Car Maintenance And What You Need To Do To Get Started
So you’ve just got your first car. You know how to drive it. You are also adept at parking the car. What else do you need to do? Regular car maintenance is something you need to consider as well. Before you car would actually need to be repaired, you need to nip this by the bud and have your car maintained regularly.
In this short and simple guide to car maintenance, we shall discuss changing the oil, checking the battery, as well as checking the tires. And since the winter weather can make your car quite uncooperative, we have also included some tips on how to maintain your new auto.
Changing Your Oil Regularly
To keep your car in optimum shape, it’s vital to get regular oil changes. A car’s motor oil can become contaminated with a variety of particles including dust, bugs, and even small bit of metal that are expelled from the car’s engine. Eventually the oil becomes thick and gums up the engine causing it to fail.
Motor oil should be changed approximately every three to five thousand miles. Most drivers would need to change oil every three months. Your owner’s manual will give you the specifications for your vehicle.
Battery Check
You may have a full tank of gas, but without a battery, you’re going no where fast! It all depends on how you use your car, how well you maintain it, and how good the quality of your battery is – car batteries often last about 3 to 5 years.
Don’t be fooled in thinking that if you keep you car in the garage all winter it will save the battery. Just the opposite is true. Cars are meant to be driven and a car battery is constantly recharged when the car is operational. Batteries could actually drain faster if unused.
Maintain Your Tires As Well
Nobody pays attention to tires until they get a flat. Poor maintenance increases the odds of a flat tire or blown tires while driving on the highway. You could spin out and wreck your car in the process.
If you drive a front-wheel drive car, pay attention to the front tires, as they would wear out faster. You can minimize wear and tear by rotating the tires. Even if you drive a four wheel drive car, rotation is an important part of regular maintenance. The speed in which your tires deteriorate would be heavily dependent on the weight carried by your vehicle. Rotating tires is simply the act of exchanging your front and rear tires, switching their places on your car. You can rotate your tires every six to ten thousand miles for best results. Also, well-maintained tires mean you can have a safer and better drive all throughout.
A Quick Guide To Winter Maintenance
At the first sign of a winter chill, when you rush to the car and turn on the heater, it’s also time to prep the vehicle for the stormy weather to come. Your local repair shop can help you through this, but be proactive by asking about your brakes, tires, antifreeze and wipers.
It is obvious that when you see snow and ice in the road, it’s time to start driving slow and driving safe. Black ice can serve as a prelude to the winter months, slicking up the roads and being practically impossible to distinguish. While there is still time, prepare your brakes and tires for the winter.
Make sure your engine has antifreeze when prepping it for the winter. Don’t let the term fool you – this is a coolant. But as the term implies, it prevents your car from freezing, and conversely protects it from overheating. In the same way that the pipes in your home can freeze and burst during the winter, parts of your engine can freeze and burst unless your car has antifreeze. Change the blades of your windshield wiper if necessary, as this could help you have a much easier and smoother drive during the winter months. If you don’t think that they’re important, try driving in a snowstorm without them. We’ll give you a million bucks if you could actually see clearly. And this could lead to accidents if your vision is impaired by the weather. You need to take good care of your new car, especially during the winter.
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