
As a new driver, you may still feel a bit apprehensive about joining UK roads. Your instructor will have prepared you well for the theory and practice of driving, but not so much on some aspects of car ownership – from handling accidents to basic maintenance.
Understanding your car can go a long way to building your confidence; with this in mind, the following three tasks are things you should know how to do, and knowing how to do them could make you a more confident driver in the long run.
Change a Tire
Knowing how to change a car tire is not merely the haunt of professional mechanics and at-home car enthusiasts. It is an essential skill that could save you time, money, and even your life in the right situation. Every car should have a spare tire in its boot already, but these can often be temporary tires unsuitable for continued use. As such, it can help to purchase a set of Michelin tires, in order to ensure you have a standard tire with which to replace your flat or blown-out one.
Changing a tire is also an extremely simple process, that simply requires a little diligence to ensure you are carrying out your replacement safely. All you need to do is lift your car with a car jack, positioned under the chassis jack anchor point closest to the dead tire. With the handbrake engaged and chocks in front of the tires, lift the car, then remove the dead tire by unscrewing its four lug nuts. With the old tire removed and the new tire installed, you can lower your vehicle – and you’re done.
Perform a Jump-Start
Another crucial skill you should know how to perform is that of the jump-start, which may be necessary if your car battery dies either on your driveway or while you are out and about. A jump-start essentially ‘borrows’ the charge from a battery in another vehicle, sparking the engine and enabling your dead battery to recover enough charge from the engine’s alternator for you to carry on.
The classic jump-start involves creating a circuit between your dead battery and another car’s working battery. The positive terminal of the working battery is connected to the positive of the dead battery, and the negative terminal of the working battery is connected to the ground via the chassis. Leave them connected for three minutes, then turn the working car’s ignition. After this, turn your car’s ignition and let them both idle for ten minutes. Your battery should have enough charge to start on its own now.
Check Your Oil
Your car’s oil is vital to its continued safe running. Its chief purpose is to lubricate the moving parts of your engine, to prevent friction and the engine stress that results. Oil can also go some way to regulating the transfer of heat between moving parts. As oil ages and depletes, your engine becomes less lubricated, leading to decreased fuel efficiency and the increased likelihood of a major fault developing.
Checking your oil is as simple as lifting the bonnet, and using the dipstick in the oil intake – easily identified by a bright pull handle. First, pull it out and wipe any excess oil off it. Then, slowly and firmly reinsert it into the oil. Pulling it back out slowly should reveal a tidemark where the oil reaches the dipstick. If this tidemark falls below the lower bounds of the ‘safe’ markings, you need to top your oil up.