As a car owner, there are some basic skills and know-how that you should be familiar with. Taking care of your car means being a safe driver. Keeping up on the regular maintenance with your car will help you to stay safe and keep others safe.
Windshield Wiper Blades
Keeping your wiper blades sharp is very important to your visibility while driving. Changing your windshield wiper blades is very simple. A short YouTube tutorial, and you’ll have it done in a few minutes. It’s also very affordable, wiper blades can be purchased online or at an auto shop.
Vehicle Fluids
There are many fluids in your car that you need to check, change, or refill regularly. First off, you should be checking your engine’s oil about every 5,000 miles. Engine oil lubricates, cools, and cleans your engine. If there isn’t enough oil in your car, it can lead to thermal degradation, oxidation, and compressive heating. You also need to check your coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid.
Headlights and Taillights
You should be changing your headlights and taillights every year, even if they haven’t gone out. Headlights and taillights are extremely important to your visibility at night, as well as making your car more visible to others. Foggy head and taillights can be a problem as well—if this happens, you can scrub your lights with toothpaste to make them brighter and more effective.
Tires
Check your tire pressure regularly. If tire pressure is low, the surface of the tire touches the ground more and can cause friction between the road and the tire, causing the tire to wear down faster. It can also lead to tread separation through overheating. You should also ensure that you always have a spare tire and everything you need to change a tire. It’s also extremely important to rotate your tires regularly. If you fail to rotate your tires, they will wear down much quicker and potentially cause problems to your alignment.
Air Filters
An engine air filter should be replaced about every 15,000 and 30,000 miles—so around every 3 years. It’s important to the health of your engine to have a clean air filter.
Emergency Roadside Kit
Keep a few things in your car at all times in case of emergency. If you break down or get in a wreck, you’ll be grateful! You should always have a first aid kit, tire gauge, jumper cables, flashlight, duct tape, drinking water, a warm blanket, and other useful items. Pack all of these in a kit and keep it in your trunk for easy access.
Brakes
The brakes are vital to your safety as a driver. Never ignore or put off dealing with brake issues. Any noises coming from your brakes are a bad sign and should be looked into immediately. Be sure to check your brake fluid, change your brake pads, and have your brakes looked at regularly.