Car Maintenance Tips to Avoid Costly Repairs

There’s no denying that keeping up with your car’s maintenance can be a real pain. For example, between every 5,000 to 7,500 miles you have to get your oil changed and tires rotated. As every car owner can agree, this can be quite annoying. However, keeping your car in good condition is well worth it in the long run.

In fact, taking care of your car can help make it last a lot longer. It’ll also cost you less since you aren’t having to make major repairs all the time. You may even get better rates on your auto insurance since you’ll be less likely to file a claim.

Would you rather cover costly repairs because you neglected your car’s maintenance or pay a little bit over time to prevent problems from occurring? I’m sure you’d choose the second option!

In this article, we’re discussing some car maintenance tips that’ll extend the life of your vehicle and help you avoid costly repairs. Let’s begin.

Car Maintenance Tips

Check Your Coolant

Your car’s coolant impacts your radiator, heater, water pump, and air conditioning. If you think about it, that’s a big deal! Therefore, to avoid any corrosion, you need to remember to change your coolant.

A good rule of thumb is to check your car’s coolant twice a year.  So, ideally, this would be before the winter and summer months.

Replace Your Air Filters

Your air filter plays a critical role in regulating airflow and preventing debris from accumulating in your AC unit. Therefore, you should change your air filter once a year or every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. If you live in the desert or other dry areas with lots of dust, you may need to change it more frequently.

Failing to do this can cause major problems with your AC unit.

Changing out your filter is a relatively easy task that you can probably tackle yourself. If you need assistance, there are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to do just that!

Replace Your Windshield Wipers

Ideally, you should replace your windshield wipers once a year. This may seem like a miniscule task, but they do affect your overall visibility while driving.

Some signs they may need replacing are:

  • They leave streaks
  • The rubber is cracking
  • They make a dragging sound

Monitor Your Tire Pressure

Luckily, in this day and age a warning light pops up on our dash whenever our tire pressure drops 25 percent.

If your light comes on that means:

  • There’s something in your tire (nail, screw, bolt, etc.)
  • Your tires are old
  • Temperature changes
  • Your valve cap is missing
  • Etc. 

The first thing you should do is inspect your wheels for any slits or holes. If there’s none then you can fill them back up with an air compressor. If this seems to be a continuous problem we recommend visiting a tire shop so a professional can inspect them.

If you keep driving with low tire pressure you risk a blowout. As I’m sure you’re aware, tires aren’t cheap to replace!

Change Your Oil and Rotate Your Tires

As stated before, these two things should be addressed every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Oftentimes people take their cars in and get both tasks taken care of at the same time. In fact, most auto body shops and dealerships will put a sticker on your windshield indicating when you need to come back again.

Failing to rotate your tires can cause them to wear down and become unstable. This can lead to hydroplaning, blowouts, and poor traction.

Lastly, one of the worst things you could do is not change your oil. After time the oil turns to sludge and heat isn’t properly removed from the engine. This can cause an engine shutdown where you’d need to replace your engine and maybe even your car.

Summing Up

All in all, these car maintenance tips are vital to keeping your vehicle in a good condition. All you need to do is be more proactive when it comes to your vehicle’s maintenance schedule. These pointers will keep your car running longer and help you avoid costly repairs.

 

 

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Source

https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/vehicle-maintenance-tips