Owning a car requires more than filling it with fuel each week and checking the tyre pressure. Instead, it’s a large investment that needs regular maintenance and owner vigilance. If this regular attention is not spent on the vehicle, time and driving will take a worse toll than normal, and you’ll find that your once-pristine vehicles is worse for wear than expected and will incur correspondingly higher mechanical costs.
How to Keep Your Car Running Well
At the very least, it is important to have six-month mechanical service and engine tune-ups. If you drive your car a great deal, you should expect to take it to the mechanic more often. Once you do take your vehicle in for service, make sure that your mechanic performs the following checks and changes:
- Oil change: The oil in our cars lubricates the engine parts and keeps them running smoothly. Old cars had an oil gauge, but most new cars have only a warning light that glows red when your oil is low. However, when you see that light, you really do need to get have the oil replaced. The good news is that when a qualified mechanic changes your oil, it breathes new life into your engine.
- Safety check: It is vital to have a regular safety check done on your vehicle. Typically, there is an individualised list that trained mechanics use for different car makes and models, including indicator lights, brake lights, tyres, and usually much more. A vehicle that fails in one or more of these areas needs further attention.
- Tune-up: Back before engines were partly mechanical and partly computerized, mechanics were far more hands-on. However, today the engine is connected to an array of computer sensors that automatically run engine diagnostics and even recalibrate many of the subsystems.
- Battery check: Your car battery is critical, but most of us don’t give it sufficient attention because it often runs for years before needing replacement. Every time you turn on your car, the battery sends an electric pulse through the spark plugs to ignite the fuel. Every time you turn on the radio, you are drawing upon the battery power in your car; and every time you plug your smartphone into the lighter socket to be recharged, you are using your vehicle’s battery power. Therefore, it’s fortunate that your car engine is continually recharging the battery. A mechanic can tell you how much life is left in your battery and whether or not it is at a critical level and requires replacement. If you do need a new battery, make sure that you choose a reliable and reputable brand. In fact, you can even visit a specialist battery business to choose a new battery, and then either have it installed or install it yourself if you have the expertise.
Keep Yourself on the Road
It’s wise to have your car serviced at least twice a year so that mechanical experts can tune the engine, perform a safety check, and check the battery power level. By committing yourself to this regular maintenance program, you can keep your car running smoothly and on the road for years longer.