A working car is like an extension of our bodies to most of us. It is relied upon for so many things. You aim to do everything in your power to keep it running smoothly and prevent yourself from having to take the necessary steps if it broke down. 

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There are many products that claim to help preserve the life and health of your car, but ultimately there is no one special treatment that ensures that.

The best advice you will receive is, that your car needs regular maintenance to keep it healthy. Like yourself it needs a certain level of love and care sent its way to keep everything running as it should be.  What makes this even better, is this isn’t too difficult. By making a little effort and maintaining your car, you will be able to keep it running for longer than you imagined. 

So, although you may get tempted every now and then to use the latest must-have product, try to hold back. You will get better results by following a few simple maintenance steps and doing this on a regular basis. 

Why Do Regular Maintainance

You most likely know someone who has had their car for ages, racked up the miles and yet it continues to work. You also most likely know someone whose car continues to break down or can’t manage to keep it alive past the 100,000-mile mark. 

So, whilst it is likely that these cars are different makes and models, that isn’t the reason why one person has such success and the other doesn’t. The difference will boil down to the consistency levels applied in maintaining your car and carrying out regular maintenance. 

As this is within your control, you too can have that same success. By following some simple checks, regularly giving your car the maintenance it needs, you will be able to keep your car going and going, along with keeping costs of repairs down. 

Check The Oil

This is the most important part when it comes to keeping your car healthy. The engine is the heart of the car so, it makes sense, that in order for your car to be healthy you need to ensure that the engine runs healthily and smoothly. 

To ensure that happens you will be wanting to check your oil levels every month. This will help you understand how much if any, oil your car uses regularly, and if that starts to change, you are able to detect any potential problems or issues your car is having become they happen or get too bad and costly.

Not only is checking your oil important but changing it is also important. The importance of changing the oil is to prevent and stop a build of sludge within the engine that over time can cause the engine to degrade and not function at its best. With newer and more modern cars this is now recommended to happen either each year or when they reach 5,000-7,000 miles. 

This is, of course, a general approach. How you drive also plays a big part in knowing when to change your oil. Speaking to your car manufacturer or mechanic will be able to advise specifically. But, if you do a lot of city driving, with short drives, your car idling, a lot of stops and starts you may need more frequent oil changes than someone who drives long distances. 

Change Your Cooling System And Coolants

Although these oils don’t need to be checked and changed as often as the engine oil, it is still important to check this as the manufactures recommended mileage based on your car make and model. 

These generally are expected to be changed every 30,000-miles approximately. It is important to ensure that you are following the manufacturers advice and getting this changed when needed in order to keep the engine cool and to stop it overheating.  

Check Your Brake Fluid

You know how important the brakes are. Along with the engine, they are one of the most important components of the car in order of keeping you and those around you safe. They prevent collisions and stop you from crashing. So they of course need to be looked after to guarantee their ongoing function.

To maintain that your brakes continue to work as they should, you need to be checking and if needed, changing your brake fluid. The reason behind this is, moisture is attracted to the brake fluid. Unless drained and changed, this can cause a variety of problems to your car such as corrosion, rust and worse case the failure of your brakes. By ensuring that this fluid is bled and changed each year will ensure that you are doing everything possible to ensure your brakes remain healthy and functioning. 

Look After The Tires And Wheels

When it comes to your alloy wheels and tires it is extremely important that they are checked on a regular basis. The requirements of how often they need to be changed are subject to many factors such as the type of vehicle, the type of tyre, how it is driven, the terrain it is driven on as well as how well they are maintained. 

The tread wear bars of your tire is the first part that needs regular checking and regular maintenance. If these bars become level with the tread pattern that is a sign that the tire needs to be replaced. You can also choose to check the tire by testing the depth of the tread. This will allow you to get an accurate measurement of the tread of your tire and make informed decisions around they will need replacing.

Another part of your tire that requires regular maintaining is the air within them and keep them correctly inflated. Either having under or over inflated tires can cause various problems. They can lead to the tires wearing unevenly or wearing down quicker than expected, resulting again in more cost and potential problems for you.

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About the Author: John Loughran