get shit doneOnce you’re all toppedup,carefully
replace the dipstickandoilfiller
cap, making surethey’refastened
securely. Vroomvroom!Cast your eye over the car owner’s
manual to check which type of oil will
work best for your wheels. (The most
important thing is using the correct
‘grade’, aka viscosity or thickness.)
Remove the oil fi ller cap on the top of
your engine and slowly tip the oil in,
a little at a time – a funnel will help
avoid messy spills. It’s essential to
avoid overfi lling the engine, so wait a
minute for the new oil to settle before
popping your dipstick in again. The
aim is to get the oil line up to around
the ‘MAX’ marker (but not above!).
Again,makesureyourengineisoffand
completelycool,thenfigureoutwhere
yourcarstoresitscoolant.Mostmodels
thesedaysuseaseparateplasticcoolant
reservoirthatsitsbesidetheradiator,
connectedbyahose.Somerelyonthe
radiatoralone.(Refertotheowner’s
manualifyou’realittleconfused.)
Areservoirwillhave‘minimum’and
‘maximum’markersontheside–the
coolantlevelshouldclearlysitbetween
them.Alternatively,forreservoir-free
cars,thecoolantshouldsitwithin25mm
oftheradiator’sopening.Next, pour in theappropriatecoolant,
which can be nabbedfromyourlocal
service station orautostore.(Note:
coolant is generallyamixofwater,
anti-freeze andcorrosioninhibitor,
so avoid addingplainwaterlestyour
engine freezes overorstartstorust.)
Add just enoughtobringthelevelup
to the safety zone.If you’re low on coolant, you’ll need to
pour a little more in. Remove the cap of
the reservoir carefully – or, if your car is
an older model without a reservoir, loosen
the lid of the radiator just a smidge (with a
cloth in your hand to avoid burns). This will
allow any trapped pressure to escape – if a
bunch of steam comes out, tighten the cap
and let the system cool down. Otherwise,
keep on unscrewing the lid, always tilted
so the opening points away from you.
Replacethereservoirorradiatorcap
byscrewingitonniceandtight.Now
you’rereadytotakeyourwheelsfor
asafeandwell-maintaineddrive.CHECKING YOUR COOLANT