| There is a real purpose to vehicle inspections. Unfortunately learning the tell me/show me questions and answers are ok, for test purposes.,but if you want to just learn the answers to those questions, than you need to continue to the end of this blog. The problem with these questions is they do not go far enough, especially when your client, really needs to know how to put a vehicle inspection into practice, for real, once they have passed the driving test. I urge driving instructors to go beyond just teaching the answers to the questions but to physically take your clients through vehicle inspections. FLOWDERY is a useful way to remember the basic checks you can teach your clients. It will cover: FUEL, LIGHTS, OIL, WATER, DAMAGE, ELECTRICS, RUBBER AND YOU. Lets think about the best place to teach vehicle inspections . It should be off road, either on a drive way, a garage or a petrol station forecourt. The best way to learn the tell me/show me questions is to actually physically do vehicle inspections and also, for the show me questions on the move, you can set up vehicle familiarisation exercises, when stationery before setting off. If you choose to do vehicle inspections on the road, then you should wear high-visibility clothing, because you are in the work place and high visibility clothing reduces the risk of accidents and fatalities in busy environments where there is vehicular traffic. Lets take a look at FLOWDERY: Fuel There were more than 7,000 breakdown incidents due to vehicles running out of fuel. Always keep your tank at least one quarter full to avoid running out on your journey. You can be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice in some locations if your breakdown was foreseeable, which includes running out of fuel. Lights Your lights are not only essential for you; they’re also essential for other drivers to understand how you’re driving your vehicle and how you intend to manoeuvre. If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights aren’t working properly, you’re putting yourself and others at risk. They can be a reason for your vehicle to fail its MoT. To check your lights: Ask a friend to help you, or park your vehicle near a reflective surface eg a window or garage door. In sequence, turn on your indicators, hazard lights, headlights and fog lights to check they’re working. Press the brake pedal to check your brake lights, and finally select reverse to ensure your reverse light is working. Oil Maintaining the correct oil level is essential as the oil lubricates, cleans, cools and protects the moving parts of your engine, preventing your engine from seizing up and breaking down. Use your dipstick to check oil regularly and before any long journey, and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual. To check your oil level*: Ensure your engine is switched off for at least five minutes and your vehicle is parked on an even surface. Open the bonnet and locate your dipstick (refer to your vehicle manual). Pull the dipstick out all the way and wipe it clean with a paper towel to remove the oil residue. The dipstick should be marked near the bottom in two places to indicate the minimum and maximum oil levels. Reinsert the dipstick fully back into the engine, then slowly pull it out all the way again to check the level. The oil residue on the dipstick should be between the minimum and maximum markings. If the oil residue is below the minimum marking, you need to top up your oil level. Refer to your vehicle manual for the recommended grade of oil to purchase. Maintaining the correct oil level is essential as the oil lubricates, cleans, cools and protects the moving parts of your engine, preventing your engine from seizing up and breaking down. *Some newer vehicles don’t have dipsticks and use dashboard vehicle check systems instead. Refer to your vehicle manual for details. Water levels and other lubricants. To ensure you have good visibility, always keep your screen wash topped up so you can clear any debris or dirt off your windscreen. Include your power steering fluid and brake fluid, if possible. To top up your screen wash: Open the bonnet and find your screen wash reservoir – the cap will usually be brightly coloured and feature the screenwash symbol. You may not be able to see the fluid level, but this reservoir can be filled to the top, so it’s always a good idea to top up using a mixture of wash and screen wash. Please refer to the screen wash mixing instructions on the bottle to get the correct mixture. Also check your windscreen wiper blades to ensure they’re not dirty, worn or damaged. DAMAGE. (Not cosmetic damage) If you have parked your vehicle in a road overnight or you have left it in a car park whilst shopping etc., it might have suffered some damage from other vehicles or shopping trolleys without your knowledge. Therefore a quick visual check of the fundamentals is important:Wheels for damage. If you are in the habit of parking with your wheels pointing outwards they are at risk of being hit by careless drivers – especially in car parks. You’ll probably not notice this kind of damage until some months later when one tyre wears unevenly due to misaligned tracking! Straighten your wheels next time you park! Tyres for slits and punctures. Lamps and reflector covers for breakage. Mirrors for breakage. Electrics If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights aren’t working properly, you’re putting yourself and others at risk. They can be a reason for your vehicle to fail its MoT. To check your lights: Ask a friend to help you, or park your vehicle near a reflective surface eg a window or garage door. In sequence, turn on your indicators, hazard lights, headlights and fog lights to check they’re working. Press the brake pedal to check your brake lights, and finally select reverse to ensure your reverse light is working. Your lights are not only essential for you, they’re also essential for other drivers to understand how you’re driving and how you intend to manoeuvre. Rear number plate lights, windows, washers, demisters and anything else electrical on your vehicle should be checked. Rubber Tyre pressures and tyre tread depth including the spare. Tyres must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference. Advanced drivers prefer a minimum of 3mm tread depth. Finding the wear bar explained, use the link below, for a nice easy explanation on how to find the wear bar. https://youtu.be/uJEo4xptPAM You can also: Place a 20p coin into the main grooves of the tread. If you can’t see the raised outer rim of the coin (with the words “TWENTY PENCE” engraved), then the tyre has sufficient tread depth. Check at least three different places on each tyre, as one part may be more worn than another. Also look around each tyre to make sure they don’t have any cuts, bulges or other damage to the tyre walls. Check all of your tyres, including the spare. Driving without the legally required amount of tread can adversely affect your grip, braking distance and steering. If you’re stopped by the police and found with illegal tyres, you could receive a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre. Wind screen wiper blades and their carriers. Blades for nicks and tears – carriers for slackness in the blade spine. Don’t forget the rear if applicable. Water hoses under the bonnet. Are they in danger of bursting – especially prevalent in older vehicles. Pedal rubbers. Are they worn smooth? Are they missing? You Are you fit to drive? Were you partying last night? If you were ‘over the top’ last night you’ll be over the top the following day. Are you taking medication which might dull your reaction time – which for the average driver is around 1 ¾ seconds? Are you emotional stable, not stressed or over excited. Are you in a fit state to take charge of vehicle, that has the potential, to kill and seriously injure or would it be better to take an alternative form of transport. Links for further information below, including the answers to the tell me/show me questions. |
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