Essential checks to be made to your car during the summer holidays

At this time of year, the roads of Britain are busier than ever. Our cars are travelling further distances and are being frequently used, and it’s not difficult to see why. The summer holidays mean that the kids are off school and families are spending a lot of time out and about.

Our cars become workhorses over a six-week period which means that there is more strain and pressure built up for a car’s mechanical components.

Keeping your car in tip-top condition is essential for its overall condition and, with a new school term looming, this summer break provides an ideal period in which to give your car a good going-over. We’ve picked out some of the top checks to make.

Check your tyres

One of the most important safety checks is to inspect the condition, wear, and age of your tyres.

If they are old, they will be hard and cracks will start forming around the sidewall and in the tread depths, which could make them more susceptible to blowing out. Always look for nails, and cuts in the rubber and measure the tyre tread. The legal tread depth requirement in the UK is 1.6mm, anything lower than that not only is illegal and an MOT failure, but it severely affects your car’s wet-weather handling.

Test the air-conditioning

It may not be as important as checking the rubber on your car, but on a hot day with kids and loads of luggage, you will want cool air blasting through the cabin. Quite often, September proves to be a warm month – so you’ll want this when you’re taking children to school, too.

Turn the car on and crank up the fan to its maximum speed with the air-conditioning on. Cold air should start coming through within a matter of moments, if it doesn’t, it could be a simple fix like just having the system re-gassed. However, if there is a leak, you could be looking at a new condenser which will cost a lot more money to fix.

Have your car serviced

Having your car serviced is a reassurance to everything regarding safety and maintenance. Before heading off on your travels – or starting the school run once again – book your car in for a full service.

A full service usually consists of an oil change with a new filter, an air filter replacement, spark plugs changed, brake fluid replaced and a general health and safety check all around the vehicle.

Test the battery

Every car comes with an auxiliary 12V battery. Without it, the car would not receive any electrical power needed for it to work. During hot weather, your car’s battery will be put to the test as it has to cope with a lot more functions such as the air-conditioning and if you leave the car sitting for a while with a system running – such as an interior light – it can go flat. However, if your battery is old and on the way out, its biggest issue is that it’ll struggle to get the engine going.

When giving the unit an electrical test, it should read anything between 10 to 12V, any reading below 10 will give you a clear indication that the battery needs replacing. You can ask a trained technician to do a battery test when you take it into a garage, too.

Don’t overload your vehicle

When packing the car, it is important that you don’t overload it because it could mean an accident could occur.

Before setting off, make sure that all your luggage is securely fastened in the boot and that nothing obstructs your view out the back window. If your car is overloaded, it will put a greater amount of kerb weight on. The car will take longer to stop in an emergency and will put extra strain on the engine, and suspension components and will make the fuel economy suffer as well.