Author: Simon Pavey

Keeping on top of the maintenance of your vehicle should be a top priority for every driver. This means carrying out some regular checks to ensure everything is in good working order and functioning as it should.

One area to pay attention to is the pressure of your vehicle’s tyres, as improperly inflated tyres can not only impact the efficiency of your vehicle, they can even pose a risk to safety if left unchecked for too long.

Why is tyre pressure so important?

Ideally, you should be checking the state of your vehicle’s tyres before embarking on every journey. However, when it comes to measuring tyre pressures, it’s understandable if this isn’t done for every trip.

Most new cars will have automatic detection if your tyre pressures begin to fall, but for older models you will have to check them manually and this is recommended every week.

To do so, remove the tyre valve dust cap and attach a pressure gauge. Refer to your vehicle’s manual for recommended tyre pressures and adjust them accordingly. Make sure to check all tyres in this manner.

Furthermore, remember to bear in mind that the outside temperature can affect the pressure of your tyres. In cold temperatures they will fall and during periods of high temperature, they can increase.

What are the dangers of poor tyre maintenance?

When you fail to keep an eye on the state of your tyres, you run the risk of suffering a serious accident. Improperly inflated tyres can affect the handling of your vehicle and issues like a slow puncture can lead to a blowout.

As such, it’s not just ensuring that your tyres are inflated to the proper psi that should be a priority, you should also be looking at them regularly to ensure they are in a satisfactory condition to work safely and well.

This means regularly carrying out a visual inspection of the full circumference of each tyre and looking for any signs of excessive wear and tyre, lumps, breaks in the tyre’s surface or anything else out of the ordinary.

Remember that the legal minimum tread depth for tyres in the UK stands at 1.6 mm and this depth should span the full circumference of the tyre. You can check this easily by inserting a 20p piece into the tread of each tyre, and if the outer band surrounding the coin is obscured, then the tyre is fine to continue to be used.

MyService.Expert offers a nationwide network of garages where drivers can take their vehicles for a regular check-up. We offer discounts on all parts and labour, so keeping your vehicle in a good condition won’t have to cost you a fortune.

Keeping on top of the maintenance of your vehicles should be a top priority for all owners and operators. Failing to spot the early signs of wear and tear or any potential issues can prove highly costly in the long run.

As a result, fleet operators should have a checklist of all the common issues that can arise with their vehicles, and they should be taking the time to go through this list of essential checks with drivers and those who look after the wellbeing of their fleet.

What should your checklist include?

Key to keeping your vehicles in prime condition is the acronym FLOWER, which stands for:

• Fuel: Always ensure you have sufficient fuel to complete your journeys, or factor in pit stops to fill up on the way. Running out of fuel – or putting the wrong type of fuel into an engine – can cause serious and sometimes irreversible damage.
• Lights: All lights should illuminate correctly to ensure proper visibility both for the driver and for other road users. Check that headlights work and are correctly positioned, while reversing lights and signals must also be fully functional.
• Oil: Failure to maintain the proper oil level in the engine can cause considerable damage, so check this regularly. The average car will consume up to one litre of oil for every 1,000 miles travelled, so always keep an eye on it.
• Water: Cooling is important to ensure your engine does not overheat, so top up water levels often. If you notice that the level drops fairly rapidly after filling, this could be a sign of a leak and should be investigated further.
• Electrics: Battery issues are the number one cause of breakdowns in the UK, so check it regularly to ensure it is in good working order and charging properly. Flat batteries can be a real headache for drivers, so it pays to carry a set of jump leads in your vehicle at all times.
• Rubber: Your vehicle’s tyres are one of the most important parts of the vehicle. They provide all the grip your vehicle has for handling, braking and staying under the driver’s control. As such, check them regularly for signs of wear and tear, ensuring the tyre tread depth is above the legal minimum of 1.6 mm.

How often should you be carrying out checks?

Our best advice is to ensure regular maintenance checks are carried out on every vehicle within your fleet and this means assessing things like the state of tyres, that all lights are functioning correctly and that water/fluid levels are topped up every time you take a journey.

That said, fleet operators should be carrying out a more in-depth service of their vehicles in line with their manufacturer’s recommendations. In most cases, this equates to around every 12,000 miles or once a year, although there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to vehicle servicing.

A good rule of thumb is to keep an up-to-date log of all vehicle mileage; the more miles they cover, the more often they will need to be serviced.

At MyService.Expert, we offer access to a nationwide network of garages and mechanics who are highly skilled in spotting the early signs of wear and tear and who can make all the difference in prolonging the longevity of your vehicles’ wellbeing.

Sign up to our service and you’ll also enjoy fantastic savings on parts and labour, making the upkeep of your fleet that much more affordable in the long-term.

If you want to start saving your diesel & petrol bills, then look no further than Fuel Card Services. Get in touch with our team today and see what we can do for you.