How to keep your car in good driving condition

How to keep your car in good driving condition

Most people while driving their car will not think twice about the condition it is in until there is a noticeable problem in which they will take their car to mechanic to find out their problem would have never happened had the proper care been given to their car. The best thing that you can do to extend the life of your car and potentially save yourself some money is to service your car on a routine basis which could possibly lead to a prolonged life for your vehicle.

1. The first thing to do when servicing your car is to check the fluids. The fluids include the antifreeze, transmission fluid, oil, power steering fluid, and brake fluid which can all be checked by popping the hood of your vehicle and checking the respective levels of each and add or remove to reach the recommended fluid levels.

2. Second, you must make sure to change your oil regularly which will improve your gas mileage and also help protect your engine. It is recommended that you have your oil changed every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or every 4 to 6 months. To check your oil you should remove the dipstick which is a yellow ring with an oil symbol on it. If the oil is a black color it should be changed the ideal oil color is relatively a clear color.

3. Another thing to do while under the hood is to change or replace the air filter every 50 to 75 thousand miles which will also help to improve gas mileage. The air filter can be found in the air box, a large open ended plastic box clamped together. Remove the clamps and the lid to remove the old air filter that will be replaced.

4. Rotating the tires twice a year or every 6,000 miles will help to reduce the wear on your tires which will help to prolong the pricey tires. To rotate the tires jack up one side of the car and swap the front and rear tire and then do the same for the opposite side.

5. Keeping the tires aired to their recommended tire pressure will increase the tire life and also help to improve gas mileage. The recommended tire pressure can be found on the outside of the tire that will include a # followed by the letters psi.

6. Another thing to help prevent the wear and tear of your tires along with a much smoother ride is to maintain front end alignment in your vehicle by taking it in for a check up if shaking or wobbling begins at higher speeds. This will also keep the tire tread even for increased safety.

7. Make sure to keep an eye on your brake pads and do not let the pads wear down to the metal because this will not only damage the rotors but if it gets to serious it could damage the brake calipers as well. If your rotors or calipers are damage you should take the car to a mechanic for proper maintenance which can get expensive so changing the cheaper brake pads can be much cheaper.

8. Using your parking brake regularly can help decrease the strain on the brakes in the rear especially if on an incline which will make your rear brakes last longer.

9. Finally the thing that most people neglect quite often especially if during pollination months is washing your car. Without the regular cleaning of your vehicle it may begin to have the paint start to peel off and possibly begin to rust along the bottoms of the doors or at the joints which can eventually lead to thousands of dollars of body work.

If these steps and suggestions are applied properly towards the maintaining of your car it is very likely that you will have a reliable car for many years more than expected when your car was purchased. These steps can also help to save you much money dealing with your car and help with money spent due to the constantly rising price of gas.