30 April 2009

6 Basic Ways on How to Maintain Your Car in Good Condition

If you want to maintain your car in good condition, always conduct a weekly inspection of your tires, consistently monitor the fluid levels of your car, change the car’s oil and filter after every 3,000 miles, you should take notice of your dashboard’s warning lights, change faulty bulbs promptly, and inspect window wipers every six months.

Buying a car costs a significant amount of money and it also requires proper knowledge of basics car maintenance to keep it running well. Proper maintenance of your car is important and not only will it help you save on expensive repair bills, it will also help prevent you from breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Here are a number of essential maintenance tips to help keep your car in great shape:

Inspect your tires weekly

Inspect the condition of your tires every week to ensure your safety and maximize gas mileage. Tires require a specific tire pressure, therefore you should refer to your owner's manual to identify the specific amount and verify that your tires are properly inflated. Inspect your tires and pay particular attention to any signs of damages, and be sure to replace your tires if you notice that the tread is worn. Occasional rotation of certain tires may also help prevent wear and tear. Remember to include your spare tire during checkups so that it will be in good condition when you need it.

Regularly check your oil and other fluid levels

Consistently monitoring the levels of your car’s engine oil, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid, coolant and power steering fluid will keep you from spending so much on repairs and will help keep the vehicle run smoothly. To help keep your engine in top-notch shape, fluid levels should be kept at the recommended levels indicated in the manual, so be sure to refer to it. You can do the regular checkups yourself or go to your nearest and trusted service center. High-end auto maintenance centers, like peugeot service centers, provide extra services such as pick-up and delivery of your vehicle from home or office.

Change the car’s oil and filter after every 3,000 miles

To ensure you don't drive an engine that isn't working properly, have your oil and filter changed regularly. Most automobile companies require you to change your oil and oil filter every six months or 3,000 miles for diesel engines and every year or 7,500 miles for gasoline engines. Even so, it is still generally better to change oil every six months. Not doing oil changes regularly can lead to a whole host of engine problems and increased smoke emission and wear. To increase the service life of your engine, you need to change oil filters regularly as metal particles can accumulate on it.

You should take notice of your dashboard’s warning lights

Another basic maintenance tip you need to keep in mind is to always regard the warning lights in your panel as these mean there is something wrong with your car. These lights are indicators for insufficient fluid levels in your vehicle.

Replace damaged bulbs right away

Check if your interior and exterior lights are working well. Make sure your lighting system is working properly including the parking lights, signal lights, brake lights, hard flasher and panel lights. If any of the bulbs are defective, replace them right away to avoid accidents and traffic tickets. Make sure you follow the instructions in your manual to ensure proper replacement of bulbs without breaking them.

Inspect window wipers every six months

Wipers are definitely useful to ensure your safety while driving during rain or snow. Every six months, make sure to inspect all of your windshield wipers. If you see any wear in the rubber, change the blades as soon as possible.

Other things you can do to keep your car in good condition is to solve minor problems right away, use original parts, and have a professional look at your car at least once every year for early diagnosis of potential problems.

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