How to notice a coolant leak from your vehicle

Cars can be very prone to coolant leaks, and it is one of the most common issues a driver may face with a vehicle. Coolant leaks can be a nightmare as often you don’t realise that you have one until it is too late, and your car starts to overheat.

During the summer months, the vehicle’s engine relies a lot upon the coolant system working to prevent it from overheating and this can very quickly become disrupted if there is a leak in the pipes or a damaged radiator. Radiators are often quite easy to damage. Often if you hit a bird or small animal on the road, you may find that it has damaged your radiator and caused it to leak.

If you suspect a leak then you need to investigate it, ideally before driving anywhere. Nine out of ten times, coolant leaks are easy to find because the coolant can be seen dripping or spraying from the affected area and if you park your car in your garage, there is often a tell tail sign on your garage floor. Some cars have a low level coolant warning light which will come on to tell you the car is running low. It is important to never ignore this light. If your car has a temperature gauge, then you should keep an eye on it and make sure it never rises above the normal into the red area.

If you suspect, you have a leak then the first thing you need to do is have a good look under the vehicle to see where the coolant is leaking from.

Pre-MOT tests could save you money

Some car garages offer a service that could mean that the cost of getting your vehicle through the MOT is reduced. A pre-MOT check may highlight minor faults that can be rectified either by the driver or by a car parts dealership. These faults may include things like defective windscreen wipers, or washers, number plate lights or other vehicle lights that are not working and tyres that are not within the legal limits for tread depth.

Having this pre-MOT check can also give the driver the opportunity to shop around for the best price for getting any work done on the vehicle or to order the parts themselves and do the work at home. If the check indicates that the brakes are wearing on the vehicle, replacing brake disks and pads are a simple job that can be attempted by someone with some knowledge of car mechanics and works out a lot cheaper than having the job done in the garage.

If the pre-MOT reveals a serious issue with the vehicle then it is unwise to continue to drive it until the issues are remedied as this could result in an accident but once aware of the problem steps can be taken immediately to rectify it before the MOT itself.

How can I protect my car from theft and vandalism?

Off street parking is one of the best ways to protect your car from vandalism and theft however that is not always possible and with over 24% of properties in the UK not having access to off street parking other measures need to be considered.

Camera surveillance in the area where you park your car can be very useful as it not only acts as a deterrent but also could capture suspicious activity alerting you to a problem and providing evidence if needs be to the police. This sort of surveillance needs to be quite high quality to be of use though and this can be very costly. If a CCTV system is out of your price range you could instead purchase some warning stickers for the vehicle to simply act as a deterrent to passers-by.

Another option could be using anti-theft devices such as a steering wheel or handbrake lock. These are bright yellow so are easily seen and mean that a thief cannot drive your vehicle. There are many of these widely available in stores and online with varying levels of cost.  

Many thefts for vehicles occur from valuable articles in the car being left on display. This may be things such as a sat nav system, mobile phone, loose change or handbags. These items can be easily stolen and sold on so are very tempting for thieves to take. Always ensure you check you have removed or hidden any valuables before you leave your vehicle.

Don’t get caught out by the new rules regarding mobile phones and driving

From the 25th March 2022 a new rule comes in to force that means motorists are breaking the law if they use a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel for any use. This includes uses such as making a call, scrolling through play lists to pick a song, taking a picture or a video and should tie up previous loop holes that meant some people were able to get away without a conviction in the past.

This new rule will see drivers hit with a thousand pound fine and up to 6 months on their license. They could also receive a ban from driving.

Although these rules may sound harsh, they have been put in place to protect motorists and pedestrians who all too often fall victim to someone using a mobile phone. There are going to be a number of campaigns hitting our screens over the next few weeks showing the danger of using a mobile device and how passengers can help by offering to do something for the drive instead.

This zero tolerance approach will see many motorists caught out but there really is no excuse as to why you should be holding your mobile in your hand whilst driving.

Is your electric car really saving you money?

Many more people are considering purchasing an electric car as we seek to eliminate vehicle emissions and improve air quality in our towns and cities. Avoiding the high price of fuel when filling up a petrol or diesel car should see your running costs plummet, but it is important to consider the costs of keeping your electric cars battery topped up and whether in fact this adds up to more than refuelling.

Charging your EV at home is the cheapest option and if this is your usual mode of charging it will undoubtedly be less expensive however the problem occurs if you have to regularly charge away from home as some chargers are very expensive.

Just as you have fuel thirsty vehicles there are electricity thirsty vehicles out there and if you have one of these models it could be that you will need to keep the car for longer than three years in order to recoup the initial costs of buying an EV.

