Looking after your car

Breakdowns are an inconvenience that can disrupt days out, a business trips or holidays and so on.

If you are someone who relies on a vehicle for business, or simply to get to or from work, a breakdown is more than just an inconvenience, it means lost business or wages for the time that the vehicle is off the road, inconvenience for customers and a host of other problems.

Imagine a breakdown during or just before a holiday, especially if you are travelling abroad! Or a breakdown ten minutes before your pupil was due to take a driving test...

The best way to avoid problems with breakdowns is to plan not to break down.

Good drivers (and instructors!) do this by carrying out daily and weekly vehicle checks and by having their cars serviced at the regular intervals recommended by the manufacturer.

To help you get into the habit of carrying out the checks listed in this section, this programme provides you with some simple vehicle check projects.

The projects include daily and weekly car checks and 'discovery sessions' where you will learn a bit more about your vehicle - learning some 'basics' will also help when it comes to 'car sympathy'.

From a fuel saving point of view, poor maintenance = poor economy.

Simple measures such as maintaining correct tyre pressures will save you money as well as making your car safer to drive!

Next read the notes in Steps 3 & 4 and then complete the Daily Car Checks project.