Owning a vehicle doesn’t always mean showing off your luxurious lifestyle. For many of us, it’s a necessity, particularly for those who have children.
Cars are quite expensive, so we must learn how to take care of them through excellent car maintenance tips. With so many bills and expenses, we cannot afford to keep repairing or replacing our vehicles with new ones.
For others, vehicles are their sources of income. If you are one of them, it’s essential you know how to take care of your car. You must keep your costs minimum so that your business will thrive.
Why It’s Important to Maintain Your Car
For Your Safety
The first reason why you should maintain your vehicle is for the safety of its passengers. The parts of your cars must go through regular check-ups if they are still operating smoothly or if they need repairing or changing.
To Avoid Costly Repairs
When you maintain your car regularly, you can prevent its parts from damaging sooner. If you use it excessively, the more you need to perform preventive maintenance.
The Resale Worth is Higher
If your car has proper maintenance, you can resell it at a higher value. Buyers of pre-owned vehicles prefer those that are still good as brand new. If you show them the maintenance records of your vehicle, the more likely they’ll be tempted to purchase your unit.
The Best Tips for Maintaining Your Car
1) Inspect and replace your oil on a regular basis.
Check your car’s manual on how often you should change your oil. Changing your car’s oil is one of the most vital.
Some will base on the mileage while others will change every three months or so. You must not overlook this because changing your oil will help in making the engine last longer.
2) Change the differential and transmission oils.
Although this doesn’t require regular service, you should still change these oils based on the service period.
3) Change the coolant annually
You can avoid corrosion and wear down if you maintain your cooling system. If you don’t know how to clean your car’s cooling system, here’s a video that will guide you through it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8YZF5cW7-A
4) Clean your car regularly
A lot of people neglect cleaning their vehicles thinking it’s not necessary. Some will only clean the outside of the car.
It’s vital that you clean both the inside and outside of your unit to make it look attractive. An attractive vehicle will let you resell it at a higher cost.
In cleaning your car, you don’t just use any soap. Here’s an excellent list of car wash soaps to improve your car’s appearance and quality.
5) Put wax on your car twice a year
A vehicle that has “bubbles” on its paint is the reason why you need to put wax on your car every six months. The wax will protect your car’s paint from contamination. It will also keep your unit shiny.
6) Check your brake fluid
Brake fluids attract moisture and may lead to corrosion that will damage your brakes. Replace your brake fluid regularly. Don’t worry; brake fluids don’t cost that much. Also, make sure to drain your brake system at least once a year.
Don’t know how to drain your brake fluid? Here’s a fantastic guide for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1NvtUwfRJc
7) Rotate and balance your tires
Proper maintenance of your tires will make them last longer. One side of your tires will get worn out first. When you see that the tires on the side are already wearing out, rotate them to even them out. You also have to ensure that all of them are correctly aligned.
8) Check your spark plugs
When you notice that your engine is not working correctly, this is likely because the spark plugs need changing. If you don’t inspect them regularly, they might deteriorate and might cause issues with your engine.
Check your manual on how long your spark plugs will last. Ideally, they will continue to work for around 30,000 miles.
When Your Car Needs Repairing?
Sometimes, it’s hard to avoid our cars from needing repairs. While we hate it, it’s still important if we still want our vehicles to run in excellent condition. Because your car is vital, you need someone to fix it correctly within your budget limits.
Here are some great suggestions in selecting the best car repair and service for you.
Do you have a garage?
Clean your garage out and provide enough room for your car. If you have a lot of things in there and you don’t have proper storage, you might want to consider building wooden storage from scrap.
If you park your car inside your garage, you are going to protect it from harmful components, such as acid rain. It will also keep your car warm during the winter season and cool during the summer season.
It’s also good that you have a working area in your garage where you can apply these car maintenance tips. An excellent working area will allow you to have a better setting in checking and fixing your car.
Author Bio: I spend most of my time in my garage turn wood workshop. I love tinkering with tools and explore them to do beautiful home improvements for my lovely family. Air Tool Guy is where I share my tips, experience, and passion for my fellow DIY-ers.
