Optimum engine performance is the key to the vehicle’s health. If you don’t check your car health, you may face problems while driving. Testing your own car’s engine can be difficult, but should be done by you or by an expert. Before checking the vehicle, you should consider many things.
Generally, you don’t easily find what you require to test if you are not an expert. So, let’s learn how to check the car’s health quickly.
What is a Vehicle Health Check?
A vehicle health check (VHC) or a visual health check is a respectful examination of your vehicle’s components. A qualified technician performs this. A ‘traffic light system is used at each of the various checkpoints to report whether your car is good or not:
Green: Safe, and you can go.
Amber: Suggested work is needed but optional.
Red: Needs immediate attention.
How Can You Check Your Car Health Easily?
Follow the steps to get help to check the health of your car engine. Here we will give a helpful guide to an entire car health check. You can check your car health yourself with a car health check device. So let’s start:
Check the Vehicle’s Fluids
When you want to check your car health, first, you should remember you need to check your fluid level. This liquid level check lets you know if your car’s health is optimal. Transparent brown color oil is the best oil. The oil should also be full. Now check for any strange odors.
You should be careful this oil shouldn’t smell burnt and be milky. Check the oil to see if it’s thick or clumpy. Additionally, if your fluids have a problem, your car will face the problem.
Headlight & Brake Light Check
To know whether your car’s health is good, check your car’s headlight or brake light. By checking them, you can know they are working correctly. And you also can know they are clear, aligned, and clean.
Brake Discs and Pads
Brake discs are essential for braking. But your vehicle’s discs and brake pads will wear with use and mileage over time. Sometimes they erode and develop a lip around the outer edge. Wear and tear is expected but needs to be within the limits specified by your car’s manufacturer.
Excessively worn discs or pads can generate excess heat. For that reason, it can damage your ball joints and wheel bearings. So you should carefully inspect these brake pads and discs as a car health check. If your discs are below the manufacturer’s recommended thickness, it’s best to have an emergency replacement.
Checking Wiper Blade Condition
If the wiper blades are damaged, it can make it difficult for them to clear water from your windscreen. And damaged blades also can obscure your visibility when driving in the rain.
Battery Health Check
Check the general condition of the battery, battery charge, and terminal mounting, allowing you to identify underlying problems.
To check your car battery health, you should do the following:
- Identify the symptoms of a flat or failing battery.
- Understand what causes a low or flat battery.
- Adopt good battery health habits.
- Check battery voltage and electrolyte level.
- Clean battery terminals, clamps, and cables.
Wheel & CV Joints Check:
Before going for a ride you also need to check the driving wheel, power steering, and CV joints. Otherwise, you may fall into a problem on the ride due to CV joint breakdown or steering imbalance.
Check for Leaks
Leaks are a telltale sign that there is a problem with your car. Your vehicle’s engine fluid system is a closed-loop. All of these fluids need to be topped up once in a while. But a leak can be a sign that you have a problem with the system.
To determine the source of the leak, you should check the engine areas. To check for leakage, park your car in a clean place and leave it overnight. The next day you will finally see where the fluid has accumulated.
AdBlue and Coolant Check
If you run out of AdBlue during driving, emissions will be limited by reducing engine performance. Coolants are essential for your engine; hence, don’t drive with low levels. The mechanic will test both of these for you.
Check car tire health
Healthy tires are correctly inflated according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. So your tire can be free of any punctures, blisters, cracks, or other damage. So, when you check your tires, you need to check:
- Tire Pressure:
Properly inflated tires ensure good stability and more traction for your car. Checking your tire pressure is very easy! You only need to see the owner’s manual, tire treasure gauge, and air compressor. To begin, for recommended psi, check your owner’s manual. Unserw the air valve cap and tal the gaige to know the current psi. It would help to use an air compressor to fill it up for low pressure. Remember it; you should check your pressure with a cold tire.
- Tread depth
Make sure the tread on your tires is deep enough for safe driving. Worn tires can’t provide grip on the road; it can be an obstacle to taking a break on time. Furthermore, it can increase hydroplaning risk and endanger your and your passenger’s safety.
Evaluate your tread depth with these values:
- Fine – 5/32″ or above
- Replace Soon – 4/32″
- Replace now – 3/32″ or less.
To test your trade, use the Penny Test:
Put a penny into a tread groove with Lincoln’s head upside down. If you notice the top of the Lincoln head, your tread is less than 2/32″. This means you need to replace the tire.
- Condition & Damage
Pressure and tread well over the overall condition are essential for the health of your tires. Likewise, check for any irregular wear, blisters, cracks, etc. If you find any leaks or problems, you should fix them with a professional.
Keep an eye on your tire’s age because if the treads aren’t worn, they can start to separate and make bumps. If something looks suspicious or’s affecting your drive, and you need clarification, contact the professional to check it.
FAQ (Frequently Ask Questions)
Q. How to check car engine health easily?
1. To check your car engine health. First, you should check your fluid levels. Then you need to check for any leaks in your engine.
2. Now start the car. The car should begin quickly without struggle, jerking, or stalling. Make sure your machine doesn’t make any knocking or pinging noises and or shouldn’t smoke.
3. Look at the exhaust and check if an unusual amount of exhaust gas is emitted.
4. Pay attention to accelerating, stopping, and maintaining speed. Listen for any strange knocks. Pay attention if the car seems to be struggling.
5. Take the vehicle to a mechanic and do a compression check on the engine. A compression check measures whether the machine has the correct compression. Loss of reduction is a warning sign of severe issues, including ring, cylinder, or valve problems.
Connect a code reader to the car’s computer if a dashboard error light is on. And then scan it for error codes to reveal difficulties.
Q. How To Check Car Health Online?
However, if you want to know how to check your car health online, you can book a health check online today at any online repair shop. All of them provide reasonable car repairs and servicing. If you want to book from your smartphone, you can do that. Download the all-new myChevrolet, MyBuick, GMC, or Cadillac mobile app.
To do it, monitor your car’s tire pressure and oil life, remote-start the engine, or search for destinations. After doing that, send directions to your car’s navigation system.
Besides this, many companies provide their customers with free vehicle health check services. So you can find them and book your service.
Q. Is A Vehicle Health Check The Same As A Service?
Although vehicle health checks are non-compulsory, many garages provide them and repairs or services to keep the vehicle road safe. To check your vehicle’s health, it takes only 15 minutes to complete. Therefore, they are often offered free of charge.
On the other hand, A vehicle service is also not mandatory. That means you can drive your car without it. However, brand-new vehicles may need to follow a servicing schedule to keep the vehicle’s warranty valid. This is usually for the first few years of owning the car. Then it is up to the owner.
Final Word:
On the other hand, keeping your car health in good condition is very important. Thus, you should always ensure that your car has a healthy engine. You may spend significant money on repairs if you don’t correctly care about your vehicle’s health.
We hope you get the answer about your problem of how to check your car’s health. Actually, if you habitually check your car’s health, you can avoid significant damage. If you don’t remember to do that, our blog post tips will help you.