To think that people in general really don't care about road safety?

[Iqqq]

I'm noticing more and more (especially on here), that car owners really don't care about the safety of their vehicle.

Cheap Chinese ditch finder tyres, coupled with unserviced brake systems is a recipe for disaster, yet I know of several people who only buy the cheapest tyres available, and then leave the servicing for the mot tester. A sort of "if it ain't broke, don't touch it" mentality.

Does anybody actually do regular vehicle checks any more, and who else doesn't bother actually having the car serviced, just leaving it for the mot to highlight items to be fixed?

Aibu to think a lot of car owners are either too stupid or just don't care enough about safety to carry out regular safety checks?

Unless there was something really obvious like it wasn't starting, something was broken or the road handling had changed, of course I rely on professionals to tell me what needs doing. That's the whole bloody point of paying mechanics to do MOTs and services, and buying a very reliable car in the first place that hardly ever goes wrong. I don't buy a dog and then do the barking myself.

@Graciebobcat

Unless there was something really obvious like it wasn't starting, something was broken or the road handling had changed, of course I rely on professionals to tell me what needs doing. That's the whole bloody point of paying mechanics to do MOTs and services, and buying a very reliable car in the first place that hardly ever goes wrong. I don't buy a dog and then do the barking myself.

You don't regularly check your tyres for damage and loss of air pressure then? Never check your own fluid levels?

Do you just leave it for a professional to check once a year?

Are you stupid or just don't care?

DW is a mechanic and I've just asked her and she said so many cars come in with no oil, no water, no screen wash. Tyres worn right down.

We bought a car with cheap cheap tyres on once- it was fine until it rained and then there was no grip. So they got changed quickly.

Car bills are quite expensive though- so I do understand why some people don't get the car serviced or they use cheaper tyres.

Thankfully DH is able to do all the service type things so our cars regularly have new brake pads, full oil change etc.

I can do the basics of checking oil, topping up liquids, blow up tyres etc and could change a wheel if need be.

Always check tyres etc before a long journey (which usually we do every other month to visit family). As we’re not doing long journeys, I did mention to dh we need to check the cars. Not done so yet.

I do, OP. My dad taught me to maintain my cars and I can do low level fixes myself. I love cars and do a lot of motorsport so I have a constant eye on my tread. I also do not skimp on tyres, they’re so crucial. Especially at this time of year.

One thing that blows my mind is people who let their washer fluid run out.

I think it's a matter of thinking a crash will not happen to them. Until does.

I agree with you OP, DH and I do look after our cars but I only learned to when I met him. It amazes the number of people who think that if their car passes its MOT then its perfectly fine and safe to drive.

I used to do this stuff when I started driving 25 years ago. These days many cars give you warnings about things like low tyre pressure so I don't check it manually. I do keep an eye on tread levels though.

I buy moderately priced tyres but don't check oil, water or anything. I do take notice of my warning lights though and wouldn't drive without finding out what was wrong. It's a 2 year old car though so I'm not worried. I'm far more worried about idiots who can't drive and avoiding them

I get my car MOT'd and serviced as per the schedule and if I notice anything else in between that doesn't seem right (warning lights on dash, flat tyre, strange noise etc) I will take it to the garage

The only reason I ever go under the bonnet is to top up the screen wash

So far the above policy has served me well

Yes, we regularly check oil. Screenwash is pretty obvious to be honest. Usually with a child's help, so they learn

The car computer alerts us to tyre pressure and similar problems. We have German standard all weather tyres (they have laws over such things, especially in Winter) from having lived there.

I get my car serviced every year with the MOT. It depends how much mileage you do, they top up all the fluids etc then and I don't use it up. My last set of tyres lasted about 5 years so checking them every week would have been excessive to say the least.

I'm more than capable of checking the various levels and tyres etc but I have a rough idea of how long it takes me to use stuff up.

I check my tyres, fill up the screen wash. But I wouldn't know how to do some things. Happy to learn but I need someone to show me.
When I got my first car I asked around for some sort of evening class or anything which would help me with the basics but couldn't find anything. Perhaps instead of being critical, those who know what they are doing could kindly show the rest of us....

