Routine Car Maintenance 101: Here’s Everything You Need To Know
Your car needs maintenance just like everything else – the majority of the vehicles start their care at 5,000 miles. You must know what the maintenance criteria of your vehicle are. A regular checkup and monthly maintenance will allow your car to be in excellent running condition.
It will be much safer to drive on the road and allow you a greater distance than never doing the upkeep. Say, for example, you have a Renault Arkana. It will come with its owner manual that will allow you to prepare for the maintenance. You can read up our review of the Renault Arkana to get a better insight into the maintenance procedures.
If you wish to handle most of the essential monthly maintenance yourself, then keep reading!
Read The Owner’s Manual Inside Out!
Every vehicle comes with the owner’s manual, a compact book that gives you an insight into the car. If you didn’t find yours, it would be best to search for it on the internet or connect with your seller and ask for one. Once you have the manual all to yourself, you need to go to the maintenance schedule section, which will fill you in on all the maintenance your car will require overtime. These typically include oil filters, engine oil, tire rotation, etc. you must ensure these are not being taken lightly as they can affect your car’s overall performance and life.
Monthly Tire Checkup
Your car isn’t much without your tires, to be honest, so make sure you take good care of them. They must be in great shape, inflated adequately so that they don’t blow out and leave you stranded in the middle of the road. You need to ensure your tires have the correct pressure to give the ultimate performance. The best tire compression will be mentioned in the owner’s guidebook. It is also essential to keep a check on your replacement tire as you never know when you might need it.
Keep Track Of Your Oil Filter Schedules & Air Filter
Most people make a common mistake in taking their oil filters for granted. What type of oil you wish to put in your car is not essential; instead, you should just make sure you remember to change it. It is necessary for your vehicle. This is what the vehicle lives and breathes on. It helps keep engine parts from crunching alongside each other and stops the engine from getting destroyed. If the motor oil is not changed on time, it can cause a great deal of damage to your engine.
In addition, you should make it a point to replace the air filter every year. This is greatly dependent on how much use you get out of your car. A great practice would be to check your oil and air filters together.
Monitor The Remaining Fluids
The motor oil is not the only oil in the car that needs to be supervised. Other fluids such as brake fluid, windshield washer fluids, transmission fluids, and the coolant must also be checked monthly. The transmission fluid must also be matched with the help of a dipstick like the motor oil. You can keep a check on the brake fluid, washer fluid, and others by removing their covers and checking if they reach the fine fill line. It is advised never to take off the radiator cap to prevent the coolant level. It poses a significant threat of you getting burnt with hot steam.
Inspect The Belt And Hoses
Monthly maintenance calls for a thorough checkup of the entire vehicle. So, it is a great idea to examine the belts along with the hoses in the engine area. The hoses divert coolant flow to ensure the engine doesn’t burn. This will give you an idea of the condition of the hose. If it has any cracks, you can get it repaired instantly.
Inspect Your Brakes
The best way to get an idea of how your brakes are doing is always to hear and sense them for any issues they might have. This is one of the most critical parts as you have to know if your brakes feel squishy or if it takes more force to get the brakes to work, then you probably have to consult an expert. Brake noises are going to signify when upkeep or maintenance is needed.
Here are the most common sounds of the brake:
Squealing – then we suggest it is time you get fresh brake pads.
Grinding – even though this is not normal, it might not also pose a significant threat. Chances are there might be dust stuck inside the brakes. An intelligent way to get your brakes to work like they are brand new is to park your car in the garage instead of letting it be out in the snow or when it’s raining or highly dusty or muddy.
Rattling – if this rattling sound does not stop, then you can be sure that one of the blades is working out and needs to be exchanged asap.
Irregular sounds – if you hear the brake make a loud sound but then it stops and then continues again, the chances are that brakes are fading from overheating. If you can’t figure out how to fix these issues, contact an expert immediately.
Change Wiper Blades
If you can see marks on your windows regardless of how many times you clean them, then it is time to change your wiper blade. It is essential to do so because it might just end up putting lines on your entire windshield, causing you a great deal of inconvenience while driving.
Battery Replacement
Your car’s battery needs to be free from rust at all times. Environmental factors can result in battery corrosion and cause it not to operate. A great way to combat this issue is to make water and baking soda solutions and rinse the battery area. It will get rid of any corrosion on the battery.
Now that you are well aware of what routine car maintenance looks like, you can easily ensure your car keeps securely journeying down the roads for miles!