Cars require a lot of maintenance and a large chunk of it that you can do yourself is regularly checking your vehicles fluids and change when needed. Fluids are essential to the safe and efficient running of your vehicle, if any are running low – you’ll soon break down.

If you can lift your bonnet, you can check and change your fluids.

These regular checks will keep your car running smoothly and your repair costs down.

Vehicles fluids you should check and change

Engine oil

Everyone should know how to check engine oil levels. Under the bonnet, find your dipstick, pull it out, wipe and repeat; you’ll see your oil level. If the oil level is in the safe zone then you can continue on your trip, if it’s low then you need to add more. If you notice your car chugging through oil it is worth going to the mechanic. As a general rule of thumb, you should change your car’s oil every 5000km or 6 months, whichever comes first.

Coolant

Coolant keeps your cars radiator and cooling elements, cool! If you run low on coolant your car is at serious risk of overheating. To check, remove the radiator cap when the car is cool and look inside. You should see the line where the coolant should be filled to, if it’s low, you can top it up, as long as it’s the same type of coolant already in the car.

Brake fluid

Brake fluid shouldn’t ever run out as it’s part of a closed system, however it should still be checked to ensure its clean. If your brakes ever feel off then checking the fluid is the first step. Brake fluid should always be checked when the oil is changed, or every two years. It should be golden in colour; if its closer to brown then it’s time to change.

Just because you can change or top-up vehicles fluids yourself; doesn’t mean you should! If you aren’t confident or don’t know your coolant from your brake fluid, it is best to leave this in the hands of the professionals such as Red Devil Radiators.