It is early morning and you are in a rush. You are trying to avoid the daily gridlock that you have to navigate through to get to work. With such a long and tenuous drive to work, having your car break down on you would not only mean that you would be fined for the traffic you caused, but your stress level would surely increase having gone through such an inconvenience. So here are three reminders for you to do before leaving your garage.

1. Check on the fluid levels of your car.

Pop the hood. There are three fluid levels you need to check for your engine. First is the fluid in your radiator. By opening the cap you can see if you need to replenish it. Without fluids in your radiator, your car would overheat. Second would be the brake fluid level. There are measures on the side to see if you have enough brake fluid in your car. Without this precious fluid, you will careen out of control and be a danger on the road. And thirdly, lift the oil dipstick to see if there is still oil in your engine or if the oil is still fresh and in good condition. Any discoloration would signal the need for an oil change. Ask yourself, when was the last oil change you had. If you can't remember, you need to have the oil changed right away.

2. Check on the wheels.

Check each one. If left overnight, most often the tire would be deflated. Check also if the wheels are inflated equally because if one is overinflated, it would be the one most likely to give you problems on the road. And lastly, do see if your spare tire is still in good condition. You'll never know when you will need this one on the road.

3. Listen to your engine.

When your engine is turned on, listen to your vehicle. Rev the engine a few times and listen to any hiccups or coughs of the car. Put it on idle and listen if there are sudden changes in the engine sounds. This practice, which only takes a few minutes, is to see first hand if the engine is in good working condition. If any weird sounds do manifest during this time, this may be a sign of a much bigger problem for your car. Just make sure that in the next few days or so you would bring your car to a mechanic so that the weird sounds under the hood would be checked.

So to prevent being a nuisance on the road and to avoid inconveniencing yourself as well as other people, you need to check on three basic things before leaving your garage. Check on the fluid levels of your car, check on all five wheels of your car and listen to your engine. These simple steps would help you in avoiding a whole host of problems getting to and from work for the day.