How to care for your vehicle

Simple habits that keep a used car reliable: servicing, tyres, fluids, and what the Highveld does to a car.

A pre-owned car stays dependable when the small jobs are done on time. You do not need a workshop at home. You need a routine.

Follow the service schedule in the book, or every 10 000 to 15 000 km if the book is missing. An oil and filter change is the job that protects the engine. If the car has a timing belt, ask when it was last replaced before you assume it can wait.

Check the coolant, brake fluid, and screen wash once a month with the engine cold. Topping up coolant with plain water every week usually means a leak. Have that looked at before a long trip.

Tyres tell you a lot. Look for uneven wear, cracks in the sidewall, and tread that is close to the wear bars. Pressures should be set cold, to the sticker in the door, not to whatever the pump at the garage suggests for every car. In Pretoria, hot tar and long highway runs punish underinflated tyres.

Wash the car, including the underside if you have been on dirt or through winter road treatment. Leaves in the scuttle and blocked drains are a common reason water ends up in the cabin. Replace wiper blades when they smear.

Keep a spare key, the service invoices, and the spare wheel or repair kit in the car. The next buyer, and your insurer, will ask for them.