There are many reasons why you should take care of your car. Not only because it is something that can be expensive if an important piece of your engine fails, but there are other reasons. Driving a car can be dangerous and in case an accident happens, you need to be sitting in a safe car. Another reason is that in case you plan on reselling your car, having a car with good maintenance can change its price!
The environment will also thank you for driving a car that will be way cleaner than a car with a stricken engine.
Here, you will find some maintenance tips for your car that will help you with the things I said before!
Read Your Car Manual
You will learn a lot of things by reading this little book. Not only you will save you some time if a warning light appears, but it will tell you when you need to change some parts of your engine. This book is the first step toward a safe and reliable car. So take your time to read what’s in it, and I’m sure you will learn a thing or two!
Respect The Manual
In your manual, there will be a list of repairs that you will need to do on your car every once in a while: either it is every year such as an oil change, or it could be also the timing belt which is supposed to be changed every 100,000 kilometers on average. These numbers are average of course but always remember that some parts of your car are not meant to last several years such as your brakes or your oil. Change these parts or trouble could happen.
Inspect Your Vehicle
Every once in a while, take a tour around your car and check for anomalies. From your tires that can be damaged in a strange way to your engine and making sure you didn’t lose any parts hitting potholes, check your car. Either it is outside or inside! It doesn’t take that much time, but it can be useful.
Clean Your Car
This one can be quite a normal thing for a lot of people, but it can be very important! Cleaning your car is something a lot of people don’t like to do but it won’t be that long and it can be a good thing for your car. Especially if you live in a place where winter is harsh, cleaning your car is a thing you need to do to clean your car from anything that could damage the brakes or your exhaust pipe such as salt or gravel or even simply muddy water.
Paint is also something that can be damaged by bird poop: it contains chemicals that can harm your car’s paint. Take it off!
Don’t forget to also clean the inside of your vehicle. For your comfort and your health, it is better to have a clean car. Some people spend a lot of time in their cars, like a second home for them, and it is crucial for you to keep this place clean. After all, isn’t it better to have a clean and nice car?
Also read: Best Car Waxes
Listen To Your Engine
The sound of your engine can be a good indicator of the shape of your car. If the engine is doing an unusual sound for several minutes, kilometers or days, then something is probably wrong with it. Check your engine to see if anything is not in its right place or even checks the ground to see if any liquid is leaking from your engine. Remember that thing: an engine failure is sometimes more costly than buying a new car so take care of it!
Check Your Engine
There are two things you should check in your engine which is very important for your car. First of all, try to check the level of the coolant and the oil levels. As previously said, an engine failure can be very costly and can sometimes be easily avoided with these two things. If there’s not enough oil in your engine, it could lead to parts breaking. Same for the coolant. Checking the levels of these two things is also important because it could also show you that you are consuming too much any of these fluids or you could also be leaking any of these!
The other thing you should also be checking in your engine would be the drive belts. These belts help your engine to run clear with the fluxing of your engine. You also need to replace these belts coming to a certain mileage to prevent them from breaking and leading to engine failure.
A drive belt breaking can be very dangerous for your car: it can damage several parts at the same time and thus lead your car to the scrapping yard.
Check Your Suspension
At all costs, try to avoid ditches or potholes. Your car can suffer a lot. To a point where irreparable damage can send your car to the scrapping yard. Your suspension will suffer and when you will get to the point where your suspensions are totally worn out, the engine will start suffering as well and you may brake engine parts. Take good care of your suspension by avoiding holes but also by not taking speed bumps too fast. This is a simple trick that you probably learn at the driving school but it is not a bad thing to remember it. It will also help you take good care of your spine!
Watch Your Fuel Economy
If you are wondering why your fuel consumption has been skyrocketing, well there is probably a reason. It can be the roads you are driving on. Or there could be a damaged part in your engine. This is an easy indicator to know if your engine is in good shape or not. Always check your fuel consumption and try to diagnose what’s going on if it is too high.
By the way, it is written in the manual of your car that a certain type of fuel is the best for the engine. Stick to it.
Check Your Windshield And Your Wipers
It is cheap and easy to do. Anyone can do it, so why won’t you do it too? Windshield wipers are not an expensive thing to change, and it will take you two minutes to do it. When they are not useful anymore, it is time for a change.
Do it, because if you drive your car on a rainy day, it can be really dangerous. You won’t be able to see a thing and disaster can happen at any time driving a 1-ton metal box 90 kilometers per hour. And always remember that a tree is solid and won’t break.
Cleaning your windshield is vital for you. Cleaning it with the wipers is good but doesn’t also forget to clean the inner side of the windshield as it can get pretty dusty.
By the way, if you damage your windshield: replace it or get it fixed if possible. If you crack the windshield, it will only get wider and wider as the temperatures affect the glass until the point where it could shatter with a small bump.
Be A Better Driver
Roads are bumpy. There are even some turns sometimes. Adapt your driving style according to the road you are on. Otherwise, your car will wear faster and damage can occur way faster than what you expect.
Arriving too fast on a bump, even a small one, can destroy absorbers. Be careful on the road. Everybody will thank you for that, not only the people you come across on the road but also your family. If you want to drive like Lewis Hamilton, go on a racing track and rent a sports car.
Also, if you live in a region where you could get your car stuck by mud, water or snow, please be gentle. It will only reduce the lifespan of your engine parts by driving recklessly in that kind of weather or condition.
Also read: Why You Should Choose Bed Wood When Replacing Your Truck Bed
Get In Touch With A Reliable Professional For Your Car
Some car mechanics are frauds. There are no debates about this. But there is also a lot of good mechanics that will take good care of your car and that will try to help you out. There are not that much, and it can be hard to find the right person for the job, but these people exist. Find a reliable mechanic and you won’t have that much problem with your car anymore. It can also save you a lot of money as well!
These are simple tips, but I would recommend you following them. They are simple enough for anyone to do them in a very limited time span, and it can save you a lot of money. Remember that a car is not only a very expensive piece of engineering but also something that will protect you in case of an accident.
Treat it right, and it will treat you right!
