Car Insurance

Car-proud individuals leave no stone unturned so that their cars are always turned out in their Sunday finery. Thus they have trendy stick-ons, upholstery matching the dashboard and carpets where the feet sink. But car maintenance is much more than having a gleaming façade. Car maintenance should be an all-encompassing routine covering both the exteriors and the interiors.

Car maintenance and repair should feature in the daily itinerary of every car owner. Tend to your car daily so that in the long run, you do not have to face major hold-ups or breakdowns. Car maintenance need not be drudgery or an expensive proposition, for there are numerous DIY car maintenance tips that can be practiced with ease and without having to tow your vehicle to the garage.

The one car maintenance tip that you should swear by is the regular checking of the tires. You should replace them immediately if you find any sort of cuts and protruding on them. Unevenly spaced out wears and tears suggest disproportionate tire balance. Rotate the tires every 7,500 miles and pump up the tires only up to the prescribed level.

One car maintenance tip to abide at all times is to lookout for seepages from any part and clogged pipes and mufflers. Always use the recommended varieties of oils and fluids for car maintenance is not a stopgap solution.

As you go about your DIY car maintenance regime, make sure that the antifreeze level always sticks to the norm and that you use only a 50:50 mixture of antifreeze and water.

Jammed brakes are the nuisances