Maintenance Tips
Vehicle maintenance is an aspect of vehicle ownership that every owner needs to be doing. Frankly, it’s something you sign up for as soon as you purchase your vehicle. Without proper maintenance, your brand new vehicle will quickly deteriorate and you’ll soon be facing a multitude of repair services that could become costly. The best way to properly maintain it is to follow a routine maintenance schedule. This allows technicians to properly monitor, maintain, and repair the variety of components and systems in your vehicle.
So all you need to do is a maintenance service, right? You don’t have to do anything else? Not exactly. There are a variety of things you can do to ensure your vehicle is performing well in between your service visits. Doing these small things ensure that when you do come in for a visit, the technician isn’t scrambling for a major component or system repair. Make sure you include these tips into your vehicle maintenance routine!
Check The Oil
When we think about vehicle maintenance, one of the first things that come to mind is checking our oil, and rightfully so! Motor oil is the lifeblood of the engine, as it keeps it clean and helps lubricate the dozens of parts found within it. When checking the oil, you want to use the dipstick found right by the engine (this may vary depending on your vehicle).
When looking at the oil, you want to pay attention to its quality and level. Motor oil should have a clear appearance and amber color to it. If it looks dark, dirty, and has thickened in texture, that indicates the oil needs to be replaced. When looking at the level, you want to make sure it’s at or right underneath “Full” (the indicators will also differ based on your vehicle). If not, you’ll need to add more oil.
Clean The Interior
Although this is a simple tip, you’d be surprised by how many people neglect to do this. Outside of having a neat driving space, having a clean interior will help your vehicle’s performance, as many people tend to treat their vehicle’s better when it’s clean. Along with that, the additional weight caused by miscellaneous items found in the car can place additional stress on the brakes. Removing that not only makes your vehicle cleaner, but it takes some pressure off its braking system.
Practice Better Habits
Although this isn’t a specific task like the other two, it’s something that can really help ensure the longevity of your vehicle. Sure, it may be fun to drive really fast, slam the brakes, and quickly shift gears, but that aggressive driving can actually hurt your vehicle in the long run. Instead, think about adopting some more conservative driving habits. Maybe instead of driving so close to the person in front of you, leave a one or two car gap in between. Think about waiting a second for your vehicle to change gears, instead of hitting the gas as soon as you change it. Even though you may not notice the benefits right away, it’ll become apparent down the road as your vehicle will still be operating at its best, years after you initially purchased it.