How to Maintain Your Car
By Shenron on Jul 01, 2010 with Comments 0
Proper maintenance is required to keep your vehicle in best form. Like any other machine, your vehicle also needs a regular maintenance. Proper maintenance boosts your vehicle’s performance. It is better to maintain your vehicle instead of spending too much money on its services. Small maintenance work can be done at home; you need not to take your vehicle to the workshop for minor problems or services. Small maintenance tasks can save you a lot of dollars.
Make your Maintenance Schedules
There is always a misconception in the people’s mind that maintenance is just to fix the faulty parts. They ignore the fact that auto maintenance has nothing to do with damaged parts it’s an over all survey of the engine conditions and its components to keep them working for longer period of time either they are damaged or not. You should have a schedule for your auto maintenance weekly or monthly and this schedule is based on the conditions and circumstances in which you drive your car.
- Weekly Maintenance: Weekly maintenance is recommended for sports car, SUVs, trucks or pickups any other high performance vehicles.
- Monthly Maintenance: Daily driving vehicles, classic cars, vintages cars and other passenger cars should have monthly maintenance.
Exterior and Interior Cleaning
Detailing or cleaning is essential part of auto maintenance. Everyone pay attention to the car’s looks. You can save a lot of money by detailing your vehicle at home with the help of some tools and equipment.
- Car Wash: Car washing is an easy and simple task which you can do at home. However, you can take your car to automated car wash center to have the job done but this will cost you few dollars. You should have your car wash at least once a week.
- Buffing and Waxing: Waxing and buffing is used to give shiny and smooth look to your car exterior. You can use electronic buffing tools, the best waxes, buffing pads for your convenience. It should be done twice a month.
- Car Interior: Repairing upholstery, cleaning of carpets, seats and mats, restoring vinyl and leather surfaces are the tasks involved in interior detailing.
- Car Exterior: Removing any contaminants and pollutants from the paint, repainting, car polishing and waxing, claying are the tasks of exterior detailing.
Maintaining Engine and Drivetrain
Maintaining engine and drivetrain is essential for high performance cars and customized vehicles. Besides, for daily driving vehicles and passenger cars, you need not to mess with the engine and the drivetrain often. Remember you have to contact your professional mechanic for most of the engine and the transmission maintenance tasks.
- Engine Tuning: Tuning helps to increase the performance of the engine and also helps to modify different parts.
- Transmission Repair: If your transmission sustains any damage during driving or any thing happens to your shift gear, you need to repair the transmission system as soon as possible.
- Degreasing or Cleaning: cleaning and de-greasing your engine exterior keep your engine safe stress and excessive heat.
- Replacement Parts: If find any damage or worn out part or if any component of engine stops working, replace them with new parts.
Safety Features
There are certain safety features that require regular maintenance to ensure your safety along with the safety of your passengers and the vehicle itself. Maintenance of safety features should be your top priority.
- Fuel and Oil Check: You can keep an eye on fuel and oil level through gauge, but you have to check dipstick to inspect the quality of the oil. Oil should be good and up to the required mark.
- Proper Inflated Tires: You have to check the pressure of the tires regularly and also keep an eye on the tread depth. When you feel that the tread depth is reduced or any wear and tear on tires, replace them.
- Front, Rear and Signal Lights: It is important to check all the lights daily. On every morning before leaving out, check all the headlights, brake lights and signal lights. You may risk your safety by driving with broken lights.
Auto maintenance plays an important role to keep your vehicle’s performance on high side, without spending too much on repair or restoration jobs. You can maintain your car by sparing some time for your vehicle. Routine maintenance keeps your vehicle safe from major damages and repair works.
Filed Under: Guides/DIY