Reduce Your Driving Costs
Set Yourself a Routine
BEFORE YOU SET OFF each day the first
thing you should do is lift the bonnet and check your levels.
All vehicles are fitted with a plastic type header water tank
marked with maximum and minimum levels for the water in your
engine, you can check the level without removing the cap.
The oil level should always be checked when the engine is
cold, and before you start it up. If the engine has been run,
even for a few minutes, you will get a false oil level reading.
Always check oil levels when the vehicle is parked on a flat
level surface. If the engine is in good condition, you would
not expect to top up either the water or oil between services.
You can also check the oil levels in the brakes and clutch
by checking the minimum and maximum marks on the outside of
the reservoir. Power steering oil usually requires you to
remove the cap to check level on a weekly basis. Invariable
the washer bottle will require topping up. Always use a proprietary
screen wash, as this will help stop the water from freezing.
If you are running a sprinter with the rubber washer pipe
running up the side of the wiper arm, these tend to freeze
up quite easily. One solution is to add a table spoon full
of Methylated Spirit to the water; this will help stop them
from freezing.
The next thing you should always do, before you start the
engine is, release the hand brake, engage first or reverse
if there is the possibility the vehicle will move. Press the
foot brake and hold it down. The foot brake should only travel
about 2 centimetres, any more than this indicates that your
brakes are wearing and require adjusting or replacing. Keep
your foot on the brake and start the engine. As the engine
fires the brake pedal should go down a further 2 or 3 centimetres,
this indicates that your servo is working correctly, at the
same time you should check your A.B.S. light, this should
go out after about 4 seconds indicating your A.B.S. is working
correctly.[Check with the drivers handbook for the exact time]
Put the handbrake on and check the lights. If you can’t
see if your brake lights are working or not, put a house brick
on the pedal then walk round the back of the vehicle to check
the lights. Tyre pressures need checking on a weekly basis.
The engine will have been running for 2 or 3 minutes now,
I then spend a few minutes setting up the sat nav, and checking
that my phone has connected to the blue tooth hands free.
In winter the time taken to de-ice windscreen and mirrors,
is usually sufficient to warm up the engine. I tend to drive
under the speed limit and at low revs until the water temperature
reaches normal. This routine can add 25% extra to the life
of your engine. Driving at the legal speed limit continuously
over a long distance on a warm engine will not cause damage
to the engine.
This is 5 or 6 minutes well spent, and if you are really pushed
for time, here are a couple of tips to make up the time you
have used warming up your engine.
Firstly if you are driving between midnight and 6-0 a.m. you
will have noticed that every set of traffic lights are on
red on the major roads and green on the minor roads. This
is to slow traffic down. The next time you are out on the
road at this time of day, when you are about 200 yards away
from the traffic lights, flash your headlights once; this
is enough to trigger the lights to change. If you are travelling
at 30 m.p.h the lights should change before you have to change
out of top gear. This saves you time, money and wear and tear
on the engine, gearbox, and clutch. This does not work on
all sets of traffic lights.
Secondly, how many times have been stuck in traffic in the
nearside lane on a dual carriageway with a roundabout at the
end of it? You see lots of drivers flying passed hoping to
push in at the front of the queue. Try this little trick it
can save you a bit of time. Drive up the outside lane to the
roundabout, and then go round the roundabout where you have
right of way to go down the road you want to. You can overtake
a hundred or so cars safely and at low speed.
Article
by Vic Farron RFT Express
