Tires and wheels
Pressure, tread and sidewalls: the three things to look at on every tire, and how often.
Read MoreSafety Checks
// Six guides
Every check, one page each
Each page covers the quick checks, what to look for, when to hand over to a shop and the questions drivers ask most.
Brakes
How the pedal feels, what the car sounds like when it slows, and the one fluid to look at.
Read MoreLights and signals
Headlights, brake lights and turn signals: how to check them alone in two minutes.
Read MoreWipers, glass and mirrors
Blades, washer fluid, chips in the windshield and mirrors set to cut down blind spots.
Read More
Steering and suspension
Pulling, wandering, bouncing and knocks: what the way a car rides is telling you.
Read MoreFluids and battery
The reservoirs under the hood worth knowing by sight, and the signs a battery is tiring.
Read MoreGoing somewhere?
Build a printable checklist for the trip you are about to take, in under a minute.
Build a trip checklist// Monthly walk-around
A ten-minute check, once a month
Four stops around the car, always in the same order, so nothing gets skipped. Most months it is all fine, and that is worth knowing too.
Walk around the car with a pressure gauge. Check each tire against the door sticker, run the penny test across the tread and look along both sidewalls.
- Pressure, cold
- Tread and sidewalls
Switch on headlights, then signals and hazards, and walk around once more. Check the brake lights with a reflection or a helper.
- Every bulb lit
- Lenses clear
With the engine cold and the car on level ground, look at oil, coolant, brake fluid and washer fluid, and glance at the battery terminals.
- Levels between the marks
- No crust or drips
Wipe the glass inside, test the wipers and washers, set the mirrors and make sure no warning light stays on after the engine starts.
- Clear view
- No warning lights
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