If you are a car owner looking for tips to keep your car in good shape, this article is for you. Cars need regular maintenance and care to work properly and to stay in good condition for longer. With daily little maintenance practices, you can increase the lifespan of your car.
By keeping your car in good shape, you increase its market value for when you have to resale it in the future. Moreover, a car in good shape ensures your, the passengers, and other drivers’ safety on the road.
Most people find it difficult to keep their cars in good shape as they are not even marginally mechanically inclined or don’t have in-depth knowledge of how cars work, etc. But you don’t need these things to keep your car in good shape. Some simple tips will do the job. Here are five of them.
1. Change Your Car’s Oil:
To have your car’s engine running in good condition, you should routinely check and change the car’s oil. You should know which motor oil is the best option for your car. There are three things to consider for this. First, know whether you should use synthetic or non-synthetic oil. Second is the oil’s viscosity. And the third is your car’s mileage. These things help to determine the best motor oil for your car.
You can change the oil yourself, or you can take your car to a car service shop and get the oil changed. If you are not familiar with changing the oil, then it’s best that you take it to a car service center to get professional services.
You should check and change your oil each month or as directed in the car’s manual. If you want to do it yourself, you should learn all the necessary steps, like draining the oil, setting the correct level for oil, and disposing of old fluid, etc.
2. Drive with Care:
As simple as it sounds, just driving your car with care while you are on the road can help you keep it in good shape for longer. There are simple everyday practices that you can adopt to ensure you are not damaging your car. You should consider following common things daily. Avoid racing your car’s engine when starting it; this can wear the engine out, especially if the car is outside in cold weather. Always accelerate slowly when starting to drive.
Do not warm the engine by letting the car idle in the driveway; the engine doesn’t perform at peak temperature. Instead, this will lead to problems like soot deposits on cylinder walls, incomplete fuel combustion, oil contamination, etc. Shift to neutral when the car is stopped at the red light.
3. Check The Tires:
Tires are the most important safety feature of your car and the most exposed one too. It’s of utmost importance to check and maintain your car’s tires. It’s suggested to check your car’s tires for wear and tear and pressure at least once a week. Not only is this necessary for your safety, but maintaining the tire’s pressure is also beneficial for getting good gas mileage.
To check the pressure of your tire, find the recommended pressure, check the PSI, and deflate or inflate the tire as per requirement. Look at your car’s handbook to find the recommended tire pressure. Under-inflated tires can result in excess fuel consumption, along with being a safety hazard. To avoid issues related to pressure in tires, it’s suggested to rotate your tires every 5000 to 10000 miles.
To extend your tires’ life, you should simply be more careful when your car is on the road, as that is when the most damage happens. Observe speed limits, avoid fast turns and stops, avoid potholes on the road, etc. If you can maintain tires, then your car will be in good shape for longer than you expect.
4. Regularly Check the Car’s Fluids:
A car has different fluids like coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, etc. All these fluids are required to ensure that the car will run smoothly and function properly. For example, if the level of coolant fluid has dropped, then your car will start getting overheated, and it even might stop working. Thus, it’s important to maintain the optimal levels of these fluids in your car to avoid any wear on the engine, brakes, etc.
Keep an eye on the refill signs. Like, in case the brake oil needs refilling, a sign appears on all panels indicating you should refill it. Another thing about these fluids is that there can be a leakage in the fluids that directly affects the way your car drives. When you regularly check your car’s fluids, you can quickly point out any fluid leakages by its color.
5. Protect It From Harsh Weather:
You need to protect the exterior of your car as much as the interior to ensure that it will be in good shape for longer. When you are at home or when outside, make sure to park your car under a shade. It’s important to protect your car from harsh weather. Don’t leave your car out in the open for long intervals under the sun.
The ultraviolet rays from the sun severely damage the paint of your car, which protects your car against rusted body panels. Ensure you park your car in a garage, under a shade, or purchase a car cover. Moisture, sun, rain, dust, bird droppings, etc., there are so many things that directly affect your car.
Your car gets exposed to several elements like ice melt and road salt in winter to tree sap in summer. If all these things keep building up on your car, it can be a serious hazard to the undercarriage. It’s also recommended to wash your car regularly and keep it clean to get rid of all these things.
Conclusion:
Taking care of your car is similar to taking care of a living being. Your car needs your attention and care daily. If you let it sit idle for too long, you are damaging it; if you overuse it or drive too fast, you are damaging it. Thus, you need to be careful and take care of your car if you want it to be in good shape for a long time.