Tips for Optimal Vehicle Maintenance | Up North Sports
Tips for Optimal Vehicle Maintenance
Some people get flustered at the even the thought of automotive maintenance and repair. However, you don’t have to become a car mechanic in order to stay on top of things and properly maintain your vehicle. There are many simple things you can learn to help keep your vehicle in the best condition possible. Try not to think of periodic maintenance as an expense. In a way you are saving money in the long run by preventing unnecessary wear and tear to your vehicles vital components.
Here are some helpful automotive tips:
Check Your Lights: Have you been driving around for months with a burnt out headlight or turn signal bulb? Who knows right? How many of us actually periodically get out of our cars and check for proper functioning lights? The best way to stay on top of things like that, and avoid a fix-it ticket, is to check your turn signals and lights in the reflection of that shiny tailgate belonging to that big SUV or truck in front of you.
How’s Your Car Battery?: You’re ready to go to work but your battery is dead. Be aware, it’s not that simple. You must ask yourself, why is it dead? Most likely a dead battery is due to two reasons; it’s old and it no longer holds a charge, or your alternator is not functioning properly, therefore it’s not charging your battery. How can you test for this? Jumpstart your car and test the battery with a volt meter while the car is running. Generally on a cold start your alternator is regulated to put out 14+ volts DC; if it’s below 13 volts at a cold start up, than your alternator is most likely not functioning properly.
Tire Pressure: Your car’s tire pressure is nothing to be looked over. Improperly inflated tires are unsafe tires. A tire that is over-inflated can cause uneven tread wear, and an under-inflated tire can hinder load capability and gas mileage by causing an unnecessary increase in rolling resistance. Check for the “max psi” rating on your tire’s sidewall, and stay within 5 PSI under that max rating.
Washing Your Car: It’s time to wash your car and you’re completely out of carwash soap. So lets save a trip to the store and use some dish wash detergent right? Not a good idea. Dish wash detergent will strip off all that car wax that you spent so much time applying to your car, thus stripping away your paint’s vital protection.
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Sometimes you don’t know until you try. Even if you try and fail at making your own automotive repairs, you will still learn a lot about how your car works. The more you know about your car, the more confidence you will gain given that something goes wrong with it.
