Pre-ride (or pre-drive) checks.

[Brucey]

other kinds of settling can cause the bulk of 'apparent stretch' but in fact, all cables do stretch;

1) elastically (reversibly) when under load, and
2) permanently (not reversibly) typically the first time they see a high load, due to settling of the strands in the structure of the cable.

To combat 2), cables usually come 'pre-stretched'. This doesn't make them immune to settling stretch but it does greatly reduce it, down to perhaps 1% or so settling once installed. However bicycle cables are also fitted in curves, and cables that see a high load in a curve will settle (stretch) a little when they see the high load for the first time. [You can tell that this is happening because the cable will be a different shape when removed, once it has seen a little service. If it is removed without seeing a high load. it'll be just the same shape as when it went in.]

cheers

[mercalia]

check tyre pressures once a week . My bike don't get enough use to really require much frequent attention

[PRL]

At risk of starting that debate all over again, brake cables do not and never have stretched. Pads wear, outers can compress fractionally and settle into the stops, but they do not stretch.

When you have one strand left and it gives way it feels like stretching.

[Tonyf33]

Bike, brakes every time I come back to them whether in the hallway or just from nipping into the supermarket or a pub for a jimmy riddle, so that's pretty much before I even get onto the bike. To my mind that has to be a gimme and above anything else, rarely does anything else a rudimentary check would reveal have such a potential massive impact if you don't check.
I generally know when I need air and top up fairly regularly on the daily, the others get a proper check & top up to the correct pressure before every single ride out.

As for the car, in the 10 years I've had it I don't think it's used a drop of oil (Passat diesel) and the computer would tell me in any case, I do visually check when I'm coming back home to see if there are any spots oil/water on the floor. Tyres get a visual check and as I pump them up 10% higher than the stated requirement an actual tyre pressure check/inflation is done maybe every 4 weeks, then again I don't use the car for many trips in a month anyways.