As a car owner, there are some minimum requirements that you need to meet to ensure that it’s able to stay on the road, such as having it inspected once a year, as well as changing its oil and coolant. However, doing just the minimum is, eventually, going to ensure that it starts to experience the effects of degradation. If you’re not making an effort to stop them proactively, then don’t be surprised if they start appearing as if a switch was flicked. Here’s how to do more than the minimum to care for your car.
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Keep an eye and ear out for warning signs
While it might feel like your car starts acting up without a warning, that is often not very true. The signs of a car in need of repair can be a lot easier to notice when you’re actually paying attention to them. Warning lights on the dash, changes in how it handles, and new, unfamiliar sounds are all worth taking a closer look at.
Keep an eye on your tires
There are some parts of the car that are going to benefit from a little extra care, in particular, and your tires are a good place to start. You should be checking your tires’ pressure on a regular basis, including your spare, and take a look at the tread when you do. This can give you a much better sense of wear and tear, and even help you predict and avoid things like flats on the road.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations
How often should you have your car maintained? It’s not a difficult question to answer, it’s going to be in the manual of the car. If you don’t have it, then you can find all types of resources, like this F-150 owner’s manual, online. Take the time to fish out the manual and you will see it has a detailed, scheduled maintenance plan that you can keep up with.
Know which parts get replaced most often
You can save yourself a lot of heartache by knowing the two parts of the car that are going to get replaced most often, and how to change them yourself. Changing your own spark plugs and your own brake pads can save you money at the mechanic’s, and doing it ahead of time can help you preserve the life of your tires and keep your engine running more efficiently.
Its appearance is worth maintaining, too
It might not be as important to the performance of the vehicle, but if you are looking to maintain the value of your car and fight depreciation, then you want to care for its aesthetic. Finding a good car detailing service can do you a lot of good and, of course, keeping it clean is vital, too.
It’s your car, so how you care for it is up to you. However, to preserve its value, keep it safe on the road, and maintain the experience of the drive as best as possible, you want to follow the tips above.
