Vehicle Recovery and Transport – How to keep your vehicle from needing a tow truck service

Setting out for a long journey in your car can pose many risks of something happening to your vehicle especially if you are travelling a lot. More often than not a problem will occur due to neglecting to keep your vehicle in good operating condition. This is mostly due to people having busy lives and procrastinating about getting the vehicle checked and serviced regularly. If you dont keep your vehicle in good condition you may need a vehicle recovery and transport service to get your car picked up from the roadside if you breakdown.

Before setting off for a long drive you should ensure you check the vehicle for any problems. These checks should include:

Tyre pressure and tread: Make sure your vehicles tyres have correct air pressure all round. Make sure the tread on your tyres are of legal limit. If the weather is bad it will be dangerous to drive with tyres that have low grip. A wet road can cause your vehicle to aquaplane if your tyre threads are low. Make sure you get the tyres replaced if you see any major signs of wear and tear. Make sure you also have a working spare tyre and tools in your boot in case you get a flat tyre. Most vehicles now have run flats which allow you to drive up to 20miles to a local garage, however sometimes you are too far from a local garage and may need a car breakdown recovery service to get your tyre repaired and to get you back on the road.

Brake pads and callipers: It is imperative for the safety of the vehicle and your passengers to ensure that your brake pads and callipers are not worn out. Harsh breaking can wear down the brakes so it is a good idea to change the way you brake. You should try to stop braking suddenly when coming to a junction or a traffic light and instead gently break early and coast to a stop. This will increase the longevity of your vehicles braking system. You should look for signs of possible braking issues such as squeaking sounds when coming to a stop or the vehicle jittering when braking. Get them checked as soon as possible to avoid breaking down on the side of the road.

Oil levels: The amount of oil you have can affect the performance of the vehicle as well as the quality of the oil. Make sure to do a dipstick check to see the oil quality and its level. If the oil has become thick and black it is of high importance that you get the car’s oil replaced. If the oil quality is ok and the level is showing low, make sure to top it up with good quality oil, making sure not to overfill as this will cause the oil to leak out. These oil leaks can make it dangerous for other road users due to tyre slippage.

Fluid Levels: Your car needs several types of fluids to operate smoothly, most importantly the brake fluid, coolant fluid, power steering fluid and the washer fluid. Every vehicle has its own specific setup location of these fluids under the hood. Make sure to check your owner’s manual to know where each fluid container is and top up if needed. Your vehicles coolant needs to be topped up especially when taking long drives in extreme conditions such very hot or very cold conditions. This will make sure your vehicle does not overheat causing you to break down on the road.

Battery: Your battery is very important when it comes to the smooth running of your car. Everything from starting up the engine to running the lights on your vehicle is dependent on the battery. Most people that breakdown on the road tend to find it is a dead battery or alternator that has died. Your battery will normally have a lifespan of approximately 5 years and this can change depending on how much you use your vehicle. Newer vehicles tend to use more of the battery due to more gadgets such as GPS navigation and automatic DRL (Daylight Running Lights) which are constantly draining the battery, however they are normally equipped with better re-charging capabilities such as when your vehicle breaks your vehicle uses the momentum to re-charge the battery.

You should try get your vehicle serviced every year or every 10,000 miles depending how much you drive this maybe more than once a year. This will keep your vehicle in the best possible condition to avoid breaking down. Even after all this you may still breakdown and you may need to use a car breakdown recovery service.

Vehicle recovery and transport services are an invaluable service to anyone who drives. You will need to use a breakdown recovery service should your vehicle not start or is broken down on the road. Most vehicles are repairable at the roadside but on the rare occasion that yours isn’t fixable; your car will be towed either to your own home or to the garage.