One of the most important things you can do to your car is undertaking preventative maintenance. Just like a regular doctor’s checkup, routine maintenance will keep your car functioning at its best. Regular maintenance keeps your vehicle in a good position as experts have a chance to detect any small problems before they are full-blown.
Preventative auto care maintenance includes regular inspections, services, and repairs that avert potential problems like cleaning, testing, replacement of worn parts, lubrication, and adjustments.
Generally, they are two types of care owners: reactive and proactive.
Proactive owners schedule for preventative maintenance regularly based on mileage or time. The reactive owners service their cars in the event of a breakdown, noise, or light. Sometimes, these can be a result of an accident such as hitting a pothole. It can be costly for a reactive owner and can result in total car failure.
Taking a proactive approach towards preventative maintenance can also help reduce the long-term cost of ownership as well as the life of your car. The first crucial step is to review the owner’s manual. This manual is designed to provide you with the recommended services for your car model and the routine. If you lose your car manual, you can look it up online. However, you can’t divulge from the manual while operating from extreme temp
eratures. Here, an auto expert can suggest alternative additives or oil type.
According to Lifehacker, there are those basic auto preventative maintenance tips for all vehicles. Some you can handle on your own, and others need a profession. They include:
Checking the tires
Check the tread of the tires to assess whether it’s wearing evenly or it’s low. Change the tires if the tread is low. It’s very dangerous to drive on worn tires. Your tires will last longer when rotated and balanced regularly. If the tread isn’t wearing evenly on the tire, you can align your vehicle.
Oil and filter change
Use your owner’s manual to know how often the oil and filters need to be changed. It will also tell the right type of filters to use as well as oil. You can change the oil and filters on your own by following the replacement instructions on the manual.
Belt and fluid inspection
If you can, check the following fluids, or engage a professional to do it: wiper fluid, antifreeze or coolant, transmission fluid, and power steering. You can also check the serpentine and timing belt. Refer to your manual for the particular range of your vehicle. Most cars need them replaced every 40,000 and 60,000 miles, respectively. Failure to inspect them can cause a breakdown, and they can cause more harm to other parts.