With today's gas and go world it is very rare to see a consumer raise their hood to inspect or even check their fluid level including engine oil, washer fluid, battery or even transmission level.

So what happened to the customary under hood inspection? For the most part it is integrated into scheduled oil changes and other routine maintenance service.

Why look under the hood when everything you are likely to see under there will look pretty much the same as it did the last time you checked? Or why even bother to look at all?

It is important to check under the hood because things do happen. Radiators still develop slow or fast leaks, fan belts fray or crack, or engine leaks oil and battery corrodes.

It only takes a few minutes to conduct a thorough under hood inspection, which is probably the best reason of all to keep doing them - to spot small problems before they before they become big problems.

Here are some of the things that is recommended to follow. Let's start with the fluid levels. Most models have translucent fluid reservoirs, which makes it easy to check the level in the radiator expansion tank, master cylinder and washer solvent reservoir in a matter of seconds. A low master cylinder may signal a fluid leak, or it may indicate brake pads that are nearing the end of their useful life.

An empty radiator expansion tank probably indicates a problem. That the missing coolant had to go somewhere.

For engine oil and transmission oil, use the proper procedure to measure the fluid level. (Refer to the owner manual.)

Visually inspect the belts and hoses, then carefully check them by hand (engine not running). Look for frayed or loose belts and proper belt alignment. Your ears will come in handy also. Perhaps you heard a noisy belt immediately after the engine started. It may even continue to make noise after the engine has warmed up if it is really worn.

Inspect the hoses for sign of coolant leakage at the connection points. Carefully squeeze the hoses (Engine off in cold condition) to check for mushiness, cracks, bulges or other indications that a hose is about to fail.

Look for sign of oil or other fluid leakage on the exterior of the engine and surrounding components. If the vehicle has been sitting in the same place for a few minutes, check for spots of oil or other fluids on the floor.

Last of all, use your eyes to spot anything that doesn’t look normal under the hood.

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