How to Maintain Your Car – Essential Tips for Running Longer

Did you know that an older car owner is twofold likely to spend more than $1,000 on repairs alone? As your car hits the road every day, the wear and tear is inevitable. However, preventive measures and regular servicing is your perfect shot in the arm.That is why we are presenting how to maintain your car?

In this review, we unearth meticulous tips to help you maintain your car stress-free as you save on frequent repairs costs. Besides, you understand how to improve car performance, sustain its book value and longevity. Ultimately, you stay safe, save time associated with breakdowns and avoid many other preventable irregular car inspection-related problems. This should be exciting. 

Poor car maintenance is one of the major contributors to the annual accident-related death toll in the US today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA), about 2% of car crash causes are associated with preventable mechanical failure. This is part of the reason the authority’s major focus is to encourage pre-emptive pre-crash measures amongst car owners. 

Nevertheless, the most important thing about a car is not just buying it but how you maintain it.
However, with present day diverse contemporary cars, everyone will opt to mind their car differently. Nonetheless, anyone can adopt these basic tips regardless of the car model to overcome common impediments most experience due to poor car maintenance. Let’s clear that up vividly. 

Is your car ‘happy’? If it is, at least you should too. It is important regular car maintenance is part of your car care. Probably, what lingers in your head right now is how do you go about it? When should you do it? And what exactly is car maintenance all about. To unravel this, we take an in-depth perspective into these automotive helpful tips.

This is why you have to check your car oil as often as possible. Most manufacturers recommend an oil change for every 3000 to 5000 miles traveled but check with your car model specifics. However, you can adopt an after car fuel refill check habit for your oil levels or at least twice a month. Consider placing a sticker on your car windshield to help remind you when your car oil change is imminent. 

Before Any Oil Check, Ensure;

These practices work in your favor extending the engine lifespan, courtesy of regular engine oil changes. Remember, cars with special engines that run on diesel or turbocharged might require additional numerous oil changes.

Additionally, check that the fuel filter and PCV valve are functioning properly. Besides, don’t forget inspecting your car spark plug wiring and spark plugs.

Inspect every day your car tire pressures including when about to hit the road for long trips.
Ensure you always have a manufacturer-recommended tire-pressure gauge in your car for inflation pressure inspection. For some extra tipoff, read your car manual. You can pick any suitable gauge from the market since most are cheap and easy to use. 

Besides, check your car tires for potential irregular wear. If your car tires are deflated, inflate them to the manufacturer’s specified pressure level. Are you noticing the tread wear indicator between the treads? If you don’t know how to check this, call in your mechanic or dealer for a close examination.

Nevertheless, if your car tires are worn due to excessive changing, for your safety replace them with new ones. Remember, tires with appropriate amounts of pressure will last you longer and help improve fuel efficacy. Tire pressure will always fluctuate depending on distance or miles covered and temperature changes.

Have your car tires rotated, balanced and aligned properly. This can be done by an expert unless you have all the machines to do it all. Resultantly, your car tires will wear out evenly, enjoy a smooth ride and keep in check car straightness

Well, this is a common drill by all of us. As much as weekly cleaning of your car would be ideal, no specific car wash timing is cast on stone. However, you might have to do extra car cleaning during winter than summer due to effects related to mud, snow, and salt. When snowy, consider using snow brushes to clear the snow off your car. 

Additionally, your car is always exposed to effects like the sun, acidic rain, sap plus much more. This can affect the quality of paint finishing and overtime cause parts corrosion. Ultimately, your car depreciation (value) will reduce significantly resulting in a financial blow if you want to resell it. When cleaning your car don’t just clean the interior and exterior parts only, but also the undercarriages.

Notably, be careful not to scratch and degrade the car finish. This is why you should use dedicated car-wash cleaning products. They are specifically meant for cleaning cars without affecting the finishing automotive paint. However, avoid using household cleaning agents that might clean away the protective body wax of your car.

Lastly, don’t forget to clean your car windscreen and wipers carefully using a spongy squeegee. You don’t want to leave it with scratches that could obscure your view. Also, clean your headlights for that bright light when in dark locations or surrounding.

Is your car fuel-injectable? Then you can check your frontal car area, usually next to the fenders or it could be atop your engine. Nevertheless, if you are new to car maintenance, don’t worry. Your mechanic can help identify the specific air filter location in your car model as you learn the parts bit by bit. Still, your manual should be of help here.

Lift your car air filter out and hold it against bright light. If you can’t be able to see through, it means a replacement could be overdue. However, don’t be too quick to jump into conclusions yet. Drop it lightly sideways towards the bottom against a solid surface to let loose some dirt that could be trapped.

A number of such droppings without seeing through are a cue for a satisfactory decision to look for a new one. It is recommended you change your car filter twice annually for every 40,000 miles covered. However, for those who drive in dusty roads, you are likely to frequently replace your car air filter. 

Check the emission system since it is responsible for taking exhaust away from the engine and passenger cabin. Additionally, the under-car side inspected for potential parts rusting. Furthermore, confirm your clamps are ok, otherwise, if too tight you can loosen them to comfortable levels. 

Be keen on unusual exhaust sound changes, if irreparable, it is imperative to replace the entire exhaust system. This will save you long-run costs as opposed to frequent exhaust repairs.

Whether you run brakes checks from your nearest dealer or the home mechanic does it all, remember to keep it regular.However, confirm that the wheels and general braking system are thoroughly inspected. If you discover that some parts like linings or pads are worn out, a replacement would be advisable.

Nonetheless, frequent checks should be done on cars used on long distances travel round the year.

Your car upkeep is never complete without inspecting your radiator. Sometimes it can collect debris. Remove this debris and also use a soft brush to wash off any dirt on the exterior part of the radiator.

During your car maintenance, create some time and remove the battery for cleaning using a cleaning brush. Besides, ensure your battery isn’t leaking or no mineral is building up on the contacts.

Once the cleaning is complete and battery dry, fix it carefully and tightly back to its position to avoid vibrations. Be cautious not to spill the acid to your body in the process. In addition, check that your toolkit has a car battery tester or jump starter for that essential jump.

Regardless of the length your car will store in the garage, storage facility or parking lot, ensure you clean it first. You don’t want elements like water drops, bird droppings, salty environment, sand deposits and others corrode or erode the body.

Do you live in rodents manifested location? Well, to keep off the unwanted animals hiding in your car, place mothballs or dry sheets inside your vehicle. 

For easy carriage of storage materials to and from the car, a lucrative hitch carrier could be helpful. Remember to have your toolbox packed with essential breaker bar, screwdrivers, bolts among many other car accessories. 

There is always more! Consider going through these other car maintenance checks:

Did you know that of all aftermarket auto repairs in the US, 75 percent of them are performed by autonomous auto repair shops? In addition, the other 25 percent of the business tends to thrive with dealerships. Nevertheless, whether your car maintenance is dependent on your technician or mechanic, these tips will keep you ahead of the pack. 

Thankfully, modern car manufacturers are introding computer-aided controls to check your steering wheel, mirror, airbags, brakes, and many other parts. This implies, if your car is automated for such checks, maintenance is just a click away, thanks to onboard diagnostics technology.

This is a striking contemporary shift from the conformist time-consuming pinpointing approaches. Finally, let the incredible car care now begin and ultimately, you will absolutely have nothing to lose. I hope was fun.