The ordinary maintenance of the car is a fundamental aspect and can be easily carried out by any car owner, especially before a long journey. But what are the liquids that need to be checked for safer and more peaceful journeys? Let's find out together.
It is not always necessary to go to your trusted mechanic or authorized workshop to check that the car is in good health. In many cases, it is also possible to check the vehicle status at home, in your garage or along the road. In fact, no special precautions and structures are needed to make sure that the liquids in our car are perfectly at a good level.
The fluids of the car are in fact one of the simplest aspects to check and verification is really immediate. We are talking about checking the engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, battery and wiper fluid.
Let's start with perhaps the most famous and best known, that is the engine oil . People with a few years of age know very well how the older cars of a few decades ago had to be constantly checked for what concerns the oil level and to top up. In fact, from one oil change to the other, it was necessary to continually top up the oil. This procedure is no longer necessary but it is still strongly recommended to check the oil level on a routine basis. Depending on whether you make many km or a few kilometers, the important thing is that it is checked at least every 4000 or 5000 km.
To check the engine oil is very simple. Let's get the maintenance and instruction booklet of our car and observe where the dipstick for checking the engine oil is positioned inside the engine compartment. We should basically raise the front hood and notice a small yellow circle that is normally found in the lower part of the engine compartment. This procedure must be done in a flat position. If we have the car positioned downhill, the oil level will be affected in the measurement and we will not understand what the correct value is. The oil level must be positioned between the two notches at the end of the dipstick.
In case we notice that the oil level is too low , we also recommend going to a gas station for a quick and practical topping up. If, on the other hand, there is something strange such as the color of the oil too dark or an excessively low level, then it is highly recommended to go to a workshop.
A second type of control is certainly the engine coolant. Also in this case, as above, it must be checked after leaving the car cold for at least 5 minutes, i.e. not running. Always observing the instruction booklet we will notice the position of the coolant inside the front hood. After observing and checking the level, we could add distilled or even demineralized water until the cleat indicates the maximum value. Obviously it is also advisable to reach some antifreeze liquid as with the drop in temperatures during the winter period, the distilled water immediately freezes at zero degrees and boils at 100. In this case, the check must be carried out approximately every two years.
The brakes are fundamental and their efficiency in terms of brake fluid is also a key aspect. Also in this case the level must never be lower than the minimum threshold that we see very serenely imprinted in the small tank inside the engine compartment. Also in this case, as in the previous two, it will be possible to top up the liquid which is easily available on the market.
As for the battery, refilling is rather infrequent. This procedure is necessary to ensure the efficiency of the battery. To carry out this check it will be sufficient to observe the level from time to time and possibly add distilled water until it reaches the mark. However, be careful that the battery cover must always remain dry and perfectly clean.
As a last aspect, probably the simplest, we have the washer fluid. The latter aims to clean and make the front window and rear window shine. By inserting the washer fluid inside the bottle contained inside the front hood, we can therefore drive peacefully with optimal front and rear visibility.
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