Spring clean your car!!!

Now is an ideal time to declutter your car and prepare it for more adventurous driving now the warmer weather is here to stay (hopefully!) Over the winter you may have carried additional equipment and clothing to cater for the worst that the bad weather can bring, throw out any winter equipment like your shovels, tyre chains, de-icer, mats etc; A good spring clean of your boot will make you car lighter and use less fuel.

Now may also be the best time time to get your car serviced as well, apart from the usual oil and filters changed, consider the little items like the air pollen filter, and have the garage check your air conditioning refrigerant levels, as the pressure can lower over time, so lowering the effectiveness of your whole air conditioning system.

Whilst its always a good idea to keep your car clean, dont forget that a more thorough under-car wash may help to wipe off all that salt and debris that has clung to the underneath of your car all winter, and now it will just assist in helping to promote rust.

Also consider looking at your radiator, sometimes debris can get into the vanes and effect the air circulation, at the same time, make sure that the coolant contains sufficient strength anti-freeze, which also protects your car in summer by chemically preventing sludge and rust build up

Clean all your windows inside and out, helped by a little vinegar to remove residues. Any chips or cracks need to be attended to by a reputable windscreen replacement company, or your local trustworthy garage to prevent them increasing in size and requiring a windscreen replacement.

Finally, check your tyres, they are the responsible for the grip on the road when braking, steering and acclerating, and all this through a patch of contact no bigger than a mans sole! Check each tyre to ensure its legal, thats means more than sufficient legal tread depth(1.6mm) around the entire circumference of the tyre with visible tread pattern showing on the remainder.

Any cuts tears or bulges need to be inspected by a reputable tyre dealer or garage. The law states that tyres must be at the correct pressure, this is the one reccomended by the manufacturer of your vehicle and for its loading. Anything more than ten percent over or below, must be corrected, as each tyre defect could cost you three penalty points, that could mean the loss of your licence in one fell swoop if you have seriously neglected all four tyre checks.

It has been noted that more tyre damage is coming to light involving the inner wall of the tyre, which is almost impossible to check unless you remove the wheel, it is likely that road humps may be the cause of this rising phenomenom.