Knowing what goes on underneath your bonnet is vital knowledge for a car owner, even if you think it might be pointless to know how your engine works, it will help to know the ABC’s of all the working parts so that you can prevent possible damage to your engine.
Some of us open the bonnet and have no clue of what’s going on, and others don’t even open their own bonnets, and rely on the kindness of strangers to check and make sure that everything is fine. It’s important that you have a good understanding of the working parts of your engine as you need to know how to maintain them in order to avoid damage to your car.
Your car’s engine is probably the most important part of the car, as it is the little factory that works hard to transform your fuel into power so that you can get to where you need to be. The engine has a lot of important helpers that contribute to this process, and some of these helpers need TLC more than you think.
Make sure you can identify where you water/coolant tank is underneath your bonnet, this baby ensures that your car doesn’t overheat, so it’s imperative that you keep her happy and full. If possible, you should have a good mixture of water and antifreeze, luckily in South Africa our winters don’t always go below freezing point but if the coolant does freeze then your fluid won’t be able to circulate properly.
Knowing where your oil dipstick is located is crucial, and getting into the habit of checking your oil is not a bad rhythm to get into. Like any other machine, the oil keeps all the moving parts lubricated, helping the engine run smoothly, but if the oil is low, then the moving parts will start to grind against each other and can cause significant and costly repairs.
The dipstick is used to measure how much oil you have in your vehicle and will let you know when you are running low if you check. If your dipstick indicates that you are below the recommended level, then you should locate your oil cap and top it up.
Just like humans, our cars also struggle to breathe sometimes, and this is likely because your air filter is pitch black and covered in debris. Make sure that you can locate your air filter and clean it out once in a while so that your engine can perform at optimized capacity.
If you’re looking for a vehicle that is easy to maintain, then visit www.AutoMart.co.za for good deals on cars in your area.
