Car Inspections and Safety Checklist
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Performing a routing safety vehicle inspection is important to ensure a safe driving experience. When taking a car into the auto shop for routine vehicle maintenance, make sure they perform a comprehensive safety inspection. Between maintenance intervals, the car owner should perform his or her own inspections of common safety items. This article looks at simple safety inspections that the average car owner can perform as a routine.
How Often Should a Car Safety Inspection be Performed?
The answer to this question largely depends on how many miles the car is driven. The average routine maintenance on a vehicle is normally performed about every 5,000 miles. If a vehicle is driven in a lot of stop and go traffic, a safety inspection should be performed more often than a vehicle driven at constant highway speeds. On an average, a self-inspection should be done every 1,000 miles.
What Tools are Required for a Car Safety Inspection?
The only tools that maybe required for a self-inspection of safety related items are a tyre pressure gauge and a rag. The basic self-inspection is basically just a visible check of common safety items. When a vehicle’s taken in for routine maintenance, the auto technician should use certain tools to check the battery condition, coolant strength, brake pad (or shoes) thickness and tyre tread wear on your winter and summer tyres.
Car Safety Inspection Checklist
Besides checking for safety related items, a separate checklist for maintenance items (fluid levels, under hood inspection, etc.) should also be performed. The following checklist is for safety related items that the average car owner can easily perform on a routine schedule. It’s important that an experienced automotive technician, as part of routine maintenance, perform a more comprehensive safety inspection.
- tyre pressure on your winter or summer tyres
- check for even tyre tread wear
- headlight operation (bright and normal)
- tail light and stop light operation
- turn signal operation
- horn operation
- defroster operation
- windshield wiper blades
- parking (emergency) brake operation
- air bag light functional
- horn operation
- seat belts functioning properly
- child car seat
- rear door child safety lock functionality
To check for external lights, it’s a lot easier to station one person outside the vehicle while another person operates the lights inside the vehicle. To check the functionality of the air bag light, with the engine off simply turn the ignition key to the run position and insure the air light illuminates. Make sure the seat belts retract properly and click into position.
Besides checking for safety related items, routine vehicle maintenance is also important to keep the vehicle in top running condition. Proper tyre maintenance is also important for a safer driving experience. Checking brake pad thickness by a trained professional is imperative to safety and should be checked at least every 5,000 miles.
