Stay safe. Hospital staff love to share stories about foolish DIY people. You don’t want to end up on the internet.

There’s nothing particularly dangerous in this guide — it’s all basic stuff. But you have to make sure you only work under the bonnet when the engine is cold. Once it’s been running more than a couple of minutes, your engine will be hot enough to cause a serious burn.

Once again, if you’re not comfortable carrying out any of the tasks in this guide, please contact your local AHG service centre. They’ll be happy to walk you through the basic maintenance tasks (and give your car a quick check-up while you’re there).

Now, without further ado, let’s get down to it…

Next section — Check your coolant / radiator fluid…