Looking After Your Car

The blog this week is about top tips to help save you wear and tear on your Volvo or Toyota. Running a car has become a major expense, especially with the ever-increasing fuel prices. Everyone wants to save money on a monthly basis, maybe for that annual holiday or your children’s university fund or for home improvements. Maybe it is to counteract the constant increases in your weekly food shops or increased utility bills. Read on to find out more:

Having an annual motoring budget does not mean that you cannot reduce the wear and tear on your car. Taking the time to properly maintain your car in-between servicing can go a long way towards saving costs on repairs in the future. We have long advocated for preventative maintenance is always going to be cheaper than carrying out reactive repairs! Long-term wear and tear can eventually cause your car's engine to fail. It is important to adhere to the owners’ manual and the recommended servicing schedule - not only will it keep your car in good condition it will also help to reduce breakdowns. When it comes to selling on your car, a fully serviced vehicle that has been well maintained will always attract a better resale value than one of the same make/model/year that has not had its service schedule maintained. You do not have to take your Volvo or Toyota to a main dealer to maintain your warranty you are free to shop around to find the best prices from the independent network. So a major way to reduce your motoring costs is to use an independent garage rather than a main dealer.

Looking After Your Tyres

Maintaining the correct tyre pressure is essential for safe braking and handling. The recommended tyre pressure for your particular car can usually be found in your owner's manual. Driving on tyres that are not correctly inflated can be dangerous - especially due to the ever-increasing potholes on our roads and if there is flood water present, under inflated tyres will wear down quicker, in an uneven fashion and puncture more easily - costing you money you need not spend if you had spent a few minutes every month checking your tyre pressures. Keeping a check on tyre pressure once a month can prevent this. On the flip side, driving with tyres that are inflated too much can also cause braking and handling problems. In both cases, the car will not be using the full width of the tyre tread. If you are in any doubt as to the correct tyre pressure feel free to pop in to see us - we are happy to offer free tyre and battery checks here at ACC UK Ltd - your Independent Volvo & Toyota Garage based in Farnborough, Hampshire. Driving safely and carefully within the speed limit will reduce general wear and tear on your tyres.

Tracking

Having the tracking checked too will help you ensure even wear across your tyres - again an important item to keep an eye on with the number of potholes we experience on a day to day basis! If the garage suggests it – then do it – it is important to help maintain tyre health and longevity!

Change Your Oil Regularly 

Changing your engine oil and oil filter regularly is another key element of reducing wear and tear. As a general rule of thumb, changing your engine oil every 3000-6000 miles is recommended. Your owner's manual will clarify this though. This is an item that is covered in your annual servicing schedule - here at ACC UK Ltd we sell a wide range of engine oils that will help the performance of your vehicle - why not pop in to see us to discuss your requirements. Engine oil is the stuff that lubricates all the moving parts- if you run out of oil or the oil is old and contaminated there will be excessive wear and tear on these moving parts as they will get hot and friction will happen and having no oil will cause very expensive damage to the engine!  A customer last year did not have their car serviced in the first 3 years of ownership, no oil checks and boom – a £10,000 engine was required! Don’t make that mistake.

Top Up Your Coolant 

As well as checking the oil levels, make sure that you also keep an eye on the coolant fluid levels and the windscreen wiper fluid levels - an absolute must to keep topped up as we all begin to embark on our summer holiday journeys and trips to the beach at the weekends. Overheating will happen and be very costly if you do not maintain all the fluid levels in your car! These checks can be done in 15 minutes a month! And cost you nothing unless you top them up.

Air Filters Need Changing

The air filter in your car needs to be changed around once a year to maintain its efficiency - this is because it has come to the end of its shelf life and will no longer be able to operate in the manner it has been designed to. You may need to look at your owner's manual to pinpoint exactly where it is located in your car if you wish to change it yourself. Do not attempt to do this unless you have some knowledge and the correct tools - DIY car servicing and repairs can often become costly if you are not sure of what you are doing and then need to pay a professional to put the disaster right!

Looking After A Cold Engine

Instead of starting your engine and waiting until it has fully warmed up in the winter, it can be better to start it and drive off slowly (without putting too much pressure on the clutch or brake pedals) to warm the engine up. This is kinder to your engine and allows all the relevant fluids to move around. We cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining your servicing schedule- it is there for a reason- parts need to be changed when they have come to the end of their life – they do not last indefinitely. Happy Safe Motoring Folks!

ACC UK Limited
Farnborough, Hampshire
Serving surrounding areas across North Hampshire and Surrey

Call us today to book in your MOT, service or repair

Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, GRA – Outstanding Automotive Service Excellence 2025, GRA – Outstanding Customer Service – Automotive Sector UK 2026, Motor Trader Indies Garage of the Year Award 2025, The IGA Big Awards 2022, The Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, The Workshop Magazine Workshop Manager of the Year 2017 Award, The LiveWire Excellence In Vehicle Servicing 2019 Award and The Aftermarket Excellence Award for Best Website 2019, The Eagle Radio Biz Award – Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 & the SME News Magazine Most Trusted Car Servicing Provider 2020, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding customer experience for a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get on with your schedule whilst your Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair and MOT specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire