Essential Spring Car Checks

As spring arrives and the days grow longer, it’s the perfect opportunity to put some time aside to give your vehicle a thorough once over. Whether you’re planning a road trip over half term or gearing up for a summer getaway, making time for essential maintenance now can help ensure safe, smooth journeys ahead.

It’s all too easy to overlook basic vehicle checks, including tyre maintenance, especially if your vehicle has seen less use over the winter months. From topping up fluid levels to checking your tyres, ensure your vehicle is ready for spring with our essential spring car checks.

Check your Tyres

Your tyres are your vehicle’s only contact with the road, making them one of the most crucial components when it comes to safety and performance. Regular checks are essential, especially after a period of inactivity, to ensure a safe and trouble-free journey.

• Start with a visual inspection: Look for obvious signs of damage, such as cuts, bulges, perforations or embedded debris. Any visible imperfections or potential damage should be professionally inspected for added peace of mind.
• Check your tyre treads: Your tyre treads help to disperse water, improving your vehicle’s grip, handling and overall road safety. The legal minimum tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm, but we recommend replacing your tyres before they reach this point to ensure optimal performance. A quick and easy way to check them is the 20p test. Insert a 20p coin into the tread grooves, if you can’t see the outer band on the coin, your tyres are above the legal limit and good to go. If the outer band is visible, make sure to get your tyres replaced as a priority.
• Inspect tyre pressures: Under-inflated tyres wear unevenly, reduce fuel efficiency, and can impact braking performance. Always check your pressures against your vehicle’s specifications, ideally once a month, and definitely before undertaking long trips. If you need to carry a heavier load than normal, such as luggage or extra passengers, refer to your vehicle’s manual for the recommended tyre pressure adjustment and change accordingly.

Top up your fluids

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of your vehicle’s fluid levels, but a few simple checks can significantly improve reliability and prevent avoidable damage.

• Engine oil: The oil in your vehicle’s engine serves a whole slew of functions: it lubricates the moving parts, helps act as a sealant against debris, cools the engine, reduces wear and tear, and helps prevent engine corrosion. To check your oil levels, park your car on a flat surface and leave until the engine is cool. Use the dipstick to check the oil levels – if it is on the low side, top up with the manufacturer-recommended oil type. And if your last oil change was a while ago, it may be worth booking in with your local garage.
• Engine coolant: Coolant keeps your engine from overheating and prevents avoidable damage. When the engine is cool, visually inspect the coolant reservoir and check your coolant levels are between the maximum and minimum levels. If it is below the minimum line, top it up with the correct coolant mixture specified in your vehicle’s manual.
• Screenwash: A clean windscreen is crucial for safe driving. Keep your screenwash reservoir regularly topped up using a quality screenwash solution to remove any streaks, dirt and debris from your windscreen.

Check your lights

Properly functioning lights are essential, not just for your visibility, but to ensure other road users can see and anticipate your movements. Before setting off, take a moment to check all exterior lights, including:

Headlights
Brake lights
Indicators
Sidelights and number plate lights

An easy way to check your headlights is to park facing a flat surface or garage wall, switch them on and observe the beam patterns. This helps confirm that all bulbs are working and properly aligned. Walk around the car to check the rest of the lights, and where possible, ask someone to help you test the brake and reverse lights. If any bulbs are out, make sure to replace them promptly.

Check your battery

Colder weather, short journeys, and periods of inactivity can all reduce your vehicle’s battery performance, and the last thing you want is a flat battery just as your holiday travel plans begin. Here’s what to look out for:

• Start-up hesitation: If the engine turns over slowly or takes longer than usual to start, your battery may be struggling.
• Electrical inconsistency: Flickering lights, dim dashboards, or malfunctioning electronics can be early signs that your battery is beginning to struggle.

If your battery is over three to five years old, it may be approaching the end of its lifespan, especially if it’s been left unused during winter. In that case, a proactive replacement is often more cost-effective and far less inconvenient than a breakdown. We recommend visiting a professional technician for a full battery health check if you are in any doubt.

Time to upgrade your tyres?

With your spring car checks now complete, you can look forward to a season of confident driving. And if you’re considering a tyre replacement, look at the new Ecoura tyre. Ecoura is a high-performance tyre optimised for superior ride comfort, reduced noise and greater performance efficiency to deliver an unrivalled driving experience.

Here’s what makes Ecoura stand out:

• Enhanced ride comfort & noise reduction: The varying tread block pitch reduces noise by removing resonant frequencies for a quieter, more comfortable drive. Compartmentalising grooves work together to minimise and help contain noise.
• Wet grip & aquaplaning resistance: Deep circumferential and outer grooves facilitate efficient water evacuation for high levels of aquaplaning resistance and maximised traction in wet conditions.
• Exceptional traction in all conditions: Engineered for high levels of straight line and cornering traction on wet and dry surfaces.
• Optimised, lightweight design: Optimised, lightweight tyre design reduces material consumption and waste for greater efficiency while maintaining performance.

For more advice about your tyres, or about Davanti, reach out to us at our Contact Us page, or find your local tyre expert by using our dealer locator.