Keeping your vehicle in top condition is essential to your safety when on the roads and for the vehicle’s longevity. It can become easy to get lost in the minutiae of car maintenance trying to keep it perfect. However, there is no need for this, and if you follow these top tips, you’ll keep your vehicle in excellent condition while leaving yourself plenty of time to have fun driving it.
Change The Oil Regularly
One of the best ways to keep your engine ticking over in top form is to change the oil regularly. Regular here refers to every X number of miles rather than months. Some mechanics will give an overly conservative mileage for each change; however, using the manufacturer’s guidelines is recommended.
Keeping up to date with oil changes will reduce wear on all the engine’s moving parts, reducing the risk of breakdown.
Make Appropriate Modifications
Paint Protection Film (PPF) protects areas of your car that are vulnerable to paint damage caused by stones and other debris on the road. Gentle heat, such as from a hair drier, seals any scratches to occur, keeping the paint underneath safe and intact for longer.
You can opt for partial or complete car coverage, depending on where your drive and the environment your vehicle is stored in (it’ll protect the roof from bird droppings if you’re regularly under trees). If you’re looking for truck accessories Utah PPF should definitely be on your shopping list.
Keep The Vehicle Exterior Clean
Being outside will naturally cause cars to become dusty and dirty over time, and this process is sped up the more you drive around. Cleaning your vehicle exterior regularly is essential for several reasons.
One of the most important being it allows you to see through all the windows clearly.It also allows you to see any defects in the paint and take care of them promptly so that rust doesn’t become an issue.
Look After Your Paint Job
If you opt not to use PPF, be sure to touch up paint scratches quickly to stop pockets of rust from forming. Like a leak in your house roof that you don’t notice until the ceiling caves in, water seeps through those chips to the metal beneath.
Modern cars have been designed to take the force of an accident and crumple, leaving the occupant relatively safe. You wouldn’t want your safety compromised due to rust stopping the crumple zones from working correctly.
Clean Up Inside
It’s not just the outside of the vehicle that needs regular cleaning; keep the interior clean and tidy also.In part because it makes for a more pleasant driving experience for you and any passengers.
On the practical side, it’ll ensure maintaining the upholstery in good condition for longer. Also,anything that causes nasty lingering smells getting into the air vents is less likely.
Seat Belts
While you’re cleaning the inside of your truck, be sure to inspect your seatbelts as any wear means they could fail in an accident. Check that the buckle clips are in correct working order as well.
Faulty clips mean that in an accident, a passenger may become trapped in the vehicle. Keeping the seat belts in working order is a legal requirement of keeping a car or truck roadworthy.
Filters
As well as changing the oil and keeping air vents clean, it’s essential not to neglect the inner workings. As such, be sure to change the oil and air filters regularly, too, so that they don’t become clogged and inefficient.
Replacing the air filter is a simple procedure that saves you money by doing it yourself. You may even want to try washing and reusing the filter to save on parts and cost a time or two.
Look After Your Wheels
Wheel and tire maintenance are vital to keeping your vehicle in excellent condition, from bicycle to big rig. Whhels are the part of any road vehicle that has continual contact with the road, involved in both moving and stopping.
Therefore, if any part of the wheel isn’t in good condition, your vehicle stops running at optimal and can become dangerous quickly. Pay attention to how your car is running; the steering pulling to the side could indicate the wheel alignment is off.
Tires Too
Check tires for uneven wear and replace when any part of the tread wears down to the legal minimum of 2/32 of an inch (if not before).Uneven wear is a sign of several issues, such as improper alignment to tired suspension.
Therefore, if you notice uneven tire wear as well as replacing the tires, it is crucial to have your car checked out for any other issues.
Drive Considerately
The way we drive our cars impacts how they wear and age. By driving in a smooth and considerate manner, there is less pressure placed on the engine, and therefore it won’t wear out as fast.
Driving this way also reduces fuel consumption which is good for your pocket and the environment due to fewer emissions. Warming up the engine in cold weather will also help reduce fuel consumption, so factor that into winter drive times.
Be Cool
Especially in Winter, it can be easy to neglect your air conditioning as who wants to be cold when it’s already cold? However, aircon units that aren’t used regularly will over time leak coolant gas, meaning you could face a surprise bill to have it re-gassed down the line. As such, periodically give your aircon a decent blast so that it stays in working condition, even if it is freezing out.
If you so desired, you could find something with your vehicle to tinker on every day, but the reality is most people aren’t that interested. But regardless of how interesting you find car maintenance, by following a few simple tips, your vehicle will remain in top condition for a long time to come.
