Will you be driving the children back to school in a few weeks, returning to work and planning to use the car rather than public transport, or is your car just in need of an autumn service? A few checks completed now, or a service booked in before the winter, will stand you in good stead.
Check your batteries
There are certainly more cars on the road, and one of the most common breakdowns are batteries. They tend to last around five years, but who remembers when they last replaced the battery in their car? If you have been running the kids to the beach or have been away on holiday in the UK, you could probably do with a battery check to ensure it is holding a decent charge. Breaking down with the children on a wet day or on the way to work for an important meeting is best avoided if possible.
Replace your tyres if the tread is low
Good tyres are vital to safe driving. If your tyres are getting a little low, we will give them a free safety check and advise you when you might need to replace them.
Remember, checking your tyres will help keep your family safe.
Your basic legal tyre requirements are:
The tyres must be compatible with the others on the car and look to be in a roadworthy condition.
They should be inflated to the recommended pressure and have at least 1.6 mm in the centre three-quarters of the tread all around the tyre.
You can check this yourself with a 20 pence coin. Place the coin, edge-on, into one of the tread grooves and look at it from the side. If the outer band of the 20 pence piece is wholly obscured, then your tread is above the legal requirements. If you can see any of the outer band, it is likely your tread is below the legal limit.
If you have a classic car, sports car or prestige car, we can check your tyres are roadworthy on those vehicles too.
Life of tyres
One would hope to get at least 20,000 miles of wear out of front tyres and perhaps double that for the rear tyres, but it really depends on your driving style and your braking.
Tyres will also last longer if they are inflated correctly and appropriately aligned. Load and speed are also contributory factors. Therefore, if you want to make sure those four pieces of rubber keep you on the road – we recommend having them checked by professionals. We can do this when you book in for a service or, if you are worried, we can give your tyres a free check and fit new tyres should you need them.
Booking a service
We’re always grateful when customers book their autumn service in plenty of time. If you have a specific problem that you would like us to look at, then please let us know at the time of booking so we can allow some extra time. Our highly skilled mechanics can then check for the fault while they are servicing your car. It could save you money, and our time. The more explanation you can give, the better.
When you book a service, we will always ask you the age and mileage of your car, so we can match it to the manufacturer’s schedule. If you are booking a specific service, then please let us know, and we can ensure your maintenance book is stamped accordingly.
Checking your lights and bulbs
As autumn starts and the mornings and evenings get darker, do check your lights, brake lights and number plate lights.
It’s sometimes tricky to change bulbs, and you do need the right ones – especially in your headlights.
Air-con re-gas and air-vent sanitizer
With all the hot weather this summer, we have re-gassed quite a few airconditioning units. Having upgraded this service, it now comes combined with sanitization of the inside of your car. Your air vents may contain lurking bacteria and pollen, and this is an excellent way to neutralize them. We run the unit inside of the car as part of the air-con re-gas service.
If you would like more details and prices or book in for a service, please call us on 01273 858999