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SM, TM - bonnet
Show me, tell me, under the bonnet
Under the bonnet of the Skoda Citigo:
Show me, tell me was introduced to help drivers appreciate what is under the bonnet and to spot problems before they become serious.
The important parts are colour coded. In the Vauxhall Corsa these are coloured yellow, in the MG3 the important parts are coloured yellow and the less important parts are coloured blue.
The first thing you should tell yourself is look out for yellow when you open the bonnet.
This is far easier to demonstrate than to put into words.
Starting from the top left we have the brake fluid, it is partially see through and you need to make sure that it is between the minimum and maximum points on the container. What do you do if this is below the minimum? As the brakes pads wear out more fluid can be behind the pads to push them onto the brake disks, so as it wears the volume of brake fluid can drop. The other more serious possibility is that there is a leak, therefore if it does drop you need to take it to a qualified mechanic to check for a leak.
Moving left to right, the next "yellow item" is the dipstick, this measures the level of oil in the engine. The oil lubricates the engine, it also acts as a coolant to regulate the temperature. The oil will splash around over the dipstick as the engine is run, so the first task is to clean the dipstick with the engine switched off (I use a tissue) and reinsert it back into its hole. Pulling it out again and checking the level is between the minimum and maximum. If it is too low then as you move again left to right you will come across the oil cap, put in small amounts of oil to bring it up to between the minimum and maximum.
Moving left to right again you will come up to the coolant. This regulates the engine temperature to a higher standard than the engine oil, this is partially see through, the coolant cap should not be open soon after you switch off the engine, why is this? The temperature of the coolant will be hot and as you open the cap the steam will condense on your skin and scold you. You need to wait until it cools down sufficiently before unscrewing.
Moving left to right we come to the windscreen washer fluid, this is where the fluid to wash your windows belongs, top this up as you need to clean the windows. Try not to use water on its own as this can freeze in winter, use a Screen Wash mixture.
Under the bonnet of the Skoda Citigo:
Show me, tell me was introduced to help drivers appreciate what is under the bonnet and to spot problems before they become serious.
The important parts are colour coded. In the Vauxhall Corsa these are coloured yellow, in the MG3 the important parts are coloured yellow and the less important parts are coloured blue.
The first thing you should tell yourself is look out for yellow when you open the bonnet.
This is far easier to demonstrate than to put into words.
Starting from the top left we have the brake fluid, it is partially see through and you need to make sure that it is between the minimum and maximum points on the container. What do you do if this is below the minimum? As the brakes pads wear out more fluid can be behind the pads to push them onto the brake disks, so as it wears the volume of brake fluid can drop. The other more serious possibility is that there is a leak, therefore if it does drop you need to take it to a qualified mechanic to check for a leak.
Moving left to right, the next "yellow item" is the dipstick, this measures the level of oil in the engine. The oil lubricates the engine, it also acts as a coolant to regulate the temperature. The oil will splash around over the dipstick as the engine is run, so the first task is to clean the dipstick with the engine switched off (I use a tissue) and reinsert it back into its hole. Pulling it out again and checking the level is between the minimum and maximum. If it is too low then as you move again left to right you will come across the oil cap, put in small amounts of oil to bring it up to between the minimum and maximum.
Moving left to right again you will come up to the coolant. This regulates the engine temperature to a higher standard than the engine oil, this is partially see through, the coolant cap should not be open soon after you switch off the engine, why is this? The temperature of the coolant will be hot and as you open the cap the steam will condense on your skin and scold you. You need to wait until it cools down sufficiently before unscrewing.
Moving left to right we come to the windscreen washer fluid, this is where the fluid to wash your windows belongs, top this up as you need to clean the windows. Try not to use water on its own as this can freeze in winter, use a Screen Wash mixture.
Skoda Citigo engine bay