CAR TIP OF THE MONTH
Written by Administrator Thursday, 26 November 2009 10:31
5 things that every woman should know about cars
You are driving alone down a rural road when you get a flat tire. You have no reception on your cell phone and not a soul in sight. What do you do? Wait for someone to come along and pray they are not a serial killer? Walk back a few kilometres hoping to pick up cell service? Hope that really was a house you saw a few minutes before your tire went flat? Knowing what to do in case of an auto emergency can mean the difference between getting back on the road quickly and not getting back on the road at all.
1) Know how to change a tire:
Flat tires are the number one cause of motor vehicle emergencies among women. Whether a blowout at 120 km per hour on the freeway or a slow leak caused by a nail imbedded in the rubber, a flat tire will derail your trip faster than you can say, "what happened?" The key to changing your own tire is to have the proper equipment. Most importantly, keep your spare tire properly inflated and know where to find the jack and iron.
You should always loosen the lug nuts on your tire before you raise the car with the jack. It will be easier to exert force on the nut while the car is planted firmly on the ground. Not sure which way to turn? Just remember the saying "lefty loosy, righty tighty." Turn the nuts to the left to remove them and to the right to tighten them up. Here's a tip: this rule applies to just about anything you are trying to loosen or tighten. In the event your car has a hub cap that hides the lug nuts, keep a flat head screw driver in your cargo area as well.
Putting the jack in the right place makes all the difference when you begin to lift. Follow the directions in your manual and you will be surprised at how easily you can raise the car to the right height.
After you have removed the damaged tire and put on your spare, tighten the lug nuts as much as you can with your hands and then give them a little turn with the tire iron. After you have secured the tire, lower the car slowly to the ground. Once on the ground, use the tire iron to tighten the nuts as much as possible. If you had trouble fully tightening your lug nuts, find the nearest service station or automobile repair shop and ask someone to check to make sure they are completely tightened.
2) Know how the read both the gauges on your dash and the owner's manual in your glove compartment:
The second most common auto emergency is a warning light on your dash board. Examples of warning lights are the Check Engine light, Oil light, ABS brake light, or Airbag light. A sudden illumination of any of these lights can mean a serious problem is occurring and you should have your car checked as quickly as possible. The most important thing to remember about warning lights is that they are your car's way of talking to you and you have to be able to understand what it is saying.
By knowing what your dash gauges mean and how to interpret them using the owner's manual you can catch problems before they become serious, saving yourself money and potential lost time in the process.
3) Know how to check the oil and radiator fluid:
Keeping your engine running smoothly is often as simple as making sure it has enough oil and radiator fluid. Automobile engines are made up of lots of little parts. These parts move interchangeably against each other thousands of times a minute and build up friction. Motor oil keeps those engine parts lubricated and functioning properly. Radiator fluid, or engine coolant as it may be called in your owner's manual, does a similar job. Radiator fluid cools the engine down so that it doesn't overheat, allowing it to keep working even on the hottest days. Find where the dip sticks are for both engine oil and engine coolant. In many cars they are yellow in color and marked with a picture of either a drop of oil or some sort of liquid. Using your owner's manual, determine the proper levels for both fluids. To get the most accurate reading, have your engine running when using the dip sticks.
4) Know how to jump start the battery:
Ever leave your dome light on accidentally? How about leaving the glove compartment open all weekend? If so you have probably experienced a dead battery and have had to jump start your car. Jumping your battery requires jumper cables and another car that can start its engine. The key to jumping your car is to know that there is both a positive and negative cable which corresponds to the positive and negative posts on your battery. The posts are usually covered with a cap however once you remove the cap, the posts are marked with a + sign or a - sign. The cables will be marked as well. With both engines off, clamp the positive cable to the positive post and the negative cable to the negative post. Do this to both cars. Start the engine of the other car. Wait a minute or two to allow the charge from the running engine to flow through the cables into your battery and then try and start your car. If it doesn't turn over at all, wait another minute or two and then try again.
Once your car starts you can disconnect the cables and close the bonnet. Allowing your engine to run for about thirty minutes, or driving to your destination, will recharge your battery and you shouldn't have trouble starting it again.
5) Change the wiper blades:
Depending on the area you live in, having properly functioning windshield wipers can be critical to safe driving. Getting caught in the season's first rainstorm with dry or brittle wiper blades can happen to anyone. Knowing how to change your own wiper blades however can get you quickly back on the road.
Whether your car is five days or five years old, spending time getting to know the ins and outs of the owner's manual, practicing some basic maintenance techniques, and purchasing just a few basic tools and supplies will keep you safer and your car on the road longer.
