Most drivers will notice a strange noise or a car that pulls to one side, but the slow changes that happen between services tend to go unseen until they become expensive: a wiper blade that has perished in the sun, a tyre worn smooth on one edge, oil that turned black months ago. Justin, who manages Car Care Clinic at The Square in Sunninghill, has a short list of the items that slip past most owners, and a 76 point safety check to catch the rest.
“It’s basically ignored maintenance that we do most,” he said. “So it’s oil leaks, window wipers. Even your small electronics, like a flashing light and it goes away.”
Much of it can be caught at home with a torch and ten minutes. “Sometimes you forget the basics as a motorist, just to check it at home,” Justin said. “Small checks, windscreen wipers, tyre treads, even the colour of your oil, that’s very important to check as well. It’s a small list of the things that you can check out to save you money in the long run.”
Tyres, wipers and oil: the checks to do at home
Tyre tread is a legal matter as well as a safety one. Regulation 212 of the National Road Traffic Regulations requires tread at least 1mm deep across the full width and around the whole circumference of the tyre, and tyre makers and insurers advise replacing tyres well before that, at around 1.6mm. Uneven wear on one edge is often a sign of incorrect pressure or alignment. Wiper blades harden and crack in the Highveld sun, and a blade that streaks or judders will struggle in a summer thunderstorm. Engine oil starts out amber and darkens with use; oil that is black and gritty on the dipstick is due for a change, and oil that looks milky can point to coolant mixing with it, which needs a workshop’s attention quickly. Drips or damp patches where the car is parked are worth noting too.
The longer list, the one that needs a hoist and diagnostic equipment, belongs in the workshop. “I can list 100 things if you’d like,” he said, “but I doubt people are going to look at a valve and stuff like that.”
What the 76 point safety check covers
At Car Care Clinic, the professional version is the free 76 point safety check that comes with a major service. “It basically falls down to your roadworthy status. So we’ll check your oil leaks, we’ll check your vehicle performance, your gearbox performance, we’ll go through your vehicle bumper to bumper,” Justin said. “Basically it falls down on your electronics, your mechanicals and your maintenance subjects on the vehicle.”
The check comes with a written report, so owners can see what was found and decide what to do about it; it is not a substitute for an official roadworthy certificate, which is issued by a registered testing station.
“All those small checks are part of the 76 point check when you bring your car to Car Care Clinic,” he said.
Car Care Clinic Sunninghill is at Sunninghill Square, on the corner of Leeukop Street and Naivasha Road, on 011 202 5244 or sunninghill@carcareclinic.co.za.
