A Season-by-Season Car Care Checklist

Heading Into Summer

Check your coolant level and condition before the first heatwave, not during it — overheating incidents spike in the first hot week of the year, when everyone's cooling system gets tested at once. Check tyre tread and pressure, since hot road surfaces increase tyre wear and heat build-up in already-worn tyres. Check your battery too: heat is harder on batteries than cold, and a battery that's been marginal all winter often fails in the first heatwave.

Heading Into Winter

Cold mornings are the classic time for a marginal battery to finally fail, since cranking an engine takes more current when oil is thicker and cold. Check wiper blades and washer fluid before the wet season starts — worn blades that were fine in summer often streak badly in heavier winter rain. Check headlights and taillights, since shorter days mean more driving in low light.

Year-Round, But Easy to Forget

Tyre tread depth and pressure should be checked monthly regardless of season — both affect braking distance and fuel economy. Brake pad wear is worth a glance at every service, given how it's easy to go months without hearing the wear-indicator squeal if you don't brake hard often. Cabin and engine air filters get overlooked entirely unless someone specifically checks them, and both affect performance and air quality over time.

For more on how Melbourne's specific driving conditions affect your car year-round, see our guide on service intervals for Melbourne's stop-start traffic.