Professional car service deals Reading: Keeping your car in good shape can help keep you and your passengers safe. And remember, if you’re ever unsure about how to inspect or replace a car part, be sure to contact a local mechanic for help. Different climates present different obstacles to keeping your vehicle looking sharp. Winter can cause a buildup of road salt, ice and slush that corrodes the paint on your vehicle. Summer presents its own challenges with dirt, sap and sand that can also cause damage. Fortunately, you don’t need to go to an expensive car wash every few weeks to keep your vehicle clean. Popular Mechanics highlighted steps for you to wash your car at home and potentially save a few bucks by avoiding the car wash. See additional information on cheap car servicing Reading.
Keep your records in order, and take them with you. Have records available on everything you do to maintain your car — and keep them in the car if possible. Well-kept records can be instrumental in correctly diagnosing a vehicle problem the first time. Incomplete records can lead to redundant auto repairs that waste your time and money. A vehicle with a well-documented repair service history also tells your mechanic that you value first-rate work at the recommended intervals, and have done your part to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape.
An MOT certificate confirms at the time of the test your car met the minimum road safety and environmental standards required by law. It doesn’t mean your car will remain roadworthy for the following 12 months. You still need to make sure you maintain your car well, including regular servicing. Make sure you’re not caught out by any of the five simple reasons for a fail shown above, then inspect your car against our 11-point checklist below. If you find any problems in the following areas, you can fix some yourself to help keep garage costs down. Identification of your car; Your vehicles VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) must be displayed in a legible manner on your vehicle. The cars registration plate must be clear, have correct spacing between letters and numbers and be in an overall good condition.
An MOT is a legal requirement after three years. Without it your insurance is invalidated, and you could be fined. There’s another important aspect to the MOT. It proves that your car is roadworthy, and safe to drive. Vehicles have a lot of stresses put upon them. As they age the chances of parts wearing or failing increase. An MOT test can help to spot problems before they occur. Call Tilehurst Service & MOT Centre today. We perform fair and thorough MOTs for all cars and motorbikes.
Aside from all the tips included in this list, car owners should take their car to a mechanic for a general checkup. If you bought the car at a dealership, they might send you a reminder in the mail to take your car for a checkup. During these checkups, they might inspect the car exhaust, flush the cooling system, and replace any parts needed, such as brakes, valves, and hoses. Regular checkups are in general pretty low cost and can ensure your car is in great shape for years to come.
Then consider where you buy them from. Many car spares and DIY shops are open on a Sunday, which is handy. But if you plan ahead and ensure you’ve everything you need before starting a job, you’ll have the best chance of getting products at the lowest prices. Also don’t forget to factor in the cost of delivery when making an online purchase; it’s often the difference between a good deal and a poor one. Petrol and diesel : We should start with talking about fuel, however. Different techniques can help you use as little fuel as possible, but however frugal your driving style, at some point you’ll need to pull into a filling station and part with an uncomfortably large sum of money for a tank of petrol or diesel. It is still possible to make savings here, however, with some simple forward planning. Service stations on motorways, for instance, should be avoided at all costs, because it’s not uncommon for them to charge more than 10p extra per litre than other stations. Based on filling the average 55-litre fuel tank from near empty, you could be forking out more than £5 extra. Many petrol stations on major dual carriageways aren’t much better.
Although some may not be dealer owned, many private mechanics and technicians are just as good, if not better than most approved garages. You may just be referred to them by someone you know and trust. SO go ahead, but just make sure they do a good job on your car. Service stations with a good reputation aren’t hard to find, you just need to look around and ask the right people. Out Of The Way Car Servicing Tilehurst If you happen to drive far out of town and then are faced with a problem, you’ll no doubt have to visit a nearby car servicing centre. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, don’t let just any technician get under your car’s bonnet. Discover extra details on carservice-centre.co.uk.
The MoT cost is controlled by law, with a maximum charge for cars set at £54.85. An individual MoT test centre can choose to charge less, so it’s worth shopping around. If you think you’ve a chance of failure, make sure you pick an MoT test centre that offers free retests within 10 days, as you can be charged a partial retest fee. If repairs take longer, you’ll have to pay the full fee again. Many garages are able to conduct MoT tests, although if you’re suspicious of garages that will charge for unnecessary work, it’s probably best to take your car to a dedicated MoT test centre.
The reality is that regardless of whether you like it or not, you may have to park your car outdoors for prolonged periods underneath the scorching sun. Consider getting windshield covers that can minimize the amount of heat entering the car, so that later when you get in the car, you don’t feel like a pizza in the oven. You might want to do the same for the rear side and windows too. Everybody who drives knows how important brakes are for the safety not only of your vehicle but also your life. Brakes are important regardless of the season, and summers are no different. Check if your brake pads or shoes are worn beyond the acceptable thickness specifications for your car. If so, you should replace the brakes without further delay.
Remember, a service is the best opportunity for a technician to get under your car and check for leaks, extensive wear or damage. They will also check the condition of the brake pads, brake discs and suspension, and give the car a general health check. If any issues are spotted, they will tell you the best way to fix them and the cost. What are the main benefits of servicing my car regularly? The main benefit is that your car will have a clean bill of health and be running at its optimum. A car with a clean engine will also typically have better fuel economy, saving you money at the pumps. Aside from that, it’s a financial investment. Chiefly, it saves you money in the long run by avoiding expensive repairs. For newer cars, it also protects the manufacturer’s warranty.
The most obvious and frequent expense is fuel, whether in liquid or electric form, but simply shopping around can save you money even with fuel prices rising. And while staying on the right side of the law means you’ll need to pay for Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), insurance and annual MOT testing – if your car is 3 years old or more – there are ways to save in those areas too. At present, zero-emission vehicles are exempt from paying road tax, so an electric car could be one potential option for cutting costs in the longer term. Regardless of the type of car you drive, you will also have additional expenses to account for such as maintenance, servicing, and breakdown cover, and these can add up very quickly.
