Basic car maintenance you can do yourself: tyres, oil, coolant, lights and wipers

TUREFF• •0

You do not need a garage or a set of spanners to keep a car in good shape. Ten minutes once a month, with the engine cold and the car on level ground, catches most of the small problems before they turn into expensive ones. Keep the owner's manual nearby: it tells you where everything is on your particular car and what it should read.

Tyre pressure

Under-inflated tyres wear faster, use more fuel and handle worse in the wet. The correct pressures are printed on a sticker, usually inside the driver's door frame or the fuel filler flap, and in the manual. They are often different front and rear, and sometimes higher for a fully loaded car.

Check when the tyres are cold, before a drive or after the car has stood for a few hours.
Use your own gauge or the one on a petrol station air machine, and do not forget the spare if you have one.
A tyre that keeps losing pressure has a slow puncture or a leaking valve. Get it looked at rather than topping it up every week.

Tyre tread and condition

Most countries set a legal minimum tread depth, but grip in the rain falls away well before you reach it. Many tyres have small tread wear indicators, raised bars in the grooves: when the tread is level with them, the tyre is finished. Also look for cuts, bulges in the sidewall and uneven wear. Wear on one edge usually means the wheel alignment is out.

Engine oil

Park on level ground and wait until the engine has been off for a few minutes.
Pull out the dipstick (usually a yellow or orange loop), wipe it clean, push it fully back in and pull it out again.
The oil should sit between the minimum and maximum marks.
If it is low, top up a little at a time with the oil grade named in the manual, then recheck. Overfilling is harmful too.

Some newer cars have no dipstick and show the level on the dashboard instead. Oil that looks milky, or a car that needs topping up often, is worth showing to a mechanic.

Coolant

The coolant reservoir is a translucent plastic tank with min and max lines. Check it only when the engine is cold: never open the cap on a hot engine, because the system is under pressure and can spray scalding liquid. Top up with the coolant type the manual specifies. A level that keeps dropping points to a leak.

Washer fluid

The easiest job of all. The filler cap usually has a windscreen symbol on it. Use screenwash rather than plain water, which does not clean as well and can freeze in winter.

Lights

Walk round the car with the lights on, or ask someone to help: headlights on dipped and full beam, sidelights, indicators front and rear, brake lights and the number plate light. Reversing into a wall or a shop window at night lets you check brake lights on your own. Many bulbs can be changed at home; on some modern cars, especially those with LED units, it is a garage job.

Wiper blades

Wipers that smear, judder or leave streaks need new blades. Lift the arm, release the clip and slide on a blade of the right length for your car; the packet or the shop's lookup will tell you. Wiping the rubber edge with a damp cloth also helps between changes.

Battery terminals

Open the bonnet and look at where the cables meet the battery. White or green crusty deposits on the terminals can stop the car starting. If you clean them, disconnect the negative (black, minus) cable first and reconnect it last, wear gloves and eye protection, and avoid touching both terminals with a metal tool. Slow cranking on cold mornings often means the battery is near the end of its life.

When to see a mechanic

Any warning light that stays on, especially oil pressure, engine temperature, brakes or the engine management light.
Grinding or squealing brakes, a soft brake pedal, or the car pulling to one side when braking.
Smoke, a smell of burning or of sweet coolant, or fluid puddles under the car.
New knocks, clunks or vibrations.
Routine servicing at the intervals in your service book: belts, filters and brake fluid are best left to a professional.

What do you check on your own car, and which job taught you something the hard way? Share your tips or ask a question in the comments.