Introducing The Ultimate Guide To Car Maintenance

Think you’ve got a problem with your car? Here’s a new, handy interactive resource to help you to diagnose what’s wrong.

How confident are you when it comes to maintaining your car? Not very? It won’t surprise you to learn that you’re not alone.

Research from Gocompare, for example, has shown that:

• Under half (49%) of drivers know how to change a tire (tyre).
• Just 56% know the recommended tire pressure for their car.
• Only 21% of motorists walk around their vehicle and do basic checks on it before setting off on a trip.
• Only 66% of drivers have their vehicle regularly serviced.

Perhaps it’s not all that surprising — modern cars are so safe and reliable it’s little wonder many of us have no idea how to perform simple maintenance tasks on them. But actually knowing how to carry out basic car checks is one of the best ways to keep your car in ship-shape and roadworthy — and, having a little in-depth knowledge will really help if you break down unexpectedly on the motorway.

Ultimate guide to car maintenance

Thankfully, help is at hand. If you don’t know your car jack from your tire pump, take a look at the Ultimate Guide To Car Maintenance, developed by the experts at car repair comparison website Who Can Fix My Car.

The in-depth, clickable resource covers many common car maintenance hiccups, plus how-to guides for more challenging problems, all packed with expertise from mechanics. If you want to know about low tire pressure, fix your windscreen wipers, or change a spark plug, you’ve come to the right place.

In a nutshell:

• Information about more than 20 common car problems
• 5 in-depth resource sections
• Advice and insight from mechanics across the country — as well as their favourite driving songs!

Expert mechanics

Mark Lowe, MS Autos, Bournemouth

Drew Irvine, Thomsons Auto Centre, East Kilbride

Shajib Haque, Fastlane Station, Milton Keynes

Patrick Patel, Automotive Components Specialist, Enfield

How to use the guide

After clicking Start, just move your mouse around the car until you find a problem relevant to you. Whether it’s something under the bonnet or a problem with the tires, get the symptoms of each problem and what to do about it.

At the bottom of the screen you’ll see 5 how-to guides — these are a little more in-depth, going into more detail about each problem. Find out the tools you need to do the job, read the step-by-step walkthrough and get some key dos and don’ts. Each section — from how to change your car’s tire to how to change your car’s spark plugs to how to change the battery — is brought to you by professional mechanics on the database, so you can be assured that you’re getting top-notch advice from leading professionals.

Diagnose the problem, get it fixed, and get back on the road!

It’s important to note that if you’re not confident with performing a fix properly or if you run into any difficulty, make sure to contact a local mechanic for help.

Here’s a few titbits from the guide:

• As we’re approaching winter, check you car’s tires are at the right pressure — this will help with grip on the roads.
• Check your fluid levels every 2 months.
• Check your lights regularly, particularly in the winter months.

“We spoke to our network of mechanics to get their advice on how best to fix some common car problems,” said Alex Rose, Who Can Fix My Car’s marketing director.

“It’s important to keep on top of your car — performing simple maintenance checks regularly and knowing how to fix some common problems keeps your car in check and gives you peace of mind.”

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