For the month of October we are going to talk about common Fluids and how frequent you need to visually check them. ( Note: Vehicles have scheduled maintenance charts that specify specific times or measured miles to check fluids. Our Tips are for general knowledge. Prior to checking your vehicles fluids please make sure to check and learn your service manuals.)

1. Motor Oil

2. Transmission Fluid (Automatic Transmissions)

3. Gear Oil (Manual Transmissions)

4, Brake Fluid

5. Radiator Coolant

6. Power Steering Fluid

7. Windshield Wiper Fluid

8. Fuel

We must say in a perfect world, we can jump in our cars, turn them on and drive with out having a worry.... but we can safely say, that is not the case. What happens if your radiator hose developed a leak and over night you lost more than 50% of your radiator coolant. If you turned on your vehicle and drove off you would be in a lot of trouble 10 minutes into your trip. We would like to say it wouldn't be practical to check all of your vehicles fluid levels prior to taking a trip to the grocery store every time (which we might add is only a mile down the street). What we can say is be aware of your gauges at all times and also while pulling out of your driveway, glance at the area your vehicle was parked on and watch for stains or puddles of any sort. Being aware is the first step.

You should check these fluids constantly.

Your Vehicles Motor Oil levels (Dipstick)

Your Vehicles Radiator Coolant (Cap)

Your Vehicles Transmission Fluid. (Dipstick)

Note: When checking fluids that have a dipstick please make sure to check both the front side and the back side. What you are looking for is to have the same fluid marking on both sides to ensure an accurate reading.