Excellent vehicle maintenance is definitely an essential task for any driver. No matter whether you’ve just passed your test, or you have been driving a vehicle for 50 years, frequent checks on the vehicle should be performed on an continuing basis.
Looking at the tyres is one of the factors that need to be carried out to make sure that they’re kept in the ideal overall condition. Routine checks will make sure that wear and tear is spotted as fast as it arises thus keeping the possibility of an accident down to a minimum. So what should you be searching for?
1. Start by parking the motor vehicle in a very secure spot. The edge of the road is not best suited for this as you will be safer in a garage or perhaps in a car park.
2. Pick a spot that’s properly lit, ideally do this during the day or use a torch if needs be, but if both your hands aren’t being made use of then that could be the ideal plan.
3. Be certain that the car is stationary and secured in a position where it’s least likely to roll away when the handbrake was to slip.
4. Scan around the surface area of your tyre and eliminate any little objects stuck within the tread. Always keep your eyes peeled for obvious uneven excessive wear, bulges, cracks or deterioration to the area of the walls around the tyres.
5. Start looking at the built in tread wear indicator blocks to visually examine if the tyre needs replacing. And see if the indicators are worn to the same level as the surrounding tread, if so then it will be time to replace the tyre.
6. Use a depth gauge to obtain a much more precise reading of the depth on the tread. This will likely also provide you with a excellent indication as to whether the tyres are wearing evenly around the surface area or otherwise.
7. D&G Autocare who do car repairs in Dunfermline, Livingston, Perth and Stirling say the lowest level of your tyres tread within the UK is 1.6mm, this should really be apparent around the central 3/4 of the tread across the complete circumference of the tyre.
8. Of course for basic safety it would be suggested that the tyre is replaced just before the minimum amount is reached.
This standard check to make certain that your tyres remain road legal will mean that you’ll steer clear of three penalty points plus a fine of 2,500 per tyre if your tyre is beneath the recommended 1.6mm minimum.