forfour.co.uk

Forum => General Smart Chat => Topic started by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 06:46:38 PM

Title: what to look after
Post by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 06:46:38 PM

hello!

I recently bought a used Colt CZ2 diesel. Although I drive many years, I never had to look after for my car. Can you tell me please what to do to maintain my car, what to check, etc?

Thanks!

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: Problemchild on February 05, 2015, 06:57:23 PM

depending on mileage

tyre pressures and condition - use a pressure gauge (weekly)

oil level - use the dipstick on flat ground before driving (monthly)

coolant level - big semi transparent "vessel" towards the back of the engine bay with a min/max (monthly)

service, mot and tax every year

JJ

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 07:48:27 PM

thanks!
should I add to this list water for the cleaner of the windscreen? can I use a fluid that cleans better than water? and maybe de-ices?

also, what about the service, every how many miles?

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: Problemchild on February 05, 2015, 08:16:04 PM

Yup - top up and add washer fluid (cleans and makes it harder to freeze - instructions on the 5lt bottles)

Servicing - the car tells you with spanner image but unless you do lots of miles then every year is fine and there is nothing overly special about the engine so any garage can do it - but obviously a smart specialist would be best and offer value for money.

JJ

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 09:12:53 PM

thank you very much for this info!

so, I don't need to monitor my brakes, my shock absorbers, my clutch, my battery fluids, or anything else?

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: Brabs on February 05, 2015, 09:35:09 PM

Oh yes you do! All of those. Every couple of months at least I reckon! I call it 'preventative maintenance'!

 :)

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 09:46:10 PM

oh man you broke me now
is it safe (safety reasons and for good car maintenance) to leave them be checked by the garage during MOT?

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: Problemchild on February 05, 2015, 10:25:13 PM

All of those things will be picked up at service/mot

I don't actively check any of those things - pads etc are too difficult to get to.

How many miles do you do a month?

JJ

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: forfor on February 05, 2015, 10:57:03 PM

I do 700-1000 is that okay?

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: CrazyG on February 05, 2015, 10:59:54 PM

Quote from: Problemchild on February 05, 2015, 08:16:04 PM

.....Servicing - the car tells you with spanner image but unless you do lots of miles then every year is fine and there is nothing overly special about the engine so any garage can do it - but obviously a smart specialist would be best and offer value for money.

Hate to say it but that is incorrect.
There are differences in the way a Colt is set up to a ForFour.
The Colt; believe it or not; is 'detuned' in comparison to a ForFour,
more noticeably the petrol versions, but I will concede that I'm not
100% sure with the diesel version that uses the MB engine.
But I do know for sure that the Star diagnostics cannot be used
for everything on the Colt.  Likewise the Mitsubishi diagnostics
will not work 100% on the ForFour.

Perhaps lil.smartie will step in here and back me up on this
as I am sure we have had something like this crop up before.

Title: Re: what to look after
Post by: Problemchild on February 06, 2015, 06:54:33 AM

Sorry - forgot we were talking colts - ha

JJ