Maintaining your vehicle can add years of life to your car while also ensuring that you have a reliable method of transportation. You want to be able to count on your car when you need it to get you around. This is why there are seven useful things to consider when thinking about how you want to treat your car.
he better you treat your vehicle, the better it will get you around and the longer it will last into the future. You will also save yourself money and time in the future.
Regular oiling
This might seem like a basic way to keep your car in good shape but that’s because it works. Regularly checking the oil in your car will keep the engine lubricated and running smoothly. It’ll also keep other key components of your vehicle moving smoothly with no issues. The best way to stay on top of your car’s oil situation is by taking it to a mechanic for its scheduled oil changes.
Typically, every couple thousand miles your car will need to have its oil changed. You can either take it to a mechanic or learn how to change the oil yourself. Changing the oil in your car yourself will save you a ton of money over time.
Cleaning
Cleaning your car is another way to ensure it lasts a long time and runs at optimum performance. The cleaner the exterior of your car is, the less likely you have a chance for rust or salt erosion to happen. Rust can damage important parts of your vehicle and make it unable to be driven. At the same time, salt erosion can cause damage on its own that is costly to replace. Make it your goal to take your vehicle to the car wash once a month and keep the interior clean as well.
Car engine
The engine of your car is like the heart of a living thing. It needs the engine to operate. Most engines are covered by your insurance company but that doesn’t mean you can just sit back and not do your maintenance. You don’t have to do the same thing a mechanic would do, but popping your hood and looking at your engine every once in a while will help your car last longer.
You can look to make sure there isn’t any debris lodged in the engine or disconnected cords and cables. Checking on your engine from time to time and making sure it’s alright will help your car last longer.
Brake maintenance
Brakes are your car’s key component to stopping. Without brakes, driving your vehicle is impossible. Also, replacing brakes is costly as well. That’s why it’s important to make sure your brakes are always looking good and free of rust & debris. You can do this simply by examining them once a week. On top of that, pumping your brake pedal inside of your vehicle will allow you to make sure the brake fluid in your car is working and your brakes are working.
Long drives
Taking your vehicle on long drives is a great way to keep your car in good condition because it gives your engine a chance to heat up for long periods of time. When your engine gets hot like this, it performs at its absolute best. At the same time, running your engine like this will charge your battery for an extended time and also not cause any wear and tear on your brakes because you won’t be stopping often. Long drives are great on highways for this reason.
Tire checks
Checking your tires can lead you to have fewer mechanic appointments for blown tires. Every once in a while it’s always a good thing to check your tire pressure and the treads on your tires as well. Having treads on your tires is good because you’ll get in fewer accidents due to fewer chances of slipping. You never want to drive a car with bald treads.
Additionally, having your tires at the optimum level of air pressure will help to ride smoother and stops it from blowing a tire out. Many gas stations offer free tire pressure checks and air to be put in your tires.
Tune-ups
After having your car for a long enough period of time, it might be time for a tune-up. Tune-ups typically happen around the 100,000-mile mark and most drivers report that it feels like having a new car after a tune-up. New spark plugs are put in along with a ton of other new items that will help your car last another long period of miles without any problems. Ask your mechanic about when a good time to get a tune-up is for you.
