Haven't looked underneath the bonnet of your car for quite some time? Just like our own need for water, a car needs oil, various fluids and regular maintenance. Read our beneath the bonnet guide, grab the following items from your local motor factors and get working!
What you'll need to do:
1) Oil Check
2) Engine oil check
3) Engine Coolant check
4) Power Steering Fluid check
5) Brake Fluid check
6) Window Washer Fluid check
1) Oil Check; In order to check the engine oil you are going to have to use the dipstick. The dipstick is normally located to the front of the engine on all cars. It is used to check the level of engine oil. Always make sure to park your car on level ground when doing this. How you check the level of oil, is by removing the dipstick. You should then wipe the metal end of it with some tissue. Place the dipstick back into its holder, and pull it back out again. Observe the end of the dipstick. There should be a line indicating the level that oil should be at. If it is below the line obviously, you have to top up oil, and should do so immediately. If it is above the line, you can resume driving and will not need to top-up.
2) Engine oil is a fantastic substance. It keeps your car's engine running smoothly, oiling the interior components and ensuring that it does not seize. Believe it or not, a UCPG survey has shown that one in three cars on Irish roads is low on oil. You should make sure to check the level of oil in your car every month. After you have checked it (see oil check), you might need to top it up. How you do this is by removing the engine-oil cap. We would recommend that each time you top up the oil, try and use the same brand name and make every time. Add a little oil into the engine and then wait one minute for it to settle inside. Re-check your dipstick, and add accordingly if it is not at the correct level, and requires more. When the level is correct, screw the cap back on and make sure you have slotted the dipstick back in place. You should not have to replace oil frequently. If you do, the engine could be leaking.
3) Radiator coolant is a mixture of water and coolant that is pumped around the engine and cools it with the help of the radiator. To check the coolant level you will have to find the reservoir where the water/coolant mixture is stored and dropped in. When you find the reservoir, next you will have to see if it is at the correct level. On the outside of the reservoir there will be wither a line or two lines indicating what level the coolant should be at. If there is only one line, the level should be at the line. If there are two lines the level of liquid coolant mixture should be between the lines. If it is even slightly below the lines we suggest you top it up straight away. You will obviously have to purchase some coolant first. You will have to mix it with water, at a ratio of 50% water, 50% coolant. Remove the reservoir cap and add the mix accordingly.
4) Power steering fluid Before checking your power steering fluid, you should run the car first for a few minutes to warm up the engine. Make sure as always that it is parked on level ground to gain an accurate reading. Turn the engine off. Again open up your bonnet and find where the power steering fluid reservoir is located. Remove the reservoir cap, which will usually have a small dipstick attached to it. Using the dipstick check the level of fluid. The level should be within the range indicated on your stick. Top up the fluid using whatever type is recommended in your cars owner's manual.
5) Brake Fluid; In similar fashion to the radiator coolant reservoir, there is a brake fluid reservoir and it has a marker to show how much fluid should be in the braking system. To check the brake fluid level, refer to this marker and top up accordingly. On the reservoir cap, a marking will read out either DOT 3 or DOT 4. What is written on the cap is the type of brake fluid you will have to use. When buying the fluid, ask for the DOT that your car requires. Again, top up the fluid accordingly. Check around the brake disc area of the wheels for signs of leaking fluid after putting the fluid in.
6) Window washer fluid is something that we all should have changed at least once in our motoring lives. Window washer fluid, as suggested by its name is used to wash the windscreen and is a mixture of mainly water and washer fluid. The windscreen washer bottle should prove the easiest part to locate beneath the bonnet. It generally will have a marking similar to that in the picture.
Note: Location of the above discussed applications will differ with different car manufacturers and models. The above engine picture should help you to locate them.
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