Tyre Maintenance
Keep your tyres in good nick by investing in an essential bit of maintenance kit for your wheels, an air compressor. This allows you to check and adjust the pressure of your tyres at your own convenience, but try and do this at least once a fortnight. Make sure that at the same time you check the tread on your tyres using a ruler to measure depth and compare it to the recommended 1.6mm around the entire wheel and around three quarters of the breadth of the tyre.
It is also a good idea to check for any bulges on the tyres as this indicates a problem with the tyre such as a slow puncture caused by a stick or nail.
Engine Oil
It is important to check the oil dipstick once every two weeks and check it again before any long journeys. Make sure that you are using the most optimised oil for your vehicle. If you have made a lot of modifications or are driving a high performance car then you may find a different type of oil performs better than a regular brand. Remember that unusually high consumption of oil usually indicates a problem, so make sure you know what is normal for your vehicle and be alert to any significant changes.
Windscreen
Give a visual examination of your windscreen a weekly priority as it is easy to overlook small chips and knocks which might eventually crack and require a whole new screen. Chips are normally easily reparable at cheap rates so this is one to jump on straight away. As part of the same check look at your wiper blades and see if they need cleaning or replacing. Replace wiper blades about once a year to ensure a smear free windscreen.
It is also worth noting that it is a legal requirement to have a windscreen washer system that works and is topped up and ready to go. So check levels regularly and use a good anti-freeze additive in winter to stop it freezing in the tank.
For even more tips on looking after your car, check out this simple to use list of ten vital checks.