What if you could spend $200 now and save yourself $1,000 later? That’s exactly what you’re doing when you perform preventative maintenance on your car: saving yourself bigger expenses down the road. Follow these five tips to keep your car in tip-top shape and prevent expensive break-downs.
- Get regular oil changes and tune-ups. Just as our bodies need water to work properly, your car needs oil to keep going. Oil lubricates the engine and other parts, preventing friction that causes parts to wear more quickly over time. Meanwhile tune-ups ensure that those other little-but-important parts (like spark plugs and air filter) are working at peak performance.
- Pay attention to lights and sounds. If a maintenance light is illuminated on your dashboard, or if your car starts making a strange noise, head to the repair shop ASAP. A small mechanical problem can cause much larger ones if it goes unaddressed.
- Check the tires monthly. Make a habit of checking tire pressure on a regular basis. Fill tires to the factory-recommended PSI as needed. Be sure to also check the tread in case tires need to be rotated or replaced.
- Follow directions in your manual. Every car is a little different, so read the manual to find out how often belts should be replaced. If one of these belts breaks while you’re driving, it can seriously damage other parts. Your manual will probably include preventative maintenance guidelines for other systems, like the air conditioning.
- Don’t forget your brakes. It can be difficult to notice gradual changes in brake performance over time, so get your mechanic to check brakes on a regular basis. It’s much less expensive to simply replace the pads regularly, than to wait for the parts to wear out and buy new pads, drums, and other parts.
