Car maintenance 101
Simple car maintenance tips are the key to ensuring that your new car lasts long and serves you very well. If you’re searching for such information, look no further; you’re right where you need to be.
Let’s dive right in!
CONGRATULATIONS! Your new car is here and you are looking forward to lasting and pleasant car performance and driving experience. How do you do that? The answer- regular car maintenance. Just like the human body, a car has several parts.
These parts will stay in good shape over time only if they are properly cared for like a human body.
It’s very possible to achieve great car health and longevity but it all depends on your maintenance culture and practices. In the 20th century, cars hardly clocked 100,000 miles or more and were still roadworthy.
Car maintenance tips are important
Back then, car owners took car maintenance into their own hands even with the little knowledge they had. Most car owners also did not know the things to do to keep their cars going.
However, cars and car maintenance tips have both come a long way since then. Cars can now travel more than 200,000 miles when they’re regularly serviced and properly maintained.
Technology has improved manufacturing processes in the automotive industry to allow car manufacturers to produce cars to the highest standards.
Car manufacturers are able to use cutting-edge techniques, materials and parts that make cars more durable.
Here are 13 simple car maintenance tips you can put into practice every day.
The Engine
Your car’s engine is responsible for generating the power needed to move your car from point A to point B. It is the heart of the car.
As the saying goes, “with a healthy heart, the beat goes on”. You will be able to enjoy your car for many years if you religiously maintain the engine’s health.
How To Make Your Car Last Longer
So, what should you do?
1. Check the engine oil
An important part of developing a car maintenance culture or attitude is establishing a schedule or routine that you can follow every day or at regular intervals especially before you start the car in the morning. Before you start your car:
Open your car bonnet and pull out the engine oil dipstick to check the level of your engine oil. Your car is just like any other machine. It is prone to faults like leaks which you may not be aware of without regular checks.
Driving without any or very little engine oil will lead to severe engine damage.
Your engine oil dipstick should be marked by two small holes or some markings to indicate the minimum and maximum oil levels.
Refer to your car’s manual for the recommended oil level for your car. Generally, your oil level should read in between the two holes and should never go above the second hole or the “full” mark.
This daily habit can help you spot any signs of trouble early before they lead to more severe mechanical issues. Your engine oil will also need to be replaced regularly. Refer to your car’s manual to find the required engine oil change interval or guide.
Some service centres will also help you track your oil change intervals by indicating your next oil change date; usually indicated by a certain mileage count or period. For example, your service centre may ask you to come for your next oil change when you clock another 100,000 miles or in the next 3 months.
Car Maintenance Tips for Every Car Owner
2. Check your coolant level
Your engine is made up of several moving parts that can generate massive amounts of heat while they work. Car coolant – or antifreeze – is meant to prevent engine damage that can be caused by freezing or boiling.
It is important to check your coolant levels every day to ensure that the engine runs on optimum coolant levels. This can lead to overheating problems and severe engine breakdowns.
3. Inspect the brake fluid
Your car’s brakes use a hydraulic system to convert the force you apply to the brake pedal to the hydraulic pressure. This pressure engages the brakes to stop or slow down the car. Over time, this fluid also diminishes and can run out.
Your brakes may fail or not have enough stopping power if your brake fluid is low or finished. It is important to check your brake fluid level regularly –every day if you can. During an extensive servicing session, your car’s brake fluid may be flushed out completely and replaced by new brake fluid.
How to Check Your Brake Fluid
4. Air filter
The car’s air filter cleans the air that is sucked into the engine for combustion. Dust, sand particles, small objects, small insects and any other objects that could pass through the air and into the engine are trapped by the air filter.
These small objects can be very damaging to your engine if they are allowed to freely pass into it. However, a clogged or dirty air filter also makes air passage into the engine difficult. It causes the engine to work harder to force more air into the combustion chamber.
Your engine will, in turn, consume more fuel and cause bad fuel economy for your car.
How Often Should I Change My Air Filter?
5. Oil filter
Just like air filters, oil filters filter the engine oil that circulates the engine to lubricate moving parts.
The oil filter removes debris, dirt and metal fragments in the engine oil that may cause engine damage.
Clean oil helps the car run smoother and also helps keep the oil cleaner for longer periods which prolongs oil change intervals.
How Often Should I Change My Car Oil Filter?
6. Spark plugs
The spark plugs are the component of the engine that ignites the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber that burns to produce the energy needed to move the car.
Spark plugs can also become damaged or less effective over time which may cause bad fuel economy, slow acceleration, engine misfiring, and ignition problems.
