Hands up who has New Year’s resolutions for 2023? I’m not even sure I really believe in them, but we do have quite a few house projects we’d like to try and get done next year. A lot of people aim for goals like spending more family time, losing weight, switching to a healthier lifestyle and so on. The main aim is to improve our lives in the upcoming year. One domain thought that definitely belongs to Mr D and not me, is looking after the car. I take it for granted I have a chauffeur to drive me around (I haven’t driven since I moved to London 20 years ago) but it’s important to look after our vehicles just like we would anything else.
Clean Your Car Regularly
For some people it’s part of their regular routine to clean their car and they even find it therapeutic. For others however, it’s as dull a task as any other chore and often gets neglected. We keep the card fairly clean but with a messy dog it doesn’t always look its best and the odd empty crisp packet or two does sneak in. So aim for next year to keep on top of things. Remove all unnecessary items; just keep the owner’s manual and other important driving documents in the glove compartment. Give a deep clean to your car by vacuuming the seats and carpets, and washing the exterior body. You can also take your car to a local car wash. If you want to get really granular, we had someone come to the house maybe back in 2021 who did a very cathartic forensic deep clean of the car and it looked like new!
Basic Car Maintenance
I hate being reliant on other people for things I really should know how to do myself, so try learning some basic car maintenance if you’re not familiar with this already, like learning how to change the oil and coolant, replacing the filter, fixing new windscreen wipers and checking the tyre pressure. These are the simple car maintenance basics that every car owner should know. Changing the oil on timely basis helps to keep your car’s engine clean and run smoothly. You should monitor and mark the dates of oil change as it is important to keep changing it every 3 months.
Taking Care Of Tyres
Something else to be mindful of especially at this time of year with winter weather is tyre pressure. It not only prolongs the life of your tyres but also keeps you and your family safe out and about. Especially in winters, tyres need more care and whether they are properly inflated or not needs to be monitored regularly. We’ve had occasions before where we’ve had a slow puncture and having the equipment and know-how to deal with that certainly makes a difference.
Booking Your MOT Timely
Ah, the dreaded MOT test! I don’t know one single person that looks forward to this. Annual MOT tests are required by law for vehicles to ensure that your car is safe and roadworthy, and is up to the mark of road safety and environmental standards. MOT is an expense that no one wants to bear but it helps if you remember that ultimately it is for our own and other road users safety. In today’s economy it feels like a burden on your pocket but it can prevent you from bigger accidents and thus expenses. So, if your MOT is due then hopefully you have a good local place you can rely on. For any Londoners, we suggest that you schedule it at Elite Direct London and secure an MOT test before the current MOT certificate expires so that you can be prepared, budget in advance and it will help you avoid a potential fine of up to £1,000 for driving a car without a valid MOT.
Planning all these expenditures in is definitely going to be key for 2023!
Post in collaboration.