Highway Driving School for Lessons in Aldershot,Farnham,Farnborough,Guildford car safety and maintenance 1

The engine coolant (water and antifreeze mix) in the header tank gets very hot !!
if you are foolish enough open it when the engine has been running it will scald you.

Checking the screenwash is a visual check
The wash bottle on the mini holds several litres of screenwash (water and screenwash)
The screenwash is coloured so that the level can be easily seen through the transparent reservoir.

Water alone is not as effective to clean your windscreen and will freeze in the cold,
this can split the wash bottle reservoir.

It is vital that you keep your windscreen clean throughout your journey from flys and the dirty spray from other vehicle's tyres.
Without screenwash you will not be able to clear it, wipers without water/screenwash will leave your windscreen smeared and muddy. Any adverse lighting and it gets worse.
Keep your windscreen clear at all times.

With the engine running - test them.
Depress the brake pedal, it shouldn't feel soft and spongy, it should give some resistance.
You should not need to push pedal to the floor to make your brakes work.
It should hold you still if on a slope.
When you first move off test your brakes before you gain speed every day.
Better to realise while creeping the car at low speed than find a problem at speed or down a steep hill??
If your car pulls to one side as you apply your brakes at higher speed, you may have a brake pad problem on one side. If ANY PROBLEMS, consult someone quallified.

These are the most basic and absolutely essential
checks that every driver car owner must regularly
do to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy.

Failure to do so could be disastrous.
A yearly MOT test is not enough.

Please read through these pages and watch the film clips two short ones and a very old longer one.
Please watch all of them.
Check your friends and family's cars for roadworthiness.

On the side of the header tank reservoir you will find a maximum level mark and a minimum level mark.
When parked on level ground your engine coolant should be topped up to the maximum marker line.
Engine coolant is water and antifreeze mix.
In winter without sufficient antifreeze to water ratio your pipes and header tank can split as ice expands.
If your engine overheats it could be very expensive, warning lights and gauges on your dashboard may warn you that you have a problem but by then a breakdown may be imminent.
If your engine has overheated let it cool down before opening the pressurised cap.

Check the brake fluid level is between the minimum and maximum markers on the side of the reservoir ideally near to the max marker when parked on the level and engine off. Top up with brake fluid if necessary.
Do not let any brake fluid drip onto your paintwork it is like paintstripper !
Keep to the same one your car manufacturer recommends.

If the level is low top up with oil.
Remove the oil filler cap and add a little oil at a time - re-dip and repeat.
Do not over fill.
The markers on this car are one litre apart, so try only 200ml at a time if only marginally low.

Learn to drive with one of the premier driving schools in a Mini Cooper we can offer intensive courses or hourly driving lessons.
Book your driving lessons with Highway driving school today. Our instructors cover Ash, Ash vale, Ash Green, Aldershot, Alton, Bordon, Blackwater, Camberley, Deepcut, Elstead, Farnham, Farnborough, Fleet, Frensham, Frimley, Frimley Green, Farncombe, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere, Liphook, Northcamp, Sandhurst, Tongham, Yateley and surrounding areas.