Many people are bold enough to admit that they may drive their car everyday but they have no idea what goes on under the hoof. That is true for most vehicle owners’ most likely.
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Many of us don’t know anything about cars but how to drive from point A to point B. This is especially troublesome when it comes time to perform some vehicle maintenance. Make no mistake, your vehicle will need maintenance at some point or other no matter how little or conservatively you drive it. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a mechanic to care for your vehicle, as there are several ways even the not so car savvy can maintain their vehicles.
Preventative Car Care
Preventative care, when you prevent a problem entirely by fixing something before it becomes an issue, is far undervalued. It is not only more effective, but a lot cheaper to invest in preventative care which includes things like changing the oil and filter and more. Nothing will wreck your engine faster than neglecting those oil changes over long periods of time. Many may consider fueling up at no less than a quarter tank empty is also preventative care because you keep sediment particles from getting into your engine when you fuel up before the tank is at or near empty.
In general, one of the best ways to keep your car in top mechanical shape is to perform all of the specified liquid changes on time. This also includes transmission fluids and the coolant. All of the different fluids that go into your car serve a critical purpose in maintaining its performance and longevity. That means that changing it out when necessary is key, just like replenishing your own body with water is important.
Replace brake fluid once a year. Brake fluid is good at attracting moisture, and moisture corrodes metal parts. That said, brake fluid is quite cheap, but the replacement parts you’ll need if you never switch it out are much more expensive.
Clean The Hidden Parts
Keep it clean! It’s obvious that you wash the outside of the car, but the underside is often neglected. Most of what your car passes over on the road finds its way onto the belly of vehicle in some amount, leading to a pileup of road grime, not to mention anything else unfortunate enough to get stuck under there. And while this dirt buildup doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have mechanical problems, it can contribute to them, so washing down the underside of the car every once in a while is a good idea.
Clean the battery. The battery terminals accumulate corrosion which can affect its lifespan and leave you stranded one day. Cleaning the battery is simple but does require safety preparation. Use this guide to get the job yourself.
It is always cheaper to employ preventative measures than it is to pay for repairs. Rather than fix the problem, true maintenance focuses on making sure the problem never occurs in the first place, a practice anyone can follow.
