Haynes seriously useful info

The Seriously useful info series

Although many car owners believe that modern cars are too complicated for them to work on, this is not so. Routine tasks can be done by anybody - if they know what they are doing.

With the Seriously Useful Info series, our mission is to give you a greater understanding of your car and provide you with essential tips, advice and tasks that will aid trouble-free motoring. For example: how to check tyres and engine fluids, replace wiper blades, light bulbs and spark plugs, how to conduct a pre-MOT test check and what to do before taking your car on holiday or abroad.

Links to the other Seriously Useful Info features appear at the bottom of this page.

Haynes Step-by-Step Oil Check

One of the simplest weekly checks on your car could be very expensive if you ignore it. Yet research by oil company Comma showed that 60% of motorists only do it every two months and 10% not at all.

Checking the engine oil level is one of the many simple tasks covered in detail in Haynes Manuals and you shouldn't wait two months(or until the warning light comes on!) - see below for how to check the oil level. There are other simple weekly checks explained in Haynes Manuals - coolant, brake and power steering fluid levels, washer fluid top-up, tyre pressures, wiper blades and lights. Just a couple of minutes checking these things could save you from a breakdown or an on-the-spot fine.

Oil Check

Make sure your car is on level ground
Check the level before the car is driven, or at least five minutes after the engine has been switched off (to avoid a false reading)
Open the bonnet and withdraw the dipstick from its tube (the owner's handbook or the Haynes manual for your vehicle will show where it is located)
Using a clean rag or paper towel, wipe the oil from the dipstick
Insert the clean dipstick back into the tube as far as it will go and then withdraw it again. Note the oil level on the dipstick: it should be between the MAX and MIN marks (for details of the marks see your handbook or manual)
If the level is below or only slightly above the MIN mark, topping up is required. The Haynes Manual will show you how to do this and with what specification of oil.

More complex tasks are covered too. A Haynes Manual will show you how to replace or even rebuild the engine ? which is what you might have to do if you neglect the oil level.

For more advice on model-specific procedures, please refer to the appropriate Haynes Service and Repair Manual. Haynes Manuals are available from this website and all good car accessory retailers and bookshops including: Halfords, Motor World and WH Smith. Please use our comprehensive Stockist Locator in the left margin of this page.

Seriously useful info features....

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