As we celebrate women this month, Pieter Niemand, director of the Motor Industry Workshop Association, shared some important advice for all Mzansi women behind a wheel.
It’s a car, not a wardrobe
The more weight you’re carrying around, the more fuel you’re using so the more luggage in your vehicle, the more it’s going to cost you! Choose one day a week to remove it all from your car.
Check your oil and water levels often
If your car runs out of oil, the engine will have no lubrication, seize up and die. You will have an expensive sculpture until you are willing to pay the expense of a mechanic’s huge bill. Check your oil once a month.
To check your oil, make sure your car’s engine has been stopped for five minutes or so. Open the bonnet, pull out the dipstick from the engine. Wipe it clean and dip it, before pulling it out again. The oil level should be between the minimum and maximum marks. If it’s not, then it’s time to top up.
The air conditioner does not use more fuel than an open window
An open window causes drag on any moving car. Drag slows a car down which means you must use more fuel to compensate for the drag acting like a brake on your car.
At high enough speeds the amount of extra fuel used by air conditioning is about the same amount used by an open window.
Dealing with a flat tyre
If you get a flat tyre, park on the side of the road away from traffic. All passengers must get out and stay on the side of the car facing in the same direction as the oncoming traffic.
Apply the handbrake as sharply as it will go. Switch the engine off. Open the boot and take out the spare or “biscuit” wheel first along with the lug wrench and jack.
Loosen the wheel nuts before raising the vehicle with the jack. Place the jack under a part of the vehicle’s chassis or frame but never under a door, floor or petrol tank!
If you can put two large stones or bricks behind the wheels to stop the car rolling away but NEVER rest your jacks on them – that needs specialised equipment.
Change your tyre, release the jack, tighten the wheel nuts, clean up and put everything back in the right place.
Now get a new tyre as soon as possible and put the biscuit back in the back.
Don’t tempt your fuel tank
Do NOT wait for your fuel tank to show red before you top up. Not only does running out of fuel damage your engine but it is especially dangerous for women who may be stuck somewhere alone . . .
Driving in heels
High heels raise your foot and affects your ability to judge the pressure you need to apply to the pedals. Heels also get caught on the floor mat or even under the pedals.
If you wear heels, keep a pair of comfy shoes you can slip on when you drive because it’s also illegal to drive barefoot.
Riding the clutch
Don’t keep your foot on the clutch while driving. It will not help you change gears more smoothly.
By constantly pushing in the clutch pedal you are overworking the thrust bearing which forces the fingers of the pressure plate to take on the full force of engine crankshaft which leads to clutch failure.
“Always take your car to a reputable workshop for its services and don’t be afraid to ask questions,” said Niemand.
