read and digest …we are not lecturing you here but trying to save you money and embarrassment and keeping you safe! Regular basic checks can do a lot to keep a modern car on the go long after its sell by date!