It is a little known fact that electric vehicles do not score highly on reliability tests which can impact on repair bills however some good news for EV owners is that usually they are cheaper to insure due to their lack of mechanical parts and their lower risk of being stolen.

Are dashcams the must have car accessory?

In the blame and claim society in which we live having video evidence of traffic incidents is useful if there are disputes about an accident. Dashcam footage is now accepted as evidence by the police and courts which leads to the conclusion that it is an important accessory to have in the vehicle.

Some new vehicles come with factory fitted dash cameras with some having front and rear devices. This is excellent as they cannot be easily stolen if the car is broken into, and they are factory wired into the car system doing away with the issue of routing leads around the car.

It is a good idea to get used to the dashcams settings before use as they differ greatly in their functions. Some cheaper versions do not record footage in a loop which means that after a period of time the card will need to be reformatted to give space for recordings. Notice especially the function to lock footage so that in the event of an accident or near miss the footage will not be lost or recorded over.

Many dashcams have a parking function so that should your vehicle get bumped when you are away from it the dashcam will record motion around the car capturing vital evidence if the car is damaged.

Doing your winter checks on your car

The cold weather has definitely started to set in now and if you haven’t already you need to be sure that you carry out some checks on your car to make sure that it is ready for the bad weather. There are some basic checks that you need to do all year round and others than may only be needed in the winter.

Firstly, always check your tyres. Ideally give them a quick glance before you set off on any journey but especially if you are going on a longer journey. Tyres should be inflated correctly, free from damage and plenty of tread left on them. Do not be tempted to over inflate your tyres as this will mean you have less grip.

Water washer fluid is something else that should be checked on a regular basis. You need to make sure that it is kept topped up as you will probably have to use a lot of it during the colder months. When the roads get gritted, the salt then leaves a white residue on window screens. This can quickly cover the screen making it very hard to see where you are going.

Make sure that you keep some essentials in your car at all times such as a blanket, snow shovel (fold up) if possible and some basic long life food and a bottle of water in case the worse should happen and you find yourself stranded.

Should you take out a hire vehicle when on holiday

If you are going abroad on holiday then you may consider whether or not you should hire a vehicle.

You may even decide to hire a vehicle if you are staying in this country if you feel your current vehicle is not suitable in terms of size, you are worried about its reliability or you have a camper van and don’t want to have to move it once it is parked upon your pitch.

When hiring a car you do need to shop around for the best price. You may find that larger companies can offer the cars at a better discount than independent ones. Yu will also find that some national companies allow you to leave cars at a different branch to the one you collected them from which can come in use in certain situations. You need to think about what size car you need as hire cars are often priced according to size. Try and hire the smallest car you can get away with to keep the costs low. Often the longer you hire the car for the cheaper you will get it per day.

All hire cars have an excess which will need to be paid should the car get damaged. Most hire companies will offer you an excess wavier which allows you to pay a higher charge per day or a one-off fee to scrap the excess. This can often be a good thing to take out as it gives you peace of mind.

What is your dream car?

To you, a car may simply be a place to get you from A to B. Often people who have a passion for cars has a good idea of what they would like to own later on in life. This may be anything from a modern Bugatti to a classic Rolls Royce. IT may be that you think of a Ferrairi when you think of a top end car but it is not only speed and handling that comes into play was the prices go up. Luxury is often a big selling point when it comes to cars. This is often why these cars lose value, as people can afford to buy them but not to maintain them. Another factor is the insurance on these types of cars is often quite high and because of issues with emissions you may also find that you are stung on the road tax.

You may think that sports cars are always expensive and that you could not possibly afford one, but many of the modern sports cars do not hold their value as much as their current owners would like. Cars like this often will lose value very quickly and make them much more affordable but you can expect to spend quite a lot on fuel, repairs and running costs. It may be that the car has had a few different owners over the past few years

Are your brakes squeaking?

Brakes are a very major component of the vehicles safety system. Although brakes are checked when the car goes in for an MOT and often when it goes in for a service too, they can fail at any time. IT may be that the brake pads have been worn down too low of that the disks are pitted or corroded and need replacing. This are not usually big jobs but cans still be costly if the vehicle is taken to a garage. You may be able to change the disks and/or pads yourself, but be sure that you fell confident to do so before stripping the vehicle down.

So why are your brakes squeaking but do not need to be changed? This of often cause by the quality of the bake pads that are fitted on the vehicle. Higher quality break pads will have copper inside them to prevent that awful squeal noise you hear when applying the brakes but because these are more expensive, they may not be fitted by the garage.

If you notice this noise happening a lot then you need to take the car in to a local garage to ask them to check what it is that could be causing it.