Top 10 Car Maintenance Money Saving Tips

This week saw the cost of filling up the petrol tank on a typical family car exceed £100 for the first time, with the average price of unleaded rising to £1.87 per litre.

The situation is worse for drivers of diesel vehicles, with the highest price reaching just under £2.13 per litre in some parts of London.

As the cost of fuel is expected to continue rising, there are a few things you can do to reduce you outgoings:

1. Plan your journeys and leave in good time.
2. Accelerate gently and avoid high speeds.
3. Maintain a steady speed and use gravity for forward momentum.
4. Anticipate traffic and coast to decelerate.
5. Avoid idling your vehicle when not in traffic and stopped.
6. Declutter and don’t carry unnecessary weight, luggage or bike racks.
7. Look out for cues from your vehicle if available on when to change gears or let your foot off the accelerator.
8. Drive less and combine your trips where possible.
9. Car pool with friends, neighbours or colleagues heading to the same destination.

Keeping your car clean inside and out helps you notice any panels that may have come loose so you can fix them quickly to prevent damage or loss. Loose dirt and particles on your vehicle’s body can also cause scratches to your paint when rubbed.

Bird droppings on you or something you own is considered good luck with some superstitions. However, leave it too long on your paintwork, and your luck could change for the worst as the acidity in the droppings could leave a lasting stain on the paint.

Your windscreen is an integral part of your car’s structure, allowing clear, unimpeded visibility of the road ahead. Although quite tough, windscreens can often get damaged by stones or pebbles thrown up by other car tyres resulting in chips or cracks.

Windscreen chips can usually be repaired, but you must act quickly. If not addressed early, the chip could expand to a large crack due to changes in temperature or vibrations while driving, leading to the whole windscreen needing replacement.

Small windscreen chips can usually be repaired free of charge under your insurance policy or cost-effectively using a windscreen self-repair kit.

While it’s impossible to prevent stone chips, there are a few things you can do to try to avoid them or minimise any damage caused:

1. Keep your distance from vehicles you’re following, especially on faster roads.
2. Drive with care on roads with poor surfaces, loose stones, or roads under repair.
3. Avoid pouring hot or boiling water onto your windscreen to defrost it in freezing temperatures. Sudden temperature changes can crack the glass.
4. Keep your windscreen washer fluid topped up and replace your windscreen wipers once a year to ensure they operate correctly and remove dirt and debris effectively.
5. Inspect your windscreen regularly for any slight signs of damage and seek immediate repair.

Your tyre health is essential to your vehicle and keeping it connected to the road. Routinely checking your tyres for wear and damage and ensuring they’re inflated to the correct pressure will not only keep you safe and road legal but will save you money on fuel and prolong the life of your tyres.

Avoid steering and turning the wheels of your car whilst it’s stationary. This is commonly known as dry steering, and it puts a strain on the steering mechanism and causes undue wear to the tyres.

Low tire pressure can cause flats and blowouts, so keeping an eye on it is essential. Some cars will alert you to a change in tyre pressure if configured. If your vehicle doesn’t have this feature or you’re unsure, you can quickly look up the correct tyre pressure for your car on the sticker either affixed to the inside edge of the driver’s door or the fuel flap and adjust accordingly.

Your car brake pads are made of a wear-resistant material that compresses against either side of your brake discs to bring your vehicle to a stop. Over time, this material wears down and needs to be changed.

Most modern cars have sensors to alert you when they’re due a change; however, these sensors can come loose, so a visual inspection of your brake pads is recommended. If using a tool to measure your pads, only do so when your car has been idle for a long time and the discs have cooled down as they can be extremely hot after use.

Brake pads generally last anywhere from 20,000 to 70,000 miles depending on your driving style and use, but the minimum level for your brake pads should be no less than 3mm.

If you don’t replace your brake pads when they start to wear thin, you risk damaging your brake discs which can lead to more expensive repairs and can also be dangerous.

As a car operator, it’s critical to inspect all the different parts of your vehicle and have a visual familiarity with what you have under the hood. The belts and hoses in your engine bay are made with a rubber compound that could weaken or degrade over time and eventually split or come loose. This wear can result in costly repairs or even total engine failure.

Your oil keeps your engine running smoothly and prevents damage and excessive wear and tear, so it’s essential to keep it topped up and to change it every 3,000 miles or as your vehicle manufacturer recommends.

You can check the level of your engine oil using the dipstick in the engine bay or for vehicles without a dipstick; this information is available on your vehicle’s infotainment screen.

To prevent scalding or injury, ensure the engine is off, has been idle for an extended period, and is cool before touching anything in the engine bay as it can get very hot in there.

A 5-10 minute job that doesn’t require a mechanic. Your engine air filter keeps the airflow in your vehicle clean and free of particles that could damage your engine. However, your air filter can get obstructed with dirt and debris over time, which reduces its efficiency. When this happens, it’s time to change your air filter.

Depending on where you drive, a good rule is to replace your air filter every 15,000 to 25,000 miles or three years, whichever comes sooner. Air filters can become brittle and tear with age allowing harmful particles and dirt to enter the engine.

Coolant, a brightly coloured mixture of antifreeze and water, helps keep your engine running at the proper temperature and protects the water system against corrosion. If the level is off, it can cause your engine to overheat. If you notice it’s low, you should top it up and monitor the level over the next few days to ensure it isn’t leaking.