5 MOT and car care tips you should know when you are over 50

Collaborative Post | As you get older, everything changes, sometimes dramatically, sometimes so gradually that you don't really notice it until a lack of strength or diminishment of stamina reveals itself to you at the most inconvenient moment – when you are changing a tyre, for example, or briskly walking five miles to fill up your jerry can! Prevent yourself from landing in this sort of situation as you explore the Southeast of the UK – Marlow and London, for example – with the following MOT and car care tips that every driver over fifty should be aware of.

Photo by Vincent Ghilione on Unsplash

MOT is older than you!
MOT testing was introduced into the UK in 1960, initially just for heavy goods vehicles, but gradually widening to encompass all vehicles and reducing from being required for ten year old vehicles to being required for three year old vehicles (four years in Northern Ireland). This means that the MOT test is a tried and trusted feature of UK motoring and while it is frequently adjusted to account for advances in motoring (and for the tendencies of drivers to be only too human too) it looks to be a feature of the motoring world for some time to come, despite occasional attempts to have the test abolished or done away with. Make sure you know when your MOT test is due, and make sure you book it for sometime in the month preceding the expiry date of the certificate – this will ensure you retain your anniversary date without even being non-compliant.

Stay current
Make sure you check on the latest MOT rules before you book your MOT test each year. Every now and then, as mentioned above, new items are added to the checklist or items are edited to make them a little stricter in order to protect the environment or other road users, for example. Once you're sure you know what is expected of your car, you can arrange for a service to bring your car back to full roadworthiness, or just go ahead and book your MOT with a clear conscience, knowing it will sail through even the latest additions without any issues. Local MOT garages are a good option to safely book your appointment. For example, DAT Tyres offers MOT in London - they have good customer reviews and a strong local presence.

Maintain with ease
As you age, you will lose some of your strength, stamina and willingness to spend hours perfecting your ride, preferring instead to get on with living your life. To this end, learn how to efficiently and easily complete car maintenance tasks. Instead of scrambling around under the car, take your car for an interim service. Instead of struggling to change tyres yourself, book a tyre fitting at a time and place that suits your needs. Make use of the latest gadgets and machinery, which is all designed to take the muscle out of car maintenance – and is often far more accurate to boot.

Remember POWER

• Petrol: Keep an eye on your tank, and if you're travelling, whether it is North to Manchester or even Scotland, or Southeast to London and Marlow and beyond.

 

• Oil: Your oil keeps the engine well lubricated so everything moves smoothly with little in the way of friction or heat building up. Top it up, and get your mechanic to check it every now and then to make sure it is clean and free from grit and dirt.

 

• Water: Your engine will overheat if there is little water in the radiator, so make sure you top it off before you travel, and carry a five litre bottle in the back of your car if you have had any overheating issues.

 

• Electrics: Check your electrics, especially before travelling to unfamiliar places. Having no (or faulty) lights while driving on roads that are not known to you is very disconcerting, and is very unsafe, not to mention illegal. Taking a short while to make sure light bulbs are fitted correctly and connections are clean can save you time and prevent injuries and accidents.

 

• Rubber: There are some parts of the car that are made from rubber and all of these should have good integrity and work as intended. These include windscreen wipers which should sweep your windows clear; seals around windows and doors which should be tight tightly, protecting you from the exhaust fumes and dirt outside. And finally, your tyres should be in good shape and properly inflated.

Prevent Protect, Delay
As you hit your half-century, you will be practised in good driving habits, and you will have almost certainly already learned that prevention is better than cure, so you will prevent breakdowns and accidents, protect yourself, your family and other road users from harms, and delay the inevitable breakdown of your vehicle for as long as possible by making frequent maintenance checks, having the car serviced promptly and getting your MOT test done as soon as it is due.


Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post.