Whether you're filling up your car, or putting in the R20 that you can afford this month, be sure to ask the petrol attendant to check these things for you:

Water - must be kept topped up, and cool.

Manual:
Check your engine oil regularly.

Automatic:
When driving an automatic vehicle it is very easy to forget to check the transmission oil, but this is as important as the engine oil and water, so be sure to keep a regular eye on this.

"Each type of oil has its own dipstick"

Transmission oil is found in the gearbox of an automatic vehicle. In order to check this, the engine must first idle a little so that the oil can get warm.

If you need to fill up on transmission oil, simply buy it at a garage, use a funnel to pour it in the same place the dipstick came out of.

Both Manual and Automatic:
The dipstick has two marks on it: ½ and full. The oil must be kept at full.All you must do is take it out to see where the oil reaches, and then put it back again. If you need to fill up on engine oil you take off the oil cap which is on top of the engine, and pour engine oil in there. You can check your oil about once a week.

Know your car's tire pressure and check this every time you fill up.

(next... What to keep in your car)