Tell me questions

tell me how you’d check the brakes are working before starting a journey

when you press the brake pedal it shouldn’t feel spongy or slack. if the brakes are working properly the car shouldn’t pull to the side

tell me where you’d find the cars recommended tyre pressures and how you’d check each tyre

look in the car manual then use a reliable pressure guage to check and adjust the pressure when the tyres are cold. don’t forget to refit the valve caps and check the spare tyre

tell me how you’d make sure your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection

adjust the head restraint so the rigid part is at least as high as your eye or the top of your ears, make sure its close to the back of your head and comfortable

tell me how you’d check the tyres have sufficient tread depth and are in a safe condition

check they have no cuts or bulges they must have at least 1.6 mm of tread depth across the middle three quarters of the tyre, and around the entire outer circumference

tell me how you’d check the headlights and taillights are working

turn on the switch, you might need to turn the ignition on, then walk around the car to check the lights are working

tell me how you’d know if there was a problem with your anti-lock braking system

the ABS warning light should light up if there is a fault

tell me how you’d check the indicators are working

turn on the hazard warning light, you might need to turn the ignition on. then walk around the car and check the indicators are working

tell me how you’d check the brake lights are working

press the brake pedal and ask someone to check the lights come on, or use reflections in windows and doors

tell me how you’d check the power steering is working before starting a journey

turn the ignition on and then turn the steering wheel, it should move with ease. you can also turn the steering wheel just after moving off to check that is works

tell me how you’d switch on the rear fog lights and explain when you’d use them

turn the ignition on then turn on the dipped headlights, and then the fog lights. check the warning light on the dashboard is on.

You’d only use them when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you can’t see for more than 100 metres

tell me how you’d switch your headlights from dipped to main beam and explain how you’d know the main beam is on

turn the ignition on then turn on the dipped headlights and switch to the main beam, check that the main beam warning light on the dash board is on

open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check the engine has sufficient oil

remove the dip stick and wipe it with a cloth, put it back in the holder, then take it out again. look at the high and low marks, the oil level should be between them. if its too low top it up. dont over fill it as you could damage the engine

open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check the engine has sufficient engine coolant

check the coolant by looking at the high and low levels on the radiator header tank, if the levels are low top it up with a water and anti freeze mix but only when the engine is cold. you could get a serious injury if you open the cap when its hot

open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid

the brake fluid must be kept between the high and low mark if its low top it up with the correct type of fluid

you can fid out what this is in your cars manual