Mechanic Laura Kennedy shares her top tips for easy car maintenance checks that everyone should know

As the co-owner of London’s only all-female garage, Spanners With Manners, there are few people better placed to advise on crucial car maintenance than Laura Kennedy.

Her background training with Porsche at the start of her career gave her the skills she needed to go on to work at a number of other garages before launching her own business three and a half years ago.

Lauren’s aim with Spanners With Manners is to create a welcoming environment where women can feel comfortable. As such she often finds herself giving practical advice to customers who seek her guidance on everything from preparing for long journeys to keeping their cars well-maintained over the colder months.

Laura is full of useful tips, and three of her top takeaways, are the sorts of simple yet vital checks everyone can carry out before hitting the road.

Laura’s Tool Kit Tips

1. Check your lights: This is easy to do and very important. Most lights can be turned on and you can simply walk around the car to check they’re working properly. Brake lights are tricky if you’re on your own, but you can always place something on the pedal and walk back to check, or if that’s not possible you could always check in a reflection.
2. Use your child locks: On long journeys, children can get bored and fiddly, playing with any buttons and switches they can reach. Put your child locks on before you start your journey so you don’t end up in a situation with a door flying open on a busy road.
3. Check your spare tyre: Before you settle in for a long trip, check not only that you have a spare tyre, but that it’s in road-worthy condition. They’re often forgotten about and left to perish or warp over time in the boot. Make sure you have your locking wheel nut with you too, as you won’t be getting the wheel off without it.

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