It’s wise to think about how to properly take care of your vehicle to keep it on the road for many years to come, regardless of whether you purchased a new or used one, and whether it’s your first or fiftieth car. Because they are complex machines, modern vehicles need constant upkeep and attention to stay dependable and safe.
In the long term, you may find yourself spending more money on unplanned repairs if you don’t know when and how to do maintenance on your vehicle. Parts wear out, things become dirty, and oil has to be changed.
Maintaining your car properly is essential to keeping it in excellent working order. Additionally, it may aid in ensuring the security of other motorists and your own and your passengers’ safety. Here is a checklist to assist in maintaining the smooth operation of your vehicle.
Check tire pressure and rotate tires
By keeping your car’s tires at optimal pressure, you may extend the life of the tires and improve your gas efficiency. Finding the required pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI), monitoring each tire, and inflating or deflating it following that recommendation are all part of checking your tire pressure.
One risk that might endanger both you and your vehicle is a flat tire. You may take a few preventive measures to lessen the likelihood of a blowout, such as checking for tire recalls and rotating your tires every 5,000 to 10,000 miles.
Check your motor oil
Maintaining an engine in excellent working order requires routinely checking and replacing the motor oil in your automobile. Every month, check the oil level in your car and replace it according to the owner’s manual’s instructions (usually after some time or miles driven).
You have two options: take it to a service shop or replace the oil yourself. If you decide to perform it yourself, ensure you know how to empty the current oil, adjust the oil level, and dispose of the used oil.
Whether you take your car to a service facility or change the oil yourself, you should also know what kind of motor oil is best for it. This usually entails three factors: the viscosity of the oil, whether to use synthetic or non-synthetic oil and the mileage of your vehicle. The owner’s manual for your car should also provide the recommended specifications for motor oil.
Maintain the headlights and taillights
A burned-out or damaged light bulb poses a risk to public safety and may result in fines. To find out more about each exterior light bulb on your vehicle, consult the owner’s handbook. If a light bulb goes out, you must ascertain if the problem is with the bulb or if a fuse has to be changed. You can always get assistance from a technician for any of these changes, depending on how difficult they are to do.
In low light or complete darkness, your headlights are your primary source of visibility for other vehicles and the road. When you brake and when you want other drivers to be able to see you, you need to have your taillights on. To keep them both sparkling bright, think about going above and beyond by cleaning the lenses and changing the bulbs when they go dull.
Check the engine air filter
Your car’s engine’s efficiency may be decreased by particles and dirt entering the engine through an unclean engine air filter. It is generally advised to replace the engine air filter every 15,000 to 30,000 miles or once a year, however, you should consult the owner’s handbook for your particular vehicle.
If you’re changing it yourself, be careful to clean your workspace first to prevent dust or debris from entering the engine while you work. Take the filter out of its housing and expose it to strong light, such as the sun, to see how dirty it is. You may reinstall the filter in your car without having to replace it if light can readily travel through more than half of it.
On the filter housing of certain cars (mostly pickup trucks), there is an engine air filter service indication that lets you know when the filter needs to be changed.
Check and replace windshield wipers
Do not allow the issue to persist if your wipers are not functioning as well as they once did. During a severe downpour or snowfall, sight may be impeded by damaged or worn-out blades. One approach to keep your vehicle safe is to know how to replace your wiper blades as needed and to examine them regularly.
According to Consumer Reports, you might need to change your windshield wipers around every six months. The wiper blades may not effectively remove dirt, rain, sleet, or snow from the windshield if you discover that they are fractured, ripped, or severely worn.
Inspect your brakes
Regular inspections of your car’s brakes are necessary. When operating a vehicle, listen for any braking sounds and take note of any pedal trembling or vibrations. You ought to get in touch with a mechanic right away if any of these warning indicators appear.
A qualified technician doing a brake checkup on your vehicle will examine the brake fluid, examine the undercarriage, and examine the brake system (brake pads, rotors, and calipers). For you to be able to drive on the road, each of these brake system parts has to be in good functioning order.
Wash your car
Although it might not seem like a big deal to the health of your car, the last item on our checklist matters a lot. Your vehicle is exposed to a variety of environmental factors, such as bird droppings and tree sap in the summer and road salt in the winter. These risks are not only unsightly, but they also run the risk of damaging the car’s paint and underbody, which might result in more serious problems.
If you live somewhere that has snow and ice, make sure to wash your car while there is salt on the roads, use an under spray, or pretreat the underbody of your vehicle. This is also essential whether you park or drive close to the beach.
Maintaining your car’s cleanliness might help you avoid long-term harm and increase its market value. Make sure you wash your vehicle regularly at Spark Carwash by figuring out the best car wash technique for you.
