Most people don't know how to check the oil themselves. When the car reaches the maintenance mileage, they drive it to a 4S store for maintenance, and after the maintenance is completed, they don't care anymore. Until the next maintenance, they never check the car, and many people don't know how to open the engine hood. Only a small number of experienced drivers and some car owners who are particularly interested in machinery and vehicle construction will inspect their vehicles themselves. If the car has been used for a long time or is about to go for a long distance, they will open the engine hood and check the oil and other fluids. Generally speaking, a new car can be left unchecked. If there are no unexpected situations, there will be no problems between two maintenance sessions, and the probability of accidents occurring is relatively low. After six years, some components of the car begin to age. It is recommended to regularly inspect them, at least before a long journey, to do a simple inspection to reduce the risk of the vehicle breaking down.

       Firstly, you need to be able to open the engine hood. Most vehicles have a handle located below the left side of the driver's seat. Once you pull the handle, the first lock on the hood will be opened, which is very simple. There is also a second lock on the hood, and most vehicles require a finger to reach in and press to unlock it. Different models may have slight differences, so you can try to unlock it yourself. When opening the engine cover, the first step is to check the oil level, pull out the oil dipstick, and focus on checking whether the oil level is normal. Some cars may burn oil or have oil leakage, which may result in insufficient oil level. In addition, sometimes when maintaining a car, there is a possibility of excessive or insufficient oil. At this time, an inspection can be carried out to detect it, as long as the liquid level is between the minimum and maximum limits. If the liquid level is found to be below the lower limit or above the upper limit, it should be treated by adding or extracting a portion of the engine oil.

       In addition to the oil level, check the degree of dirt on the engine oil at the same time, usually based on the color. The darker the color, the dirtier it is. If the engine oil has not been changed for a long time, you can smell it again. It has a sour odor, indicating that the engine oil has deteriorated and needs to be replaced immediately. That's all for the oil inspection. Next, let's take a look at the levels of other fluids, such as brake oil, booster oil, and antifreeze. These liquid levels are easy to see and do not require opening the lid. They all have colors, and you can see the position of the liquid level at a glance at the oil pot. The oil pot is also marked with the lowest and highest scale lines, as long as they are in the middle.

    After checking the liquid level several times, finally take a look at whether there are serious oil leaks in the engine and whether there are any abnormalities in the appearance of the circuit, such as exposed copper wires or areas that have been bitten by mice and are about to break. There are only a few basic items to check, and if everything is normal, you can safely drive. If the operation is proficient, the inspection can be completed in three to five minutes without delaying too long. By learning to inspect vehicles on your own, you can gain a better understanding of them. When there are some simple malfunctions in the vehicle, you can also handle them easily. For example, if the water temperature is high during driving due to a lack of antifreeze, you can add it yourself. If you don't have antifreeze, you can add some water without waiting for rescue.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2023-10-18