May 2020

Taking your car out for the first time in a while

It may be a little early for planning street parties and celebrations to mark the end of lock-down, but you'd be forgiven for feeling a little excited at the prospect of a relaxation of the rules.

Nobody knows quite how this is going to play out over the coming weeks, but for most of us it’s going to mean getting back behind the wheel of our car more regularly.

If your car has been furloughed on your driveway for the last few weeks, or on light and irregular duties, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that it’s ready for action when we’re given the green light.

I spoke to Andy on the Thame Cars Service Team for some simple checks that will help get you set.

• Check your levels and for leaks
  Check under and around your car if it hasn’t moved for a while. Look of any fluids on the floor, either put newspaper down under the car (if you are garaged) or simply get down on the ground and feel.
  Open the bonnet and check the water, oil and washer fluids. If lower than normal you can simply top these up.
• Check your tyres
  If you have a tyre pressure monitor then you can use that to check your tyres, if not simply run a visual check around the car before you set off. If they are a little low ensure your first stop in to a local petrol station or garage to put some air in.
• Check your wipers
  With your car having sat for a while your wipers could have a build up of grime from dust, dirt, bird poo, dead insects and grease, and they can stick to the glass if not treated. You don’t want to either damage the blades or worse scratch the screen on your first outing. Simply lift the wiper from the screen and wipe it thoroughly with hot soapy water to clean, also clean your screen at the same time.
• Check your lights
  If you have someone at home with you it makes life a little easier. Check the headlights, brake lights and indicator lights to ensure they are working correctly. If any are found not to be working, you can order replacement bulbs online. There are hundreds of how to guides on Youtube to follow to make sure you get the right ones, and how to actually replace them. Alternatively pop it down to us and we’ll do it for you.
• Start up:
  Once you have done your visual inspection, top ups and clean its time to turn her on. If your car has been sat for a while your may find the handbrake not releasing correctly, if this happens you can free it by gently driving forward and backward. If you don’t have any success doing this then call out your RAC or AA guys who can do that for you. Once you have started and you go for your first drive you may feel a grinding through your brakes when you depress the peddle. If this continues more than 5 or 6 times you should take your car to your local garage to get checked.

If you are in any doubt about the condition of your vehicle and you would like it checked then we are offering a simple drive in ‘touch-free’Free Vehicle Health Check service. Simply give us a call to make an appointment or book online.

Book your free Vehicle Health Check

A Service Advisor will check over your car while you are in the car, we can chat to you about any concerns and you don’t need to leave your car.

We are excited to be open again here at Thame Cars, and able to once again provide a full compliment of services, all be it with the additional safety and social distancing measures firmly in place.

View Full Touch-Free Servicing Process