Owning an automobile is an incredible benefit that comes with a host of important responsibilities. Not only is buying your car one of the most expensive purchases that you’ll ever make but driving it around is probably the most dangerous everyday action that you’ll take. In order to keep your car in great shape, thus providing you with a safe vehicle for years to come, you have to make sure that you stick to a routine maintenance schedule. Your vehicle is a complex machine that is comprised of countless moving parts. Any individual problem in your vehicle can lead to further complications down the line.
Today, we are going to be focusing on educating you in the important art of vehicle maintenance. While we don’t anticipate that you will be outside with a wrench in your hand, we do aim to provide you with enough information that you could serviceably talk to a professional mechanic regarding issues that you need to be taken care of. Today, we are going to focus our conversation on seven essential tips that will provide you with a functioning, effective, and healthy car for today and the foreseeable future.
Key Maintenance Tips For Your Vehicle
Before we get started developing the seven maintenance tips that you need to follow, we need to briefly talk about the role that maintenance plays in keeping your car operating. Your vehicle is filled with moving parts. Moving parts are prone to degradation over time. Add int he rigors of the road and all of the elements that you’ll have to deal with and it shouldn’t surprise you to see that your vehicle may run into issues in the future. Now, vehicle maintenance isn’t very fun to talk about but it is absolutely vital to the long-term health of your vehicle and the security of your likely hefty investment. Now that we know what is at stake, let’s talk about the seven key maintenance tips every vehicle owner should know!
1) Replace Your Wiper Blades
You never know how important your wiper blades are until you are driving down the highway and someone sends snow or dirty water toward your windshield at 75 MPH. Depending on where you live and the general climate, your windshield wipers will degrade relatively quickly. Your wipers are going to be made out of rubber and rubber wears down when introduced to heat and friction. If you want to keep your windshield wipers operating at maximum efficiency, change them out at least once per year.
2) Get Your Oil Changed Regularly
Changing your vehicle’s oil is one of the easiest and most important maintenance routines that you should follow. Unfortunately, many people feel like they can ‘put it off’ for weeks and months at a time. Don’t! The oil in your vehicle is used to lubricate your engine which, in turn, protects all of those precious moving parts from overheating and degrading due to friction. Depending on your vehicle and the type of oil that you use, you need to get into the habit of changing your oil roughly every 3,000 miles.
3) Inspect Your Air Filter
Air filters are important and nobody ever tells you that. Before you head to 4tuneautomotive.com.au to schedule your air filter inspection, let’s talk about WHY this is so important. Your air filter is in charge of cleaning out all of the contaminants that flow through your engine. Over time, your filter will begin to be bogged down by nasty airborne waste and debris. With a reduction in airflow, your engine is forced to work even harder. Change your air filter out every 5,000 to 6,000 miles or whenever your mechanic advises.
4) Keep An Eye On Your Tire Pressure
The most important part of your car, when boiled down to the bare bones of our discussion, is your set of tires. Your tires are in charge of keeping you upright and moving. Your tires need to be set to a specific PSI (pounds of pressure per square inch) in order to do their job effectively. When your PSI is too low, you can be a danger to yourself and those around you. If you have an onboard tire monitor, refer to your manual so as to find out your car’s ideal PSI rating.
5) Change Your Battery When Needed
The typical car battery will last roughly three to five years. Your usage and the elements that you drive in will also dictate the life of your battery. After about three years, get into the habit of regular battery charge inspections. You don’t want to ever get stranded with a dead battery!
6) Inspect Your Brake Pads
Your brake pads are in charge of keeping you safe. Why? They are all that exists in between the rotors of your car and the actual braking device. When your brake pads wear down, you’ll start to hear a grinding sound coming from your vehicle. That grinding sound should not be ignored because it signifies that you are doing real damage to your vehicle! Replacing your brake pads is way cheaper than having to replace extensive interior components on your vehicle.
7) Rotate & Balance Your Tires
If you want to dramatically increase the life of your tires, get into the habit of having them rotated and balanced. Tires don’t wear out at the same rate, so it is important to keep your tires on a rotation. Any time that you have work done on your car, inquire about rotating your tires. It’s not an expensive job and it could save you a lot of money in the long run.
Owning and maintaining a vehicle is a tough job. However, there is nothing that beats having a reliable vehicle when you need it. Whether you use your car just to drive to work or you need it to travel across the country for vacation, your vehicle can be there and ready for you. Of course, these are only a FEW of the key maintenance tips that you should be following. Talk to your favorite mechanic about more maintenance tasks you can keep an eye on!
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