Keeping your car in tip-top shape will save you money and prevent costly repairs over the long run. When your car decides to break down, it is usually at the worst possible time. Such as when you are stuck in heavy traffic or on vacation a long ways from home. Any time is a bad time. However it can be expensive when you must have your car towed a long distance. Perhaps stay in a hotel somewhere and take taxis back and forth to the hotel or motel. It can become very expensive.
If you are traveling it is just not worth it to not have your car perfectly tuned up and well maintained. This includes your tires being balanced and having sufficient tread on them. They should also be pressurized at the proper level to ensure minimum wear and tear, a smooth ride and efficient gas mileage as well.
What are the Car Maintenance Tips to Check
We put together a list of items to check on a regular basis that can be completed by most drivers. For detailed instructions follow your cars manual.
- Check your tire pressure
- Look for abnormal tire wear
- Check the engine oil level
- Check the brake fluid level
- Verify the power steering fluid level
- Check the windshield washer fluid level
- Check all lights
- Confirm your antifreeze fluid level
Your dealer can also check the above items while performing an oil change, which should be completed every 3000 miles or 5000 kilometers for most cars. Most oil change locations will check all of the above and quite a few other items as part of their normal procedure. They will give you a report on everything they find and make recommendations regarding what you should do about the issues if there are any.
Some Auto Shops will Do a More Detailed Check
They should also check the following items:
- Tire wear, especially abnormal wear from poor balancing or alignment
- Brake pads and calipers as well as disc’s
- Muffler system including the catalytic converter
- All belts
- Transmission oil
If these car maintenance items are checked on a regular basis and corrected if needed along with regular oil changes your car should run very well free of major repairs for many thousands of miles. Failure to check on anything that is making some sort of noise that is not normal or checking the engine when the engine light is on is another problem waiting to become really serious.
If your tires look like they are low in air pressure, check them immediately. A tire that is low on pressure could be going flat and driving a tire that is low on air pressure will heat up the tire and cause it to wear that much more quickly. Hot tires have been known to explode which is something you definitely do not want happening at high speeds or in heavy traffic. It can be very dangerous and even a cause of a major accident. It is really the last thing you want to have happen at any time of the year.
Winter Driving Requires Special consideration
Make sure you have tires that are meant for winter driving on your car to prove extra grip. They also provide better handling on ice and in snow. Engine anti freeze should be set to handle the temperatures that occur in your region and anywhere you may be driving. the same even applies windshield antifreeze. a reservoir that is full of water will only freeze in cold conditions and not do your windows any good at all.