Getting a car is one of the best things in the world – you save time from waiting for an empty cab or bus, or looking for ways to get on the train without delay. You can leave on your own time and get anywhere without worrying how to get back on time. But with frequent usage means wearing the gears and the motor down – and it’s your job to keep your eye out for indicators and signs of problems your car is showing.
While for some drivers, the car interior is important – splurging on necessities like a good car seat cover, nifty weathertech mats, or a leather cover for the steering wheel – the motor and the underbody is as important. The motor, underbody, and the machine behind the performance of the vehicle needs some TLC as well.
How to Keep it Running Smoothly?
Aside from the weekly cleaning and changing old parts, always dedicate time to maintain and check the possible problems of your car. That could mean you have to check under the hood and see what’s happening, or go dirty and see how’s the underbody going, if it needs new undercoat or not. While the best rule of thumb is to go call a professional mechanic, you can learn a few tricks and tinks to make your car work so you can save time or fix your car in case of emergency.
The Regular Maintenance You Need to Do:
- Engine. You might or might not know this, but your car needs proper oil. It should be changed within three months, or if you rarely use your car, ever 3000 mileage in. This ensures that your car is running in new oil and ready for some beating. Unless you do rough work like towing a trailer, go through dusty trails, or go through horrendous traffic, your car might need to have its oil changed more often. To keep your car engine in top shape, you have to check on or have these done:
- Change the oil depending on how often or rough you drive your car.
- Make sure the oil filter, fuel filter, and air filter are in good condition or replaced if needed.
- Keep an eye out for the PCV valve to ensure your car works perfectly.
- Check for the spark plugs and spark plug wires to make sure it’s good.
- Transmission. This is important since it ensures that there’s enough power to your wheels to go at a certain speed. If you don’t keep this in top shape, it means the car won’t function to its full capacity or activate the fuel economy feature for some cars. Sometimes the car won’t even start. A checkup for this is to ensure that there’s always good transmission fluid to keep your car shifting in good condition.
- Emission System. This goes almost throughout the entire vehicle, and it’s known to moving exhaust away from the engine and the interior of the car. This system is responsible into turning harmful gases and refines them into vapor and safer gasses. It also directs these vapors out through the dampers to reduce noise. This can take a lot of beating since it’s placed under the car and can go through a lot of things. If your car is too noisy or emits black smoke, it could mean that your emission system needs to be inspected – it should be done annually to keep it in good condition.
- Brakes. Imagine if you drove a car with broken brakes, scary right? This is why you should keep in mind to check it and see if it’s in optimal condition. You can tell when the car brakes need attention when it’s spongy or low – meaning there’s unwanted air in the hydraulic system. A red-brake warning means there’s an imbalance in your hydraulic system, and a constant squeaky, chirping, or grinding noise in the brakes means you need new pads or shoes. The best action is to check the manual first and schedule regular brake checkups.
- Climate Control. This makes drives comfy for everyone, whether it’s cold or hot outside, it makes sure that the temperature inside remains satisfactory. There are some parts of the system that works harder than the rest, and it can mean poor function if left unchecked. You know when it’s time to get it checked when the air conditioner doesn’t work and that could mean there’s a leak in the system. Get it checked regularly to avoid spending more on bigger repairs.
- Cooling System. This is responsible in operating ideal temperature by pumping the coolant between the engine and radiator. This can be maintained by thoroughly checking the coolant levels in the reservoir tanks – also for wear and tear. It’s important to replace the dirty coolant with a new one.
Suspension System. This includes shocks, springs, tires and the steering – and their main duty is to keep the bouncing and roughness to a minimum. But if one suffers a problem, the rest will eventually follow and it can be dangerous if left alone. The common problems would be tire misalignment or excessive wear in just one area of the car. You might need to have this checked in with the professionals, and schedule a checkup regularly to avoid bigger damages.
