Around the world, different countries impose different regulations on vehicle owners relating to legal car safety checks. In the UK, for example, yearly testing is obligatory – any car that fails the standard MOT test for road worthiness is not permitted to be used on the roads until the required fixes have been implemented. In America, matters are not as clear, as each state has different rules. That being said, taking your car into the garage for any repair work can result in surprise bills – that’s why vehicle checks that you can do at home can save you money.
Firstly, one of the main reasons for needing to take your car or motorbike into the garage is for repair work following an accident. If this is the case, you may need to speak to a car accident attorney or a motorcycle accident attorney.
Check your screen wash
This seems like a small check. But think about it. If you live in an area where you generally receive nothing but sunshine for the vast majority of the year, you may not need to use your screen wash for weeks or even months at a time. This means that the mechanism could have long since broken or could have become blocked, meaning when you need your screen wash in an emergency, you may not be able to clean your windscreen. The garage will find these issues, and will likely try to sell goods or services that you do not need, such as a replacement screen wash system.
Check your horn
Similar to the reasons stated above, you may not know that your largely unused horn is broken until you need it in an emergency only to find that your horn sound is missing. Checking and replacing your brakes is a task that should really be left to professionals, and depending on your level of skill you may find that replacing your headlights is a task too far. But checking your horn and potentially replacing a broken horn is a task that you can reasonably take on yourself. Sure, you may need to watch a YouTube video or two, and read the instructions on your new model, but this is all your own time, not a mechanic’s time, saving you money.
Upkeep of the general maintenance of your vehicle should be regularly reviewed to prevents accidents and to avoid more costly fixes further down the line.