Best Vehicle Maintenance Tips for Stress-Free Driving
Posted by admin at 8 November 2020, at 07 : 40 AM
According to Bloomberg, over 88% of Americans own vehicles, proving the fact that buying a car is always on the bucket list of many people. Road vehicles are not only meant for transportation; they can uplift your image in society if you’re out to impress. However, car ownership has its own downsides. Maintaining your vehicle is an inevitable task that you will have to engage in if you desire your car to be in good condition. From chaotic traffic to bad roads, car ownership can become a financial burden, but you should enjoy your ride as long as you practice the following useful car maintenance tips.
Read your owner’s manual
A car owner’s manual is the most authoritative piece of document you should familiarize yourself with after purchasing your dream vehicle or any car for that matter. Owners’ manuals contain a lot of essential information on how to operate and care for your car. If you are stuck on how to change your engine oil, perform basic troubleshooting, or use some key features of your vehicle, kindly resort to your manual. It is the best handbook for you to learn common maintenance tips for your model of vehicle. It will still come in handy even if you take your car to the mechanic’s.
Regularly check your battery
When your car battery is dead, you may not be able to start it until you perform a magic jumpstart trick. But do you really have to wait until your battery fails you before you maintain it? Prevention is better than cure. Modern car batteries are relatively easy to maintain. You just need to keep an eye on them as you drive. For example, inspect your battery terminals to ensure that there is no rust on them. When you plan on not using your car for some time, still try to keep the battery active by running the engine two times a week. Finally, do not hesitate to charge the battery when it loses its ability to retain charges.
Fight sludge
Sludge is a dark-colored petroleum by-product that often accumulates in car engines and is a major cause of engine problems in vehicles. When you regularly replace your engine oil, it can reduce the build-up of sludge and extend your engine life. Undesirable driving conditions can also increase the formation of sludge. For example, when you go for long trips at engine temperatures around 210° F, the oil can solidify. Shorter trips that limit the engine’s ability to reach its optimum operating temperatures also contribute to sludge issues. The best way to minimize sludge formation is to change your oil and filters regularly, or better still, switch to synthetic oil – these are not based on petroleum.
Check your tire pressure
As a standard safety procedure, you are advised to check your tire pressure once every ten days. Under-inflated tires are hard to move, and they make driving less exciting, not to mention the fact that your fuel consumption rate will also increase. Also, under-inflated tires wear out much faster than those that are well inflated. To enjoy a stress-free driving experience, be sure to maintain the appropriate tire pressure as recommended by the manufacturer.
Check your oil
One simple technique to increase your vehicle’s lifespan is to maintain the right amount of oil in your engine. The engine is the heartbeat of your automobile, and it needs the correct quantity of lubricants flowing through it to deliver outstanding performances. It will help to change your engine oil and your filters in accordance with your owner’s manual. This can be at intervals of 5,000-10,000 miles as specified by your manufacturer. Apart from lubricating the moving parts of the engine, oil disperses heat energy while your vehicle is running. So, you need to replace (replenish) it when the level drops below the threshold. Car engines with little oil heat up fast, and this can also kill your car engine.
Check your steering fluid
Some older car models as well as modern vehicles have hydraulic power steering pumps that are lubricated by steering fluid. When you lift the cap off your steering pump’s reservoir, you can check the level of your steering fluid. A dry pump can fail and cost you hundreds of dollars to replace. Moreover, steering problems can occur when your steering fluid is not in good shape. For example, when you can hear squealing noises while turning your steering, it could mean that there Is something wrong with your car’s power steering system. Thankfully, car manufacturers are now fitting electric power steering systems in their latest vehicles. These new cars do not require steering fluid to function.
Ensure that your engine breaths properly
Your car engine depends on oxygen to burn its fuel. Just as shortness of breath feels bad to you as a human, your car engine also needs more oxygen to run efficiently. Constricted air flow causes incomplete combustion of fuel, and this will increase your emissions and reduce your mileage. Change or clean your air filters when you sense that there is too much dirt or debris sticking to it. This will allow the engine to gain more air and breathe properly.
Inspect for leakage
When you park safely out of the driveway or in your garage, inspect the floor for fluid leaks and report immediately to the nearest auto shop when your fuel is leaking. Another way to identify leakage is to check under the hood to see if you can smell something obnoxious. More often than not, your engine oil and antifreeze fluids are the things that give rise to leaks, and so you should inspect them. In addition to that, always make it a point to replace your vehicle’s faulty parts when you detect any. Do not wait for the problems to escalate before you visit a mechanic. For instance, if you own a Lexus car, you may want to invest in new and used Lexus parts when you go for servicing.
Make your driving experience great and safe by following the above essential car maintenance tips.