Crucial Vehicle Maintenance Items on Every Car

Cars today do not need half as much maintenance as they needed a couple of years ago. Car manufacturers are constantly working on better, more functional and efficient vehicle models. However, there are still a couple of important things you need to keep up with if your do not want to develop car problems. Some of the most common and crucial vehicle maintenance items include:

Oil

Oil is the life blood of your car’s engine making this maintenance bit the most important for your vehicle. The oil keeps the engine’s part working properly but it can be exposed to exhaust gases from the cylinders or get contaminated by small bits of metal. As the oil becomes older, it is less effective in its function and the heat from the engine also reduces the viscosity of the oil. You should change your oil at least once every three months or every five thousand miles. The frequency of engine oil changing depends on how often you use your vehicle. You should always consult the owner’s manual to see how long your vehicle can go between oil changes. If your vehicle has a complex monitoring system, it may be able to determine how long the oil will last. This feature is often found in vehicles that are more modern.

Air filter

A dirty air filter for your car is similar to trying to breathe with a sock over your mouth. Not enough air can get in and most of it is muffled and musty. Air filters clogged with dust and dirt is kind of the same way and can reduce your gas mileage significantly. The frequency of changing your air filters depends on the environmental conditions where you are driving and the number of miles you drive in a year.  Just like your engine oil, your air filters should be changed at least once every 5000miles. The distance may be longer for street vehicles that do not get into a lot of dirt or off-road driving.

Old engines produce fumes that can contaminate the filter and cause it become unusable in as little as 1000 miles.

Brake pads

It is a no brainer that brake maintenance is important to the safety of your vehicle. There are no rules on how often you need to change your brake pads. It purely depends on the frequency of your driving, your driving style, the weight of the vehicle and the quality of the brake pads. When it comes to checking your brakes, take a more hands on approach in making sure you replace worn out brakes. Most auto repair shops offer free brake inspection. Some vehicles also have an electrical monitor built into the brake pads that tell when they are too worn out and need to change.

Tires

The life expectancy of your tires also varies depending on the load of your car, your driving techniques and the driving conditions. Normal passenger car tires can do about 50,000 miles before they need to be change. There are some factors that can cause premature wearing out of car tires. The wear indicators in car tires are the tiny ridges between the treads. Once the treads get even with the ridges, you know you need to get new tires.


Posted by: Faircloth Automotive 

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Golden Rules of Vehicle Maintenance You Should Know

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. 

Posted By: Faircloth Automotive  http://fairclothautomotive.com/