While health and safety protocols are being strictly implemented and everyone is encouraged to stay at home, this means that you and, to an extent, personal objects like your vehicle, even if you only use it for “less-than-an-hour-long” drives to nearby destinations, are still susceptible to certain safety threats.
So how can you ensure health and road safety at this time? Here are a few tips:
Regular Disinfection
For vehicles that have been used frequently for work or other pressing matters, one way to keep you, your car, and others who use it safe from contagious diseases is to regularly sanitize common touchpoints.
These include the door handles, trunk opener, hood opener, and wheels for the exterior; arm rests and attached controls, shift lever, seats, and floor mats for the interior; and the steering wheel, audio panel, and dash surface for the dashboard.
Regularly sanitize common touchpoints such as the steering wheel, audio panel, and dash surface.
Check your tires
Regardless if you’ve been driving regularly or if your vehicle has been sidelined for months, there are parts of your vehicle that you constantly have to monitor to ensure prime performance and road safety.
Among these, the easiest to inspect and monitor are your tires. Always make sure that your tires have the right air pressure and are free from cracks and punctures to prevent potential road accidents. Also, don’t forget to check on your tire thread and lifespan. On average, a tire will last between three to six years on normal usage.
For your correct tire pressure, refer to the CAUTION PLATE TIRE PRESSURE located the left center pillar of your car.
Monitor your battery
Another part of your car that you can easily check and take care of is your battery. Be sure to regularly keep an eye out for your battery levels manually, under the hood, and see if you’ll need to add water. Check the battery terminals and clamps if they are properly secured and free from white rust.
Think that your battery should be okay because you haven’t used your car in a while? Car batteries actually lose their charge when unused for a long time. To prevent your battery from draining, start your engine at least once every two weeks or take your car for a safe spin every day for about 30 minutes.
Remember BLOWBAG
Besides the battery and the tires, to ensure that your car is in good condition, remember the rest of your “BLOWBAG” (Battery, Light, Oil, Water, Breaks, Air, Gas) checklist. Make sure that all these parts are working properly, or better yet, have an expert examine them.
For fluids like water and oil, be sure to have all these checked on a regular basis. Also, do not forget to always leave gas in the tank.
Bring it in for maintenance
If most of the items on your BLOWBAG checklist are not functioning properly or if your vehicle generally doesn’t feel okay to drive, then it’s probably time to bring it in for maintenance and repairs.
Just make sure to have it maintained and repaired by your car’s respective dealerships so that you get the best car parts and topnotch service that will ultimately