Tyre Pressure Gauge

wannabe_sybil

I am very sorry to post such a question but I am at my wit's end.

My OH drives a Ford Fusion. How do I find an appropriate tyre gauge and can anyone tell me if there are resources out there (inexpensive!) to find out how to check the tyre pressure and what it should be? OH won't do it.

Also, I am sorry to ask this as I do not know even what to google for, but what needs to be done regularly? Our neighbour (who is lovely, a mechanic, and will always under charge us) says that the oil when he looked last night was at the bottom of the rod, the car took two and a half pints. Do I need to check water? How do I know about windscreen stuff?

I do not drive. I know nothing about cars. It turns out that the reason our car was not working well is that it hadn't been serviced in five years and had a blocked fuel filter, air filter and it looks like one of what our neighbour called the plugs has gone. I need to take care of the car but I don't know where to start. I know that my lovely neighbour will help, but I am not sure what to ask. Can anyone recommend any starting points/things to google for me?

Many thanks in advance!

neilmcl

You can get tyre gauges from halfords and the like. If you look on the inside of the drivers door pillar there may be sticker with the relevant tyre pressures or look in the car's manual. I also suggest you and your OH start reading the manual and learn how to check oil, water etc.

maninthestreet

For the love of God, if you haven't joined the AA, RAC or some other road-side assitance/recovery organisation, then do so immediately!

Premier_2

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

I am very sorry to post such a question but I am at my wit's end.

My OH drives a Ford Fusion. How do I find an appropriate tyre gauge and can anyone tell me if there are resources out there (inexpensive!) to find out how to check the tyre pressure and what it should be? OH won't do it.

Also, I am sorry to ask this as I do not know even what to google for, but what needs to be done regularly? Our neighbour (who is lovely, a mechanic, and will always under charge us) says that the oil when he looked last night was at the bottom of the rod, the car took two and a half pints. Do I need to check water? How do I know about windscreen stuff?

I do not drive. I know nothing about cars. It turns out that the reason our car was not working well is that it hadn't been serviced in five years and had a blocked fuel filter, air filter and it looks like one of what our neighbour called the plugs has gone. I need to take care of the car but I don't know where to start. I know that my lovely neighbour will help, but I am not sure what to ask. Can anyone recommend any starting points/things to google for me?

Many thanks in advance!

But your OH does,

Buy him a driving lesson. It's all covered these days as part of the leaning, but wasn't done in years gone by.

Any driving school will more than welcome an existing driver who wishes to brush up on their skills.

cif85

I can't answer all of your questions, but here's a couple of my thoughts:

1) Tyre pressures will be specified in the car manual, near the back. They tell you the front and rear pressures - if you don't have your manual, give your local Ford garage a call and they should be able to tell you. Then pop down to your local petrol station and use the air dispensers there to pump your tyres up to the require pressure.

2) Tyres should be done every couple of weeks, definitely before a long journey, as should an oil check. For oil, take the dip stick out, wipe it, put it back in, then take it out again and check to see if the level is between the two notches. If not, top up. The oil specification you should be using is also in the manual (check with a local Ford garage).

3) Water level - check this regularly too. If it's going down, there may be a leak somewhere

4) Wiper fluid is dead easy. Don't use washing up liquid, just normal washer fluid that you can get from supermarkets or petrol stations. The location of the fluid reservoir is also in your manual.


Other than that, please get your car down to a reputable, local garage (not a Ford dealer!) who can check it over and let you know what needs doing. Then get quotes for the work from several places to get the best price. Ask the mechanic what you should be checking regularly, apart from the above.

cif85

maninthestreet wrote: »

For the love of God, if you haven't joined the AA, RAC or some other road-side assitance/recovery organisation, then do so immediately!

And this aswell

Premier_2

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

I am very sorry to post such a question but I am at my wit's end.

My OH drives a Ford Fusion. How do I find an appropriate tyre gauge and can anyone tell me if there are resources out there (inexpensive!) to find out how to check the tyre pressure and what it should be? OH won't do it.

Also, I am sorry to ask this as I do not know even what to google for, but what needs to be done regularly? Our neighbour (who is lovely, a mechanic, and will always under charge us) says that the oil when he looked last night was at the bottom of the rod, the car took two and a half pints. Do I need to check water? How do I know about windscreen stuff?

I do not drive. I know nothing about cars. It turns out that the reason our car was not working well is that it hadn't been serviced in five years and had a blocked fuel filter, air filter and it looks like one of what our neighbour called the plugs has gone. I need to take care of the car but I don't know where to start. I know that my lovely neighbour will help, but I am not sure what to ask. Can anyone recommend any starting points/things to google for me?

Many thanks in advance!

Have you tried Tyre Pressure Gauge? :cool:

Strider590

OP the only thing stopping you is fear.... But there's almost nothing you can break by simply looking around the engine bay.

Oil cap is ontop of the engine block (usually marked with an oil can), coolant is usually marked with "HOT", washer water has it's own little symbol that looks like windscreen washers and is usually at the front corner of the engine bay, brake fluid is normally a tiny little reservoir with a dark coloured liquid (you don't need to touch this), you might have powersteering fluid (marked with a steering wheel), you might have DFP fluid/eolys if it's a diesel.

It may seem daunting, but get in there and do it, put the OH to shame.

Basic car maintenance should be part of the UK driving test, I wonder how many accidents per year, could have been avoided if the owner wasn't to scared to check the levels once a week.

And no matter what anyone says, remember that a valid MOT does not mean a car is in good serviceable condition. It simply means it won't kill you in the next 12 months.

wannabe_sybil

Thank you for all your responses - they are really, really gratefully received.

OH won't do anything. I don't blame him, he has a lot on his plate at the moment. In the circumstances I want to try and cover this myself.

I will try and get a manual from ebay. I have trouble getting out and about. I also can't get the car to a garage. However I do trust my neighbour. He is a proper mechanic who fixes cars for a living and has always been a good neighbour over the years. He gets a lot of repeat business.

I don't know if OH will remember the air at a garage (to be fair to him, he is really busy and stressed and I can understand that he doesn't want to add something else to his day), can this be done with a cylinder? I know this is going to sound silly, but does it need to be special air (please don't laugh) as in a particular mix of gas, or will next door's compressor do?

We are members of the AA, with a really full package. I think it covers home start and bringing the car back if it breaks down away from home.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help with this - it must sound really odd, even I know that these are utter basics.

Strider - I wish I could thank your post twice. It is fear for me, completely unknown territory.

Premier - thank you for making me chuckle. I did look on ebay - and nearly burst into tears as I couldn't work out which was what. However with the help from here I feel a little bit more confident.

wannabe_sybil

I have just been googling - is a workshop manual what I need?

http://www.emanualonline.com/Cars/Ford/Ford-Focus-Workshop-Manual-_-98_03.html

Thank you for any suggestions

oldtoolie

Hubbie is too stressed to look after his motor? Imagine how stressed he will be when it stops running.

The Official Ford Owner Site has manuals and advice on servicing -- See vehicle basics:
https://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/HomePage

Also see Auto Repair and Maintenance for Dummies

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/home-garden/automobiles.html

Your local public library will have books on basic Auto Repair and Maintenance.