Taxi Maintenance Tips (Filters & Fluids)

It’s important to check all parts of your cab regularly. Here’s some guidance as to when you should look at individual parts:

Air filters

Most manufacturers suggest that these be replaced every 15,000 miles or so.

Oil

Generally you should check this every 3 months at least, but it’s actually recommend that you check it once a week, especially if you do a lot of short, stop and start journeys or more than 30 miles a day – we’re looking at you taxi drivers!

Fluids

If you’re making the effort to check your oil levels once a week, it won’t hurt to keep an eye on your brake, power steering and washer fluids. These shouldn't ever need to be changed, unless you start finding problems with those specific areas of your cab. However, they will need periodic filling. A warning -- do not remove the radiator cap whilst the car is still hot or has been recently running – it really is important to let the car cool down and it greatly reduces the chance of a serious injury occurring.

Ensuring that you keep up with these practices and keep a log of the actions carried, you should be able to prevent any unnecessary procedures taking place and thus any unexpected taxi insurance claims. A good habit would be to open the bonnet when you have a regular break from work to check all is order with you vehicle. Simple actions like this could save a lot of money and take very little time.

Keeping a log of any maintenance carried out, as well as vehicle-related purchases such as fuel, oil, anti-freeze, and so on doesn't have to be difficult – a simple spreadsheet or notepad will suffice. These logs can be valuable in helping to determine the efficiency of the vehicle on a day to day basis and working out weekly, monthly and annual costs. You’ll soon learn what kind of fuel economy your cab can provide and a sudden drop in economy will be all the more noticeable.