Miscellaneous Monday: Basic Vehicle Maintenance

Miscellaneous Monday:  Basic Vehicle Maintenance

To help catch problems early and to prevent problems, it is important to regularly check and maintain your vehicle.  Do a visual:  is there any noticeable damage?  Are there any noticeable leaks?  Smoke?  Warning lights going off?  Are all the lights working?  The wipers?  Do a sound check:  is there knocking? screeching?  squealing? grinding?  Do a motion check:  does the car pull to one side?  Does it shake?  etc.  

Anything out of the normal should be taken care of as soon as possible to avoid more damage/problems.

Tires:  Check the pressure and tread, have your tires rotated and balanced.  To check the pressure use a tire air pressure gauge, whether a standard one or a digital one.  It needs to measure pounds per square inch (PSI).  On a standard gauge these are marked by little notches or lines.  Check your owners manual or ask when you get the tires what the ideal pressure should be, as recommendations can vary; the tire itself also often has the ideal pressure indicated right on it.  Also remember that heat affects the pressure--in very hot temperatures your tires may expand, but even just driving provides heat and so your pressure measurement may be different if you measure right after you’ve been driving compared to if you measure after the car hasn’t been moving for a few hours, for an accurate reading try to measure the pressure when the car hasn’t been driven for a few hours.  If you under inflate the tires wear more quickly on the sides, if you over-inflate your tires will wear down much faster.  

To check the tread, you can use a penny simply by putting the penny Lincoln head down (stand him on his head) inside a tread groove.  If the tread covers part of his head, you are still good; but if the tread doesn’t come to his head and cover any part of it, your tires are worn enough to be concerned and it is time to replace them (or at least soon).  Be sure to check grooves on the sides as well as in the middle.  When you get an oil change, at the same time it is easy to have the tires rotated and balanced.

Brakes:  Check brake pads and fluid.  Listen and feel--is there squealing or pulling or grinding?

Battery:  Make sure doing well--if in cold climate need a strong battery to help start your car.  Batteries do need to be replaced periodically.  Places that replace batteries can check the charge and juice to see how it is doing.

Engine:  change your oil regularly (see your owner’s manual to know how often, in the past it was recommended every 3 months or 3,000 miles, but newer cars may be able to go longer).  Replace your air filter regularly.  Check belts and wires for cracks, frays and such (do a visual check).  Check fluid levels (including washer fluid).

Body:  keep your windshield and rear view windows and mirrors clean so have clear vision.  Vacuum out periodically to keep looking nice inside.  Wash periodically outside as well.  If in an area that uses salt on the roads, wash more frequently to keep looking nice.

If you are able to have someone do a visual as you drive (or them drive while you do the visual) it is also helpful,  there are things that you might not notice otherwise--like if any part is hanging and bouncing up and down while being driven.

Cars are expensive, both the initial cost as well as the upkeep costs, including insurance and registration.  By regularly checking and maintaining your car, hopefully those costs can be lessened.