Maintaining your car is important. It’s not something that just happens on its own without any input from you. The car doesn’t simply take care of itself as if it’s some sentient being with its own agenda. You are the one who owns the car, and you have got to take care of it. Sometimes this can be a pain in the behind and you might end up wondering if it’s more trouble than it’s worth, but we can assure you that it’s always worth it.
You need to be taking care of your car to ensure that it is safe for you to drive, but also just so that it’s in overall good condition. You want to be proud of your car, and know that you are keeping it running well as well as looking good. That’s what we’ve written this article for, anyway! If you don’t know what kind of things you should be doing to maintain your car, then we’ve got your back. Keep reading if you are interested in finding out more about this topic.
Water And Oil Top Up
Let’s start with something super basic, the fluids. You need to make sure that you are topping up the water and the oil when they need doing. They are responsible for lubricating the engine and ensuring that everything runs smoothly on that end. You can check your oil by opening the hood of your car and pulling out the dipstick. There will be a market on the stick that shows you where the oil should be, and where it actually is. If your oil level is below the bottom market, it’s time to top up your oil and then put the stick back in. Just make sure that you are putting the right motor oil in your car, and if you’re not sure which one that is, look it up.
You should be checking your water regularly as well to keep things going smoothly. Just a quick check every month or so will ensure that you’re not running low and that everything is going well. If you don’t do this, you run the risk of your engine overheating, and that can be super dangerous for your car.
Regular Service
As well as doing those two basic checks yourself that we mentioned, you should also be sending your car in for a regular service. This is where they check your car thoroughly, looking at all of the elements, letting you know what is good and what needs to be sorted. Generally you will get an assessment that consists of things that need fixing immediately as the car is not safe otherwise, and things that will need to be fixed down the line but are okay for now. Of course, the immediate fixes need to be done and there’s nothing you can do about that because it’s unsafe for you to continue driving without having them sorted.
Some people try to avoid sending their car in for a service because they are worried about how much it could end up costing them. But, it’s much better to spend the money and be safe, than lose control of the vehicle and crash because of something that could have been sorted.
If You Notice Something Strange
If you notice that there is something strange about your car, what are you doing about it? You can’t just hope it sorts itself out. We know that there are lots of social media posts joking about doing this and just leaving your car to fix itself, but this is dangerous. You cannot do this as it’s not only dangerous for the issue that is being brought to your attention, but it could end up causing even more problems. The same way that water left to drip on the same spot will eventually wear it, the same can happen with your car.
So, if you notice that there is something not quite right about your car, it needs to go straight to a professional. Tell them the problem and they will be able to look at the vehicle to determine the issue. Sometimes you won’t even need to tell them what the problem is as it will be immediately obvious to them.
Protect The Outside
You also want to make sure that you are protecting your vehicle from the outside, not just the inside. A lot of people don’t think too much about the exterior of their car, but it’s just as important as the rest of it. You should be trying to ensure that you’re not scratching it, or dinging it so that your bodywork stays intact.
There are many ways that you can take care of the exterior of your car depending on what you actually want to achieve. If you just want to keep it safe from adverse weather then you should look into purchasing a car cover. Place this over the vehicle when the weather is bad, or when you are worried about any kind of damage occurring. Or, if you want to go one step further you can take your car to a professional and have it coated. You can look into ceramic pro ceramic coatings if you want to, ensuring that your car paintwork remains in the best shape possible.
Keep It Clean
It might seem like it’s not that big of a deal, but we can assure you that keeping your car clean is in fact, a big deal. Do you have any idea what kind of smells and bacteria can grow in your car if you don’t clean it regularly? How many people do you have in your car on a regular basis? How many of them bring muck in on their shoes by accident? Do you eat in the car? It’s things like this that you need to think about, and then make the conscious decision to clean it.
Some people don’t like the fact that they have to clean their car regularly, but it’s good for it so you’re just going to have to get over it. We recommend cleaning your car, inside and out, every two weeks or so to keep on top of it. Even if it feels like there’s no dirt, that’s good because it means you’re doing your job properly.
Don’t Let The Fuel Run Out
There are too many people right now who think that the worst part about running out of fuel is that your car won’t go again until there’s some in there. Yes, that’s inconvenient to you, but that’s the worst of it for yourself. For your car, you could be damaging it by driving around on empty. You are putting the engine at risk, you are putting other parts of the car at risk and it simply isn’t worth it. You should not be letting your car get that low, and if you do then you need to have it checked by a professional as soon as you can.
If you don’t believe us you can look up the impacts that no fuel in the car will have over time. The more often you do this, the more danger you are putting the vehicle in, and it’s not something that we can recommend. You should always always always have fuel, even if it’s just a small amount.
Check Your Safety Features
As the car owner, you should really know your car better than anyone. You should be able to tell when something isn’t right as you will feel it when you’re driving, and then you can get this checked out. If you don’t do this then you’re putting yourself and other road users at risk, but you are also putting everyone at risk if you’re not conducting your own safety assessment. You need to be checking your safety features before you back out of your driveway to make sure that everything is in working order.
Check that your seatbelt and everyone else’s in the car is working properly. Check that your brakes are working properly by tapping them and making sure the car stops. It’s the little checks like this that really matter, as they are the ones that could save your life if you got into an accident. As such, it’s important to check all of these things, and if you have any doubts, then don’t drive the car until it has been checked.
So there you go then! These are some of the things that you need to know about maintaining your car, ensuring that it remains in the best possible shape at all times. We’re not saying that it’s going to be an easy thing to do, and there are going to be times where it feels like it’s more trouble than it’s worth, but we promise that keeping your car in the best condition is worth it. If you do everything on this list, and anything else that you can think of, you should be able to keep your car happy for years to come.