Inspect the electrodes of the spark plugs to check if there is any buildup of oil or soot or any other damage to the electrode. Proper maintenance of your spark plugs promotes engine efficiency and overall engine health.
What Causes Damage to Spark Plug?
7. Top up your washer fluid
Your windscreen is the window through which you view the world around you when you’re driving. How do you drive safely or know where you’re going if your vision is impaired? A clean windscreen or windshield helps the driver see clearly. It is important to check that your windscreen wash bottle holds enough fluid that can be sprayed onto the windscreen to clean it when the need arises.
Essential Fluids That Your Car Needs
8. Wash the car regularly
How many times do you take your bath in a day? Ideally, you should be bathing twice a day to keep your skin looking fresh and healthy, and prevent skin damage from dirt or other substances that may cause skin issues.
Just like our bodies, washing the dirt off your car every day will help you keep it fresh and clean.
Washing the car regularly also protects the paint on your car from damage that can be caused by a build-up of mud, salt, grime, debris, bird droppings, and so on.
Make sure to also clean your mirrors and cameras (if you have any). Car maintenance can be as simple as a daily wash.
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9. Inspect Your Tires
Keep your tyres in good shape to ensure the safety of the driver and/or passengers, and improve fuel economy. They are an essential component of the vehicle.
A simple daily eye inspection of your tyres can help you spot any damage or issues with your tyres that may affect the way the car moves or rides.
Maintaining your tyres could be as simple as cleaning them regularly to remove mud and dirt, checking their pressure regularly to keep them properly inflated, and gauging the safety of the tyres by checking the tread depth of each tyre.
10. Toot your horn
Your car’s horn is your primary warning tool for alerting drivers and pedestrians of your presence or drawing their attention to a potential hazard.
Driving without a working horn means that you will not be able to warn others of a potentially dangerous situation or signal another car or pedestrian about your presence.
Give your horn a test when you start your car up every morning and quickly resolve any problems with it as quickly as possible.
11. Check all your lights and indicators
Your lights and indicators help you to drive safely at night and even during the day. They illuminate the path ahead of you and help you to see through weather conditions like fog. They also alert other drivers and pedestrians when you’re changing directions to the left or right of the road.
Your hazard lights also tell drivers or pedestrians that your car is a temporal obstruction to traffic flow or is currently experiencing a problem. It is important to regularly check that these lights work to keep yourself and other road users safe.
Types of Car Lights and How to Use Them
12. Check your car battery and battery terminals
Some car problems can be as easy to fix as tightening your battery terminals’ connection to your car battery. Your car battery is responsible for providing the electrical charge to the starter to start your car during ignition.
It also provides the electricity needed to operate the electronic components -such as the radio – in your car.
Some ignition problems are a result of loose terminals that can occur due to a variety of reasons. Your battery terminals may also not work properly if they are dirty or have experienced some level of corrosion.
Some car maintenance experts also advise that you change your battery every 3 to 5 years. Make it a habit to regularly check your battery health and keep it clean to avoid car troubles.
13. Take it easy on the car
This last car maintenance tip is certainly not the final tip or the least but could probably be the easiest one to follow and remember.
Simple car maintenance practices alone will only do so much. Prolong the life of your car by treating the entire car well especially when you’re driving it.
If you drive it like Lewis Hamilton or Colin McRae during a race event, your car may have frequent breakdowns.
Hard acceleration, braking, steering, and the lot, will hurt the health of the car if it was not made for such driving.
Driving it with some “mechanical sympathy”, as RAC Motoring Services puts it, will do you a lot of good.
Car maintenance can be as simple as driving your car as smoothly as possible.
For brand new cars, your manufacturer may recommend certain driving techniques or procedures for the first few miles of driving. Some call it “breaking in” a new car.
The idea is simply to go easy on the car until it gets to the point where it can handle more rigorous driving. Doing otherwise will put the engine and other components of the car under too much stress and cause expensive damages.
Conclusion
There are many more car maintenance tips that may be more extensive as compared to these. However, you can simply incorporate these simple car maintenance tips into a daily car maintenance routine. This will go a long way to give your car a good, long and healthy life.
Visit Us
Top Test MOT Reading offers a wide range of vehicle repair and maintenance services. Book a servicing session with us via our website or give us a call on 01189574549
I would like to have my car’s brakes inspected because they’re already stuck. Thank you for sharing here as well the importance of regular maintenance. I also agree with you that part of the car’s maintenance is to have the engine checked.
Thank you for your comment! We would be glad to assist you with servicing your breaks. Kindly click here to book an appointment at your convenience. We hope to see you soon.