At Grosvenor Leasing, we have been asked by many customers and drivers what they should, or should not, be doing with their vehicles during this period of lockdown.
To assist, we have provided some broad advice below:
- Keep a packet of anti-bacterial wipes in your vehicle at all times (or a cleaning agent if you cannot get hold of wipes).
- Wipe all aspects of your vehicle where you have contact (for example door handles, steering wheel, gearstick, handbreak, radio etc) whenever you have left the vehicle and been into contact with other things (eg opened doors, pushed supermarket trollies etc).
- When using petrol pumps, wear gloves and be aware that the virus can survive on metal for 9 hours.
- If you must go out, please drive safely and be patient at all times
ALSO,
- Cars, vans and motorcycles due their MOT before 1 August will still receive a 6-month exemption from testing.
- A number of manufacturers have provided information regarding routine servicing during this period and how this may affect the manufacturer warranty. A few of them have extended their service schedule should you be unable to arrange routine work.
- There have been reports in the press of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) failure through lack of driving. These have been fitted to all diesels since 2009, and are present on a lot of older cars too. We may see an increase of DPF issues but not on the scale to which some press speculation seems to suggest.
- Drivers should check their owner's manual which will advise what to do if the ‘regen' light is illuminated. If there is no regen light present, no action is required. If the regen light does illuminate, they would be well advised to extend their current journey (without switching off the engine) until the light extinguishes, at which point the cleaning process is complete and all is well.
- Vehicle approval tests (NOT MOT's) have been suspended for 3 months.
For more information, you can call 01536 536 536