Golden Rules of Vehicle Maintenance You Should Know |
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Joey Faircloth
14 March 2016
Car maintenance is one of the major responsibilities of owning a vehicle. Regular car maintenance can help reduce the frequency of accidents and incidences. It also greatly improves the lifespan of your vehicle. Reading your vehicle owner's manual is an informative guide on the proper maintenance of your car and it could save you a lot of money.
Check engine light
Ignoring your "check engine" light is a big and expensive mistake for vehicle owners. About 50% of drivers whose "check engine" light is on often ignore this sign of trouble for as much as three months because they are fearful of finding out the cost of what is wrong with the vehicle. It could be minor but ignoring the light will allow it to grow to a much bigger problem. Some of the most common reasons for the engine light to come on are a malfunctioning oxygen sensor or a damaged spark plug. Ignoring such problems could decline your gas mileage or need repairs that are more expensive in future.
Change your oil
You should never extend oil-change intervals beyond what is recommended for your vehicle. Try to keep up as much as possible with the manufacturer's recommendations for your engine to avoid damaging it. Replacing a damaged engine costs thousands of dollars and failing routine maintenance could invalidate your car warranty. Oil changes cost only about $10.
Check the tire pressure
You should learn how to check your own tire pressure manually. Little pressure and too much pressure can lead to a barrage of problems with your tires and vehicle handling on the road. You need to make sure the tire pressure is just right. Driving with the wrong tire pressure causes you to use more fuel than necessary and you also risk a blow out. If you are forgetful about it, you can set an alarm on your phone to remind you of these regular maintenance checks.
Rotate the tires
Rotating tires helps to increase the lifespan of the tire treads. Rotating the tires ensures proper alignment of the tires to the vehicle and the grown. This ensures that the tire treads wear out evenly. Make sure you keep a spare tire in your boot as well and learn how to change it for your own safety.
Change fuel and air filters
Oxygen sensor failure costs as much as $250 in repairs yet replacing the dirty air filter only costs 20bucks. This just goes to show how expensive neglect can be. In case your vehicle misfires, you will ends up spending as much as $1000 on a catalytic converter.
Only use quality replacement parts
There is no double that cheap is often expensive. You may think that you are saving money only to spend much more of it on repairs after your vehicle gets damaged by these cheap replacement parts. Avoid replacing more complex parts with inferior parts. Ensure you have the right part by checking the vehicle make and model number when buying replacement parts online. If you are not too sure, then leave it to a professional.