{"id":596,"date":"2010-12-09T12:01:46","date_gmt":"2010-12-09T02:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/?p=596"},"modified":"2020-06-20T02:00:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T16:00:08","slug":"get-prepared-for-the-hols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/home\/get-prepared-for-the-hols\/","title":{"rendered":"Get prepared for the hols."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We don\u2019t like spending it, but if we don\u2019t we could be in for bigger bills around the corner.\u00a0 A little bit of money spent in maintaining your car is well worth the bother.\u00a0 With the school holidays around the corner, many of us will want to head away for a break.\u00a0 This usually means longer journeys in the car, and longer periods away from home and the normal routines we find ourselves performing on a weekly basis at work, varsity or school.<\/p>\n<p>If your car is nearly due for a service, don\u2019t hold off till after the holidays.\u00a0 Get it done now.\u00a0 If you regularly have your car checked over by the book, then you\u2019re sure to be fine. \u00a0Still, it could be worth having your mechanic check over your vehicle in readiness for your trip away.\u00a0 Getting the odd little thing fixed prior to the trip away is worth it in the end.\u00a0 So here are a few of the basic things you\u2019re going to need to get checked over on your car.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have the fluid levels checked.\u00a0 First check the engine oil on the dipstick, making sure that the level sits on or close to the full mark.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>With the engine cool, see if the engine coolant in the reservoir is between Full and Low.\u00a0 Top up if necessary.\u00a0 Now take the radiator cap off and check the coolant in the radiator itself.\u00a0 You should see the coolant sitting near the top.\u00a0 If not, top it up.\u00a0 If you think you are going through excessive coolant, definitely have your mechanic check over the coolant system for leaks.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The fluid level in the transmission needs to be checked, and it is often this one that is overlooked.\u00a0 Both the manual and the automatic transmission need the right level of fluid (and fluid that is not too old) to ensure that the gearbox is kept cool and lubricated.\u00a0 In most cases, the fluid level in the transmission should be checked after driving.<\/li>\n<li>Most cars now days have power steering.\u00a0 Ensure that the power steering fluid is at the right level.<\/li>\n<li>Neglect of brake fluid changes is a real problem.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t changed the brake fluid in the last two years, do have it checked out and replaced.\u00a0 Brake fluid picks up moisture easily and can cause corrosion in the internal surfaces \u2013 this is particularly nasty in ABS systems.<\/li>\n<li>Is your battery in good nick?\u00a0 Stopping your holiday in the middle of nowhere because your battery has died is extremely annoying.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Still on things electrical, your spark plugs are also important.\u00a0 Though modern ones last for a long time, they do have a use-by date. And if they are getting knackered, you best get a new set.<\/li>\n<li>Your cam belt needs to be changed religiously, so if this hasn\u2019t been done by the book, watch out \u2013 you have been warned!<\/li>\n<li>Auxiliary drive belts get worn and can break if they get too old and loose.\u00a0 Your mechanic will know if they need replacing after checking them over.<\/li>\n<li>Correct tyre tread and pressures are important.\u00a0 Do ensure that your tyres are in top order before setting off on holiday.\u00a0 It\u2019s a safety issue, too.<\/li>\n<li>Suspension and steering components need to be in good order.\u00a0 Again, this is a safety issue, and should not be forgotten or ignored.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having had your car inspected, serviced and repaired before the holiday now means that you can relax and prepare the fun stuff for the holiday ahead.\u00a0 The odds of you breaking down have just been greatly reduced.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/hood-up.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-597\" title=\"Car break down\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/hood-up-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/credit-n.ru\/offers-zaim\/moneza-online-zaym.html\" style=\"visibility: hidden;\">http:\/\/credit-n.ru\/offers-zaim\/moneza-online-zaym.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We don\u2019t like spending it, but if we don\u2019t we could be in for bigger bills around the corner.\u00a0 A little bit of money spent in maintaining your car is well worth the bother.\u00a0 With the school holidays around the corner, many of us will want to head away for a break.\u00a0 This usually means [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12528,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions\/12528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}