Christmas and the New Year have been and gone and Easter is fast approaching. Use Mitubishi's handy checklist to make sure that your towcar is ready to make its first towing trip of the new season.
1. Is you car due for a service or MOT? Towing puts a greater strain on the car, so make sure that it's in a healthy state.
2. If the mileage is getting high, consider flushing the radiator and cooling system. Many older cars have partially blocked cooling channels, leading to reduced cooling capacity and a risk of overheating when towing. Also check that the air-intake is free of leaves or other winter debris.
3. Check all the lights, including the towbar lighting circuits. Plug-in testers for the roadlight circuits are available, or you could use a trailer lighting board. Lighting problems are usually simple to fix, but tracing the problem can be time consuming, so don't leave this check until the night before you go away.
4. Check the towbar and its attachment points on the car for signs of wear, or for loose fixings. All fixings must be correctly torqued up so that they are not to loose or too tight. Use a torque wrench and tighten to the manufacturer's settings. If in any doubt, get a competent towbar fitter to do these checks (and the checks on the lighting circuits) for you.
5. If you don't have a ball-acting stabiliser, make sure the towball is well greased. If you do use one of these, make sure the towball is scrupulously clean.
6. Remind yourself of the correct tyre pressures recommended by the manufacturer for use while towing.