People who do not want to end up relying on their car insurance breakdown cover should carry out routine vehicle maintenance on a regular basis, it has been suggested.

According to the publisher Haynes, by conducting certain basic checks, motorists may find they avoid many of the common problems which can result in drivers being left stranded at the roadside.

It pointed out it produces manuals for over 500 different vehicles which are "renowned for teaching millions of car owners how to carry out routine maintenance and repairs".

The group explained each job in the guides is rated for difficulty - from one to five spanners.

It claimed the single-spanner tasks should be quite easy to complete, even for people with no experience of car mechanics.

At the beginning of the year, Haynes predicted 2009 would see more motorists carrying out their own car maintenance and repairs in a bid to save money during the economic downturn.

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