After the house, the car is the second most important possession in every household. That’s why people need to take care of it properly, so it keeps running without any performance hiccups. One of the best ways to do so is to carry out regular maintenance.
In general, performing car maintenance on your vehicle doesn’t only help keep your car running. In fact, it also helps it last longer and even snags a higher resale price if you ever decide to sell it. Something as simple as washing it will undoubtedly add value to your vehicle.
So, whether you’ve got a new car or have been driving one for too long, here is the ultimate maintenance checklist to help you properly take care of your vehicle.
General maintenance
Typically, general car maintenance needs to be performed every few months. It mainly includes taking your vehicle to a professional mechanic to thoroughly examine its condition and ensure that everything is working as it should. This means you don’t need to wait for a light to appear on your dashboard to know there is a problem because with regular car maintenance you will be able to detect and solve any issues sooner.
It is important that you don’t postpone this because unresolved car issues can easily result in greater damages and high repair costs.
Check the headlights
The importance of fully functioning headlights should never be overlooked. Whether you are driving around the city during the day or traveling on the highway at night, it is important that your headlights are working. Also, keep in mind that non-working headlights might get you fined if you don’t replace them as soon as possible.
In case you’re involved in an accident while you’re on the road, make sure to call a local service to repair the damages right away. For example, if you’re driving through Edmonton, Alberta, and you get into an accident and your vehicle suffers severe damages, you should look for a reputable auto collision repair Edmonton-based services nearby to get your vehicle back to pre-collision condition.
Otherwise, you are increasing the risk of putting yourself and other passengers and vehicles in danger if you continue driving with broken headlights.
Inspect the tires and their pressure
When it comes to tires, you probably know that there are specific tires for every season. This means that you will need a set of tires for summer and a separate one for winter. Given the extreme weather conditions and temperatures throughout the year, maintaining your car’s tires is very important.
For example, during summer, the temperatures can be scorching, making the roads very hot and causing the air pressure in your tires to increase. Over-inflation of tires could easily interfere with braking and cause premature wear-and-tear.
The same applies to winter as the cold weather can also cause a tire blowout due to the increased friction.
Check the fluids
Make sure you check the fluids in your car to ensure it works properly. The truth is there are several essential fluids that support the engine’s functioning, with the oil being one of the most important. It is recommended that you change it every month to keep the engine running smoothly.
Other fluids that you need to check regularly are coolant or brake fluid. For example, the coolant, also known as antifreeze, is necessary for the proper functioning of the car. It helps bring down the high temperature generated by internal friction and combustion between the engine’s moving parts.
However, when adding coolant, make sure you do it when the engine is cool to mitigate the risk of getting burns and prevent your engine block from cracking due to the sudden temperature change.
Wash your car regularly
Keeping your vehicle’s interior and exterior clean at all times provides plenty of benefits including prolonging your car’s life in every aspect as well as helping keep your air filters clean. Otherwise, they can accumulate dust which you inhale, increasing the risk of breathing issues and allergies.
Besides this, there are other environmental contaminants in the air that deposit on vehicles such as pollen, dirt, salt, and bugs which can cause rust and other damage to the exterior of the vehicle over time.
So, make sure you wash your car at least once a month or more frequently especially when the levels of contaminants increase, like in spring.
Final thoughts
Car maintenance is one of the most important responsibilities of every car owner. Taking proper care of the vehicle offers many benefits, with the most important one being prolonging the life of the car. Performing regular maintenance will help reduce the need for frequent and expensive repairs and keep the vehicle running smoothly.
