How to Treat Your Car Like Your Business
Learning how to drive and owning a car have shifted from a luxury to a necessity in the past decade - most people feel they need the reliability that a car affords, as opposed to relying on public methods of transport. However, running a car usually isn't cheap, what with insurance, ensuring their MOT’d, fixing repairs, and so on. No car lasts forever, but there are some ways we can keep them around for a bit longer, if we just take the extra precautions and just take better care of our beloved motors as if they were our own place of work or business. Sounds absurd, but you’d want to take good care of your business, wouldn't you? So here are a few organizational tips for drivers just to stay ahead of the curve to try and minimise risks before they become too much of a problem, so our cars can stay happy and healthy looking.
Listen to the HUD - Risk Management
The Heads - Up display on your car is like having a set of alarms, or a tiny voice of reminder - listen to it, it knows what it’s saying! Think of your HUD as your cars voice. When it wants something, it’ll let you know, and it’s a really good idea to take their advice. If your HUD is saying that you have a brake light failure, or your oil levels are low, please, address it right away. It may seem small, but the best way to minimise risk is to tackle them while they’re still risks, rather than let them become an issue. As soon as you’re given a warning, make a note to address it as soon as possible, rather than testing out how long you can without. It’s there for a reason.
Keep it Tidy - Clear Space Policy
It’s a good idea to think of your car the same way you would your work space. In a lot of offices some companies run a clear desk policy - as so many companies are making their efforts to go paperless and keeping their desks as spotless as they can, try employ a similar method to keeping your car tidy so it’s always ready for business - who knows, if you decide to work for, or run a taxi business, it could very well BE your business. Try to stay on top of clutter as often as you can, maybe set aside 15 minutes each day or so just to keep it manageable. Make sure your car is washed often too - it’s not just vanity, you can avoid dirt and grit getting into important parts.
Budget - Maintenance and Repair Costs
It’s very important to keep your car in good condition and checked when needed, so make sure to have it serviced when scheduled to. Most cars are serviced based on time or amount of miles driven, so keep track of that, and make sure to budget for any work that may need doing. It might be a good idea to get into the habit of setting some money aside each month so when your car eventually needs to be MOT’d, that you’re not taken aback and completely out of pocket should anything need replacing or fine tuning.
