It is a new year and businesses are ready to get back on the road. Before you get your vehicles back on the road there are four important items on your vehicle that need checking. Here are the reasons why checking your tyres, batteries, filters and lubricants is so important.
1. Check Your Tyres
When it comes to all minibus taxi accidents in Southern Africa, it is estimated that around 20% of accidents are caused by poor tyres or incorrectly inflated tyres. Tyres are load rated and to ensure your vehicle runs smoothly, you need to fit the right tyres. To be on the safe side, you should check your tyre pressure each time you fill up your tank at a petrol station and don’t forget about the spare tyre.
Be aware not to over-inflate your tyres, as this can result in premature tyre wear as well as affect the handling of the vehicle. Over or underinflating your tyres can result in burst tyres. With many of our roads being in a state of disrepair. Hitting a pothole can result in serious tyre and rim damage. After an incident of this nature, tyre experts recommend that the tyres be checked and replaced.
2. Check Your Battery
For most vehicles to perform their jobs, they need a dependable battery. Battery plays an important part in many functions within your vehicle like liftgates that aid truckers delivering their payloads and a number of other accessories to help vehicles get to their destinations safely. Most importantly it provides the power to crank the starter and start the vehicle. If the battery fails, your vehicle will sit idle, which leads to costly downtime.
There’s never a good time for a battery to die. It’s recommended that each vehicle battery is checked regularly and replaced after four years. There’s nothing worse than losing power along the way, so don’t try to extend battery life longer than you should.
3. Filtration
Vehicle filters are a must if you want your vehicles to run smoothly and cleanly. Having a clogged filter can cause problems and affect the performance of your vehicle. If you notice a loss of power, dirty smoke, oil light or even engine failure chances are you need new filters.
Most vehicles have four main filters: the cabin filter, oil filter, fuel filter and air filter. The function of all these filters is to enable smoother flows and catch impurities like the dust, contaminants in the air and the impurities in the fuel or the dirt in the motor oil. In the end, if you don’t replace your auto filters in time, they won’t work properly, which could affect the mechanics of your vehicle. By simply monitoring and replacing your filters when needed, you will improve the efficiency of your vehicle.
4. Lubrication
Auto lubricants play a critical role in the operation of a vehicle. Keeping a vehicle on the road should always be one of its owner’s top priorities. “Lubricants are very important and their use cannot be avoided in engines,” says Anna Maria Vicidomini, of Fulgoil.
Vehicles use a variety of auto lubricants, including; engine oil, gear oil, transmission oil, grease, and various fluids. Despite their specific purposes, in general, all of these lubricants reduce friction between the moving parts in your vehicle. Keeping an engine strong and functioning properly is a very important element of lubrication, especially since the cost of replacing or repairing an engine is sometimes higher than just buying a brand new vehicle.
If you are in need of high-quality parts for your vehicles. We stock amazing brands for all your tyre, battery, filtration and lubricant needs. Call or visit your nearest branch and let us help you get your vehicles back on the road!