to think I shouldn't ... (car related)

[clayspaniel]

AIBU to think I shouldn't have to do weekly or monthly checks on my car (oil, water etc)? Have been told that the reason my car is such a money pit is that I don't do these sort of checks. Does anyone actually do them?

A four month old BMW ran out of oil to the point that it wrecked the car and they didn't think that was a fault? That's astounding.

It caused the need for a new engine as there was an issue. If he had checked it, as his contract stated. He would have picked up the fact there was an issue with a split pipe before the engine was terminal.

I think in the case of the BMW, unless a warning light was ignored, responsibility/liability should lie with the manufacturer, regardless of what the smallprint of any contract said.

I wondered how often an oil warning light failed to give a warning, from googling I got the impression that if the sensor is faulty, you will get warning that it is faulty. So all a routine dipstick test guards against is (a) the sensor failing and (b) the ECU not realising there is a sensor failure. There have to be two separate electronics failures before you are reliant on routine dipstick tests for knowing whether there's a problem with the oil.

However I may have misunderstood, or this may only apply to some cars.

His didn't come with a low oil light.
Neither did the Land Rover i mentioned above.
This is my point, don't assume all cars have them

With regard to coolant, my car manual says it's a sealed system that should never need topping up. Looking at the service schedule, apparently checking and/or topping up the coolant is never even done at services, as there's no tickbox relating to that. (Nevertheless the manual does tell you how to check, and it only takes a glance.)

I've topped up brake fluid once (between services) in 30 years of motoring. Current car manual does not include checking brake fluid under maintenance tasks, but mentions how to do it elsewhere, while saying that it should never be necessary to top up, and that on some models it can only be checked by a mechanic, as it is obscured by other things.

Similarly for screenwash, only once in 30 years has it not lasted from one service to the next. I almost never have a need to use it, other than when it snows.

I do check tyre pressures regularly now, and that's one thing I think I should have done better in the past.

If the oil warning light comes on, usually it's already done damage.

Lots of people don't realise that it isn't a low oil level warning light, it's a low oil pressure warning light. If the pressure is low enough to make the light come on, it's usually done some damage.

Plus, the bulbs can go faulty in the dash...

There really is no substitute for checking under the bonnet.

I've re-read the brake fluid section, and I was wrong, it does need maintenance. Prompted to re-read when I realised that replacing it was an item in the service schedule.

You should never need to top up brake fluid, but as with all things leaks can and do occur.

My pil don't bother checking their car. Was quite an expensive mistake when it ran out of oil. Despite being a new car the oil light didn't come on until it was running on fumes and they assumed it would be fine to finish their journey.

I've trained ds up for the last few years (he's 9yo) and he does all the checks (oil/brake/windscreen wash/coolant level; tyre pressure and lights) now. Once a week doesn't take long.

My Dad taught me to do the checks when I first started driving. He said being female was no excuse for being ignorant about the basic mechanics of your car, and I've maintained the habit.

I'm not in the habit of worrying but wouldn't begin a long journey without a quick check.

Oil, coolant and tyres before every big journey, or ehen the screen wash runs out!

Just mentioned this thread, and how people don't think new cars need checking to my husband, who is a mechanic. He shook his head in dispair and said of course they need checking.

I check mine weekly , oil , water , washer bottle and screen wash , and tyre depth . But then I can be driving up to 1500 miles in it some weeks . It has a 10, 000 mile service every 3 months , so the dealer takes care of the rest.

The cars I drive for work, we are expected to check over before every single shift, so they get checked up to 3 times daily , and that's even more comprehensive .

DH didn't check his car yesterday as he was running late. His brakes failed going down the range and he was very lucky not to be killed. The line had the tiniest pinprick hole and the fluid had drained out overnight. Yes, the evidence was under the car, and I saw it when I left to tow him home, but it was too late then. This can happen to any vehicle at any time, with any fluid.

Prevention is better than cure.

Nah, the "check engine" light would come on if it was broken, wouldn't it?

Clumsychick

"Seriously I've been known to be fairly lax in the past but that outdoes even me !! You can't just never check your oil it will eventually run out out surely ?! The blow your engine up! For the love of god check it !!"

It gets checked by the garage when they do the MOT, so it's not 'never', it's just that I never do it.

Just asked dp and he said 'every couple of months or so'. I've never seen him do it and he is known to think he does things that he doesn't, so I'm going to say he does it every six months.

The water - well, you fill it up when it runs out, don't you? Or, in my case, about two months later when I can be bothered.

Oil has never run out.

It gets checked by the garage when they do the MOT, so it's not 'never', it's just that I never do it.

Nope, having oil in your engine is NOT a requirement of the MOT. It's nice of the tester to check, but it's not on the list.

The water - well, you fill it up when it runs out, don't you? Or, in my case, about two months later when I can be bothered.

Coolant - if your coolant level is dropping there's something wrong with your car. The level should never go down. If it runs out you run the risk of the car overheating and damaging the engine.

Oil has never run out.

Lucky, because if it did you'd know about!! It's more common to lose oil between services.

I didn't say it was a requirement of the MOT, I just said they check it. They do.
And I'm not talking about the MOT tester, I'm talking about the garage I take it to, they do a pre MOT check for me then put it in for the MOT. They're not the tester.

And by water, I meant windscreen wash. I don't check the coolant, I actually don't even know what that is.

Yeah, I had a car once where the head gasket blew and all the oil came out. But checking it wouldn't have made any difference, unless I'd stopped halfway through driving to work to check it. So I know full well what damage having no oil can do because half the engine on that car had to be replaced.
I still don't check the oil though and in 220,000 miles my current car has never yet run out.

I think it's really good that they make you learn how to do all the basic vehicle checks as part of the practical driving test now - I passed 3 years ago and I check my car over before any long journey, but only because I'm confident that I know what I'm looking for. Otherwise I know that I'd probably just leave it to the annual service. My car gets is MOT and service in early October, so I know it's been checked by a professional in time for winter.