How to Perform Basic Vehicle Inspection

Your vehicle has maintenance needs that left unattended could lead to costly breakdowns or safety problems. Checking out the general condition of your car on a regular basis (at least monthly) or before a trip and help to head-off unexpected problems. The check will take about 15 to 30 minutes depending on experience and cost zero (if everything is good) to about $30 to top off fluid levels.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Surgical Gloves
• Shop rags
• Sand or Kitty Litter
• Tire pressure guage
• Possibly Engine Fluids
• Owner's Manual

1. The first step is getting your self organized. Wearing a pair of surgical gloves can keep your hands clean and protect them from minor scrapes during inspection. They also help with your grip. Have a couple of shop rags handy for wiping down inspection areas and cleaning excess mess and spills. Also have some sand or kitty litter available to absorb spills makes cleanup easier just in case. Also for safety, make sure the car is in park and the emergency/parking brake is on.

2. Here are the areas this How To will cover. Details and explainations have been provided in steps for those less comfortable with their car.
   1. Windshield wipers, exterior lights, spare tire and jack.
   2. Run heating and cooling system, check wiper operation and wash mode.
   3. Check fluids-engine oil, transmission, coolant, power-steering, brake, windshield wiper fluid, battery water (if not sealed).
   4. Clean air filter and filter housing.
   
   Refer to a manual when necessary and carry an emergency repair kit and a booster for jump starting dead batteries. Also old cell phones can be used to call 911 if the battery is charged (even if service has been disconnected). Happy travels.

3. Before tackling the dirty areas under the hood, lets inspect the exterior of the vehicle. When is the last time you changed windshield wipers? Wipers should be changed every six months. As a reminder, change them each time daylight savings changes (unless you live in Arizona). Check your headlights (high and low beam) tail lights, and signal lights. Make sure your windows and mirrors are clean and in good condition. You should also have a car jack with complete accessories and a spare tire with proper air pressure. These tires tend to lose pressure over time, so check the pressure with a tire gauge.

4. Since you have your tire gauge out, now would be a good time to check all of your tires. Tire air pressure is rated in pounds per square inch (PSI). There are a lot of theories about "proper" pressure, some like it slightly over inflated, some slightly under inflated. To maintain warranty status on new vehicles using stock tires, follow the vehicle's owner's manual instructions. For non stock after market, follow the guidelines of the shop that installed the tires because they live by the warranty. Basically, not following the proper guidelines could void any warranty. For older tires, do a visual inspection for cracking on the side walls or irregular protrusions (bulges). If you suspect a possible problem have a professional check the tire.

5. The next step (while still clean) is to do a quick inspection of your heating and cooling system. Run the heater and air-conditioner for a brief period to make sure they are operating properly. These checks should be performed year round to keep things working smoothly and check for potential problems. The air-conditioner needs to be turned on for a few minutes during the winter. This helps the pump to stay lubricated internally and reduces the chance of problems when you need it during the summer. Also check your internal lights (dash, dome, doors, etc). Also test your windshield wiper fluid. Being able to clear your windshield while driving can be critical if something gets splashed on your windshield while driving. Another reason to keep good wiper blades and wiper fluid levels full.

6. Now it's time to get dirty. With a clean pair of gloves and a rag in hand, pull the hood release lever inside the car on the driver's side. Under the hood there is a latch you have to move manually. Usually the latch is moved by a lever either on the latch itself or located below the latch and accessible by reaching inside the grill. Once you've released the latch, raise the hood of the car. On most medium to small cars, the hood has a rod to prop the hood up, located near the front of the hood or on the top inside of one of the fenders. There will be a corresponding hole to place the rod into usually indicated on the hood by an arrow. Larger cars usually have springs or shocks that will hold the hood up without a rod.

7. Car's and their engines vary greatly, however on most models new to 5 years old the items you are looking for are clearly marked. If you have an older car and things aren't marked clearly here are some tips. The oil dip stick fits in a tube and goes to the bottom of the engine and can be found near the front or side of the engine. The handle is often T shaped or round on top and is sometimes yellow in color. The transmission dip stick is usually near the rear of the engine and fits in a tube that goes to the transmission at the back of the engine. Unfortunately, unless the handle is clearly marked, it often looks like an oil dip stick. If you still aren't sure which one you're looking at, pull one out and look at the oil on the tip. Oil is gold or black depending on age. Transmission fluid is reddish or brownish red (if burnt) and may have bubbles (if hot).

8. You want to check the oil. The best time to do this is first thing in the morning when all of the oil is in the pan where the dipstick measures from. Pull the dip stick, wipe off the oil with your rag. Look at the end of the dipstick. You will see the range indicator of how much oil you should have. Depending on the size of the engine this could be from 1/2 to 1 quart of oil. Now you want to prevent any dirt from getting into the tube or on the end of the stick, so clean the top of the tube with your rag and reinsert the stick guiding it carefully not to get any dirt on it; press it all of the way down. Pull the dipstick out again. Is your oil at the full level of the dip stick? If not you will need to add some or have your garage do it. The owner's manual will show you where and how much to add.

9. Checking the transmission fluid is a similar process. It takes less fluid to top off a transmission than it does engine oil. Also, the transmission should be hot, so run your car for at least 5 minutes (or take a short drive) before checking. Follow basically the same process for checking the fluid. Follow the owner's manual for instructions on adding fluid.

10. Next you will want to check your radiator coolant. There is a translucent plastic container mounted on the fender with a small rubber hose that goes to the radiator. Sometimes that cap is labeled. This container is called the radiator overflow. There are markings on the side that say cold and hot, the hot is a higher level. Generally check your coolant level when cold (like when you check your oil). The fluid in your radiator should be 50% water, 50% coolant (unless you live in extreme cold areas). If you need more coolant either buy it already mixed or add coolant one time then add pure water the next time to keep a mixture. 100% of either water or coolant is not recommended and could be harmful to your engine.
    
    Last you can check your windshield wiper fluid. This is in a tank similar to the coolant overflow tank but smaller and closer to the back of the engine.

11. There are some other areas if you feel comfortable with them, such as break fluid levels, power steering fluid, and cleaning out the air filter and filter housing. Also check your belts and hoses for possible problems and excessive wear. These should be replaced every two years to assure reliability.