Easy DIY Auto Inspections

The #1 cause of automotive breakdowns is lack of proper maintenance,inspection, and repairs.
While breakdowns can be at best a great inconvenience the good news is with a little time spent doing some inspection and maintenance they can often be prevented.
Most people just drive until something breaks then they want to cuss at the car and call it a piece of junk ,the truth is it's just a machine and any thing with moving parts invariably has wear involved.
The first step in doing some routine maintenance is familiarize yourself with the parts of your car that need attention regularly to keep everything rolling along smoothly.
If you bought your car new an owners manual should have accompanied the vehicle during purchase and most owners manuals have a routine maintenance guide in the book.
It's always good to keep a record of the inspections and maintenance you have performed (or had done by someone else) and the mileage when the work was done.
Okay , let's start with the basics and work our way into more technical areas. you may want to make a copy of this list to reference until you get used to doing these checks.

Simple outside checks to keep you aware of any problems before they become major

1. Visually check tires for wear,cuts, and low air pressure ( daily)

• All can lead to tire failure and it's better to have it repaired or replaced at your convenience than on the side of the road

2. Check air pressure in tires with a gauge (weekly)

• While visual inspection can give you an immediate determination of a problem, it's impossible to see if the pressure is exactly what it should be for optimum performance. Low air pressure can cause premature wear, tire overheating and degraded fuel mileage and tire failure.

• Don't forget to check the air pressure in the spare tire occasionally. The only thing more disappointing than having a flat on the road is discovering the spare is flat too!!
  

3. Visually check for rust lines around lug nuts (daily)

• rust lines leading from the lug nuts on a wheel can indicate loose lug nuts and this can be a potential accident waiting to happen , not to mention a very costly repair should they strip or break off.

4. Visual inspection of the back side of the tires (inboard) (monthly)

• What you're looking for here are signs of fluid or grease streaming to the outer edges of the tire or accumulating inside the rim.
  

• This quick and easy inspection offers up some information to alert you of possible leaks in the brakes system and/or wheel seals that may be getting ready to fail.

5. Turn on all the lights and do a visual check to insure that all are burning and visible

• when doing this check don't forget the high beams and turn indicators

6. Visually check windshield wiper blades and check the operation of them when inside
7. Visually check under car to make sure nothing is loose and/or hanging down ie exhaust, wires, mufflers. Also look for any fluids leaking
8. Walk around and check for loose items on your car , antennas, mirrors, chrome or moulding.




Under the Hood

Let's start this section by locating and familiarizing yourself with the parts we are going to be inspecting.
If you have any problem locating these don't hesitate to ask for help , most auto parts stores will be happy to show you where these are in hopes that you do business with them when you need parts.

(Caution)

All following checks should be performed with engine off and keys removed to prevent anyone from accidentally starting engine while you are inspecting the car.
The only exception to this is checking automatic transmission fluid level.

1. Engine oil dipstick
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Transmission dipstick (automatic only) (most automatic transmissions are filled through the dipstick tube)
   
4. Power steering dipstick (most times this is part of the cap on the power steering pump)
5. Brake fluid reservoir (usually located on drivers side firewall)
6. Engine coolant reservoir (usually close to radiator filler cap)
7. Engine radiator (located in the front directly behind grille) (WARNING !!! never remove radiator cap when engine is HOT!!!
   
8. Fan belt/s and accessory drive belt/s (located on the front of the engine) (note- most front wheel drive vehicles have the engine turned sideways so the front of the engine may be located behind the left front wheel)
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir.
10. Battery (should be easily identified as large square object with 2 large cables attached)

Now that you have located all the items we will be inspecting we will divide each item into a section and discuss what we a re looking for and what if any repairs you will be able to make .

Ready?

1. Checking Fluid Levels
2. Checking Belts and Hoses
   

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait...