Keeping your car in tip top condition
Nearly all UK motorists will agree that keeping a car is an expensive business. Everything from fuel to road tax drains our bank accounts, and even the savings that come with a really cheap car insurance deal are unlikely to make up these costs. The cost of driving seems to go up every year - don't you wish there is something you could do about it?
Fortunately for you, there is - and it could also save your cheap car insurance rate from disintegrating as a result of an accident. The key is something which motorists should do already but most tend not to, and it is to keep your car in tip top condition.
There are a number of reasons why it is so important to keep your car in good condition. The first - and most important - is safety. If you neglect your car, you risk it getting into a dangerous state which could cause an accident, potentially causing injuries to you, your passengers and any other road users involved. A dent in your car is also likely to result in a dent in your cheap car insurance premiums.
Another reason to keep your car in good shape is that you may also save money as a result. A few pounds spent now on simple maintenance could save you a lot of pounds in the future, when your car breaks down at the side of the road and you have to pay for emergency repairs. Your car should also need less work doing when it goes for an MOT or service so hopefully those bills will be a little less hefty too.
Simple maintenance tips
The first thing to remember is that you should always take action before there is a problem, as waiting for issues to arise may cause further damage and invariably cost more to fix. So, don't wait for those warning lights to flick on or for things to stop working before topping up your oil and other fluids.
It is worth regularly checking your wiper blades for damage and wear. A smeary windscreen could mean a costly accident for you and a bad day for your cheap car insurance rates, so invest in some replacement blades as soon as the need arises. On a related note, you should also make sure that your windscreen washers are aimed at your windscreen so they work effectively. A surprising number of drivers have them aimed so that the wash goes flying over the top of the car, mostly missing their windscreen (and the point).
It is likely that you will have a few light bulbs blow in the course of your life as a driver. Sometimes it will be obvious, such as if a headlight bulb goes, but you could drive around for days without realising a brake light is not working. Thus, it is important to check all your lights on a regular basis. The best way to do this is by either getting someone else to look at your lights whilst you switch them on, or by parking in front of a wall and going by the reflections.
Tyres are a particularly important part of your car to check on a regular basis because driving on bald tyres is very dangerous and could land you a huge fine if you are caught by police. The minimum tread depth which you can legally drive around on is 1.6mm, but it is best to replace them well in advance of this if you want to be certain of protecting your cheap car insurance rate.
Whilst you are checking the tread depth of your tyres, you should also ensure that they have the right pressure. Driving on underinflated or overinflated tyres can be dangerous, as well as affecting the amount of fuel that you use. Paying a few pence to get them to the correct pressure could mean you save quite a bit of money on fuel.
Despite all these basic maintenance procedures, there are likely to be things which go wrong with your car from time to time which you cannot fix yourself. When a problem does crop up, book your car into a garage without delay and get it corrected by the professionals. It might cost a bit at the time, but you can be certain that it would have cost the same or even more if you had left it.
We have amazingly cheap car insurance deals
Once your car is in tip top condition, you may well have a taste for making savings on your motoring costs. If so, how does saving £££s on your motor insurance sound?
We are able to offer spectacularly cheap car insurance quotes to UK motorists thanks to the cost-effective way in which duck2water operates. As we are an online car insurance firm, we don't have any of those nasty overheads which add pounds to your motor insurance premium, like paying for call centres or high street premises.
We also don't take part in any TV or magazine advertising, something which makes our cheap car insurance rates even cheaper. We know that our great rates speak for themselves - we don't need to add anything.
Most importantly, we fit a small telematics device to your car which enables us to offer lower premiums to careful, low-mileage drivers.
Find out how much you could save with duck2water - get a cheap car insurance quote by clicking the button below now.