I don't do many checks, but

• I get the car serviced regularly
• I keep a visual eye on tyres both tread and inflation
• any warning lights and I am onto them asap
• check water before long journeys
• any unusual driving feeling I get checked out

It depends how much you drive, doesn’t it? Checking our tires weekly at the moment would be checking them every 30 miles; unless they’re being eaten by wild animals it’s unlikely they’ve deteriorated! I used to check oil levels but never had to top it up between services, so it seemed a bit futile. Washer water is the only thing I regularly top up. I’ve never done a long commute or high mileage and always had relatively new cars so that probably makes a difference. When I met DH his car was a banger and did need a lot of preventative maintenance because it seemed to leak from every possible source.

I have taken my car in for its service with low screenwash or water because I know they will do it, it's not really an issue - if I need to take the car somewhere and it has run out, I will replace.

I check my tyre treads though. Mine seem to wear quite quickly despite not doing much mileage. I know you'll say it must be the way I drive, but I don't brake hard all the time, I engine brake as much as I can, so I don't know why!"

I actually thought this thread was going to be about drivers not caring, not giving way to pedestrians crossing side roads or at zebra crossings, parking on pavements, not indicating etc.

I know fuck all about cars and have absolutely no interest in them

I check tyres, oil, water, screen wash, etc regularly, but other than that, that’s what the professionals are for.

My car is serviced at the same time as it’s MOTed. I’ll have any warning lights checked out or if something doesn’t feel/sound right I’ll get it looked at by a garage

I check my tyre pressure, top up water before a long journey and if a warning light comes on I'll address it straight away. Should we all be trained mechanics OP? You seem very pissed off about this

any unusual driving feeling I get checked out

This too. I notice every unusual noise. And recently I felt like the car was handling less well even the roads weren't icy. Checked the tyres, felt one was close to the legal limit, took to tyre place and they agreed and replaced. I said above I check regularly but not so much recently due to not going anywhere.

Interesting that even though the tyre was still within the legal limits, it was having an effect on the handling (it could also have been because of going over speed humps and when they replaced the tyre they also rebalanced the wheels etc).

@Chemenger

It depends how much you drive, doesn’t it? Checking our tires weekly at the moment would be checking them every 30 miles; unless they’re being eaten by wild animals it’s unlikely they’ve deteriorated! I used to check oil levels but never had to top it up between services, so it seemed a bit futile. Washer water is the only thing I regularly top up. I’ve never done a long commute or high mileage and always had relatively new cars so that probably makes a difference. When I met DH his car was a banger and did need a lot of preventative maintenance because it seemed to leak from every possible source.

You should still check your tire pressures even if you are only driving a few miles per week, over time they lose pressure even if they just still in your garage.

I check everything and tend to get my partner to service the car because garages do a crap job of it. They are rip offs. We will change brakes too. I get tyres changed by a garage because they can balance them easier and check tracking, but I try and get most work done away from a garage. I especially despise manufacturer garages as they tend to be appalling. Got my car 'fixed' once at a Ford garage, the moron broke my car so badly when you brakes, it veered to the left. And he said that was normal! I had to threaten him to make him fix it for free.

Most big garages suck, I only trust some small independent ones.

^You don't regularly check your tyres for damage and loss of air pressure then? Never check your own fluid levels?

Do you just leave it for a professional to check once a year?

Are you stupid or just don't care?^

Nice, OP. I could tell you just started this thread to troll and snark at people and to congratulate yourself rather than be helpful, and this reply confirms.

You didn't specify what vehicle checks you meant. Usually in modern cars it's pretty easy to tell most of these basic things as the car tells you before you even think of checking it.

Do I check these things? Not really, DH does though.

You were talking about braking systems and replacing tyres in your OP- these are done by the garage.

To answer your question, I guess people aren't doing these things because 1) They don't know about them or how important they are 2) They can't afford to have their car serviced regularly 3) They can only afford cheap tyres.

Why not start a helpful thread on the matter rather than a trollish one?

I would think that for many families they can only afford to get the cheapest tyres etc, not because they dob't want to buy better ones. Cars are expensive, for those on higher incomes who can afford to shell out extra money on better everything then that's great, but if you are a family living hand to mouth then I can see why you might wait until mot time to service your car, or get cheaper tyres.

I buy cheap tyres because I'm not made of money, and have never had any difficulty braking when I need to. I check they've got air in and keep an eye on the tread, and that I've got enough wiper fluid. But yes I do rely on my annual service to tell me if anything is going wrong - I am not a trained mechanic and I don't think this is something I should be blagging my way through with the aid of youtube videos.

Weird how this road safety rant doesn't mention people choosing to drive whopping great tanks around urban areas even though they are far more likely to kill someone in the event of an accident.