Just A Guy Thing

Image by cheeky_bandari

As I was driving to work today along a winding and pretty filthy looking country lane, with dirt spraying up all over my windows and doors, I realised that at this time of year people don?t seem to take as much care with their beloved cars as they perhaps should!

There are many reasons to keep a well maintained car which a lot of people tend to forget. A few that come to mind are:

• To make sure it holds as much of its value as possible in case you want to sell it
• Pride. A clean car is a happy car.
• Safety. The last thing you want is the engine exploding because you forgot to put water in your car!

I don?t even think it?s that we forget what car maintenance is, but perhaps you, like me, just need a little gentle persuasion to actually take care of your motor so that it looks great, runs smoothly and holds its value.

Car Maintenance: Back to Basics

Let?s look at the basic maintenance we should be performing on our cars on a weekly basis.

Clean the damn car!

This is the one most people leave the longest before they action. Sometimes, in the winter, cars are so dirty that you can?t even read the number plates on them! And sure, you could probably just go for an automated drive-thru car wash, but they?re never as good as using a good, old-fashion bucket and sponge. Using a drive-thru car wash is kind of like kissing your best friend (if your best friend is a guy). If you close your eyes it?s probably not that bad. But I guarantee that once it?s over you?ll realise that it wasn?t as good as you thought it would be! (Editors note: I just looked back at that analogy – what in the hell was I thinking??)

Check the oil in your car regularly

This definitely should be checked on a weekly basis, especially if you?re driving around in an oil-burning diesel engine. Waiting till the oil light comes on is not a valid excuse for checking your dipstick, dipstick! Recently my brother waited for his oil light to come before he put anymore in and when the light eventually did come on, the engine seized up and the head gasket blew! Goodbye car. Now my brother is a moron, so please don?t follow in his footsteps. Check your oil now before it?s too late!

Make sure you have plenty of windscreen wash fluid

One thing you can guarantee during the great English winter (and the summer quite often) is the level of salt, mud and grit that sprays up onto your windscreen as you drive. You go to spray your windscreen with your jets to clear it so you can see and what happens? The wipers go on auto-pilot but there is no water in the tank and your windscreen gets smudged five times until the wipers stop! This absolutely breaks my heart when I?m driving to work and I find myself begging the heavens to open so that I can see where I?m going. Instead, I?m hunched over and leaning to the left in a desperate bid to see out of the three inch wide piece of window that is still clear!

Give her a full body service

By ?her? I mean the car. Getting the car serviced every 10,000 miles is the best way to avoid problems with it. Not keeping the cars service history up to date will cause the value to depreciate and you?ll be left with a piece of junk that you can?t sell and don?t want to drive yourself. Eventually you find yourself pulling an insurance scam just to try and get something back for it. Don?t do it, just get the car serviced instead!

Under (tyre) pressure

It?s fascinating to watch the number of people who never seem to forget to put fuel in their car (well done folks) yet when they leave the gas petrol station, they drive straight past the tyre pressure machine without giving it a second glance! It takes mere seconds to check that your tyres are filled to the correct pressure and if it avoids a wheel blowout at 80mph then I think it?s definitely worth it to stop on your way out and check them.

Car radiator fluids

Engines use water to keep cool so that they can perform effectively. You should definitely be checking that your radiator is filled to the correct mark with water so that the engine can work the way it?s supposed to. I remember my very first car and the time I didn?t check the radiator to make sure it had enough water. I was stuck in traffic which caused the engine to overheat and seize up. I popped the hood bonnet and stupidly removed the radiator cap before letting the engine cool. What little water was in that radiator exploded out like a geyser, taking my eyebrows (and my pride) with it!

So I think that?s the basics covered and hopefully this article will encourage you to go out and take care of your pride and joy more regularly. One final word of advice though:

Make sure the interior of your car is spotlessly clean and smelling nice and fresh at all times. You never know when you might have a date that wants some McLovin?. Men should always be prepared.

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