Planning another bank holiday road trip? You need to heed these breakdown avoidance tips.
The UK has two more bank holidays to look forward to this month, with Monday May 8th affording an extra day off thanks to the King’s Coronation, and Monday May 29th being the traditional Spring bank holiday.
With millions of motorists hitting the road, traffic is sure to be a headache for many. Last weekend - the first bank holiday of May - saw long delays on the M4 and M5 while Just Stop Oil protests caused chaos in central London.
Now drivers are being urged to make sure their vehicles are ready for the road so they don’t end up being marooned on the hard shoulder.
Road safety group GEM Motoring says simple maintenance checks can ‘reduce the likelihood of a breakdown, and help drivers avoid the delay, misery – and risk – that can go with being stuck at the roadside’.
And remember that when you lease a brand new vehicle with Select, you get breakdown cover automatically included in your package - giving you and your loved ones extra peace of mind. You can also add an optional Maintenance package to any lease, which covers you for all servicing as well as the replacement of worn tyres. You can find out more about our recomended considerations in our guide on leasing maintenance packages.
Here’s some added guidance from GEM Motoring:
Tyres
Check pressures and adjust if necessary to take heavy loads into account. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tyre. Check out our video on how to check your tyres.
Fuel
Set off with a full tank of fuel, or full battery charge if you’re driving an electric car. Plan where you’ll stop to recharge or refuel. By doing so, you won’t be one of the estimated 800,000 vehicles that get stuck at the roadside every year because they ran out of fuel.
Batteries
Battery failures are a year-round cause of vehicle malfunction. The summer load on your car’s electrics can be greatly increased if you’re in stop-start traffic on a hot day with everyone needing to keep their mobile devices charged. A visit to your local service centre can put your mind at rest when it comes to battery health… and if it needs replacing, then you can get it done before it lets you down.
Fluids
Many breakdowns could be avoided through simple and quick checks of the fluids your car needs. Consult your car owner’s manual to see what checks you can make and how to do them. Engine oil level checks are vital for your car to run smoothly.
Warning lights
Don’t be tempted to ignore any warning lights that appear on your car dashboard. Yellow warning lights mean you need to take action to have a fault put right. Red warning lights mean you must stop the car as soon as it’s safe.
Screens and screenwash
Expect a build-up of dead insects on your windscreen and front lights. Make a point of manually cleaning the windscreen and windows regularly; don’t rely on wipers and washer fluid to clear away everything. Do also check your windscreen washer bottle is full before you set off.
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