Nobody wants to find themselves stranded at the side of the road following a vehicle breakdown, but without proper care for your vehicle sooner or later you’ll be doing just that. There are a whole host of reasons why your car may suffer a breakdown; in this month’s article, we’ll be listing just 5 of the most common ones. Knowing what these are and how to care for your vehicle is essential if you want to extend your car’s working life.
Battery Issues
Your car’s battery is at the heart of your vehicle. Any problems with it will affect how the rest of your car functions. Your battery is required to start the vehicle and to regulate the engine, and while it does charge up when on longer journeys, if you don’t make long journeys often then you could run into trouble.
Ensure that your battery is regularly charged, either by driving greater distances regularly or by physically charging it with a kit, and keep an eye on its fluid levels, too.
Tyre Damage
Tyre damage is another one of the most common breakdown causes. Failure to keep a vigilant eye on the condition of your tyres could be costly, so it’s worth checking their condition often. There are two main areas of interest when it comes to your tyres: the tread depth and tyre pressure. Luckily, they’re both easy to check.
Using a 20 pence piece, check that the tread depth on your tyres is at least 1.6mm. If it is, the outer rim of the coin should be hidden. You should also check the tyre pressure of all of your tyres, including your spare.
Lost Keys
You may not think of losing your keys as comparable with a breakdown, but it is one of the most common reasons for a callout. Losing access to your vehicle and being unable to start it can be disastrous, and although an engineer would be able to help, it may be simpler to have a spare set of keys to hand.
Inadequate Water and Oil Levels
It’s important to regularly check under your bonnet to ensure that it has suitable fluid levels. These include the water, engine oil, coolant and other fluid levels. If you forget to do so and to top them up as necessary – or to have your vehicle serviced where other fluids, such as brake fluid – a breakdown could be imminent. Breakdowns involving these issues are easily avoidable, simply top them up when they need it.
Using the Wrong Fuel
Although it sounds simple enough, many people make this mistake and it is up there as one of the most common breakdown causes. Putting the wrong fuel in your vehicle can have serious detrimental effects on your engine. If you do happen to do this, don’t panic – and don’t start your engine either! The problem can be rectified at your local garage by flushing out the incorrect and damaging fuel, but if you start the engine then the wrong fuel will be pulled into the inner workings of the engine itself. This is costly to repair, whereas flushing out the wrong fuel – in comparison – is not.
While these breakdown causes are common enough, they can all be avoided by providing your vehicle with the care it deserves. Citroen-Peugeot Specialists Ltd offer professional, high quality MOTs and car part services at an affordable price for those in the North London area from our centrally located garage in Finchley. We also carry out all manner of repairs and maintenance ranging from air conditioning to clutch repairs, tyre fittings to wheel balancing. To book your vehicle in with us, contact our friendly team today.