- \n
- Change the wiper blades. <\/strong>Wipers wear out over time and when they do, they don\u2019t do quite as good a job of removing rain, etc. from your windscreen. You do not want to find out that they aren\u2019t removing everything when you\u2019re driving behind a heavy truck on a rainy day and the truck spins up the contents of a muddy puddle all over your windscreen.\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dc6ca2d41a53f72659efce424f46f36a109c56e4670ab1b147c2672709e8f6bc.jpg\")
If you can relate to this, you need new wiper blades.<\/p><\/div><\/li>\n
- Top up the fluid in the windscreen washer reservoir.<\/strong> Related to the previous task, if you need to wash a splattered insect off the middle of your field of vision, then you\u2019ll need to have something in that little tank.\u00a0 You can use a proprietary product designed for washing windows, water with a splodge of dishwashing detergent in it or just plain water, depending on your fancy.\u00a0 Just make sure that something is in there.<\/li>\n
- Clean the inside of the windscreen.<\/strong> The inside of your windscreen might look clean but it can accumulate a fair amount of grime from whatever mysterious source it comes from. Unlike the outside of your windscreen, which gets regular washes and can be cleaned with the click of your wiper switch, the inside gets overlooked. However, all that mystery gunge will show up very strongly and will interfere with your ability to see the road when the sun strikes it at the right angle, which often happens in winter. The best way to remove that annoying film of whatever-it-is is with a soft cloth, either a proper chamois or a microfibre cloth or even an old cotton T-shirt. Don\u2019t use wet wipes or anything that will leave a residue. Yes, I have made this mistake in the past.<\/li>\n
- Make sure the spare tyre is in good condition.<\/strong> So you got a flat tyre a few weeks ago and had to change the tyre. However, what with the demands of daily life, it\u2019s easy to make the mistake of just keeping on driving and forgetting that the tyre you put into the compartment under the boot (or on the back of your 4×4) is flat as a tortilla.\u00a0 Best get it seen to ASAP so you don\u2019t get caught out. Even if you haven\u2019t had to change a tyre recently, then you should still keep an eye on that spare tyre to make sure that it is ready for you if you do get a puncture.<\/li>\n
- Put a first aid kit in the glovebox.<\/strong> Even if you don\u2019t get into a ding of some sort, you never want to be without a first aid kit, especially if you do a fair bit of driving on rural roads like I do.\u00a0 If your main driving takes the form of Mum\u2019s Taxi Service, then having a few sticking plasters, bandages, disinfectant, tweezers and paracetamol tablets handy will be useful now and again.<\/li>\n
- Take the collection of second-hand clothes to the charity shop. <\/strong>Every kilo of extra clobber in the boot or on the back seat is an extra kilo that your engine has to work to shift. To improve your fuel economy, better actually drop that bag of old shoes and clothes into one of those bins or at the shop door itself. \u00a0The same principle applies to all the other odds and ends that accumulate inside the luggage compartments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
No procrastination now!\u00a0 These might seem like small jobs but a lot of them are important to ensure that you can drive safely.<\/p>\n
- Top up the fluid in the windscreen washer reservoir.<\/strong> Related to the previous task, if you need to wash a splattered insect off the middle of your field of vision, then you\u2019ll need to have something in that little tank.\u00a0 You can use a proprietary product designed for washing windows, water with a splodge of dishwashing detergent in it or just plain water, depending on your fancy.\u00a0 Just make sure that something is in there.<\/li>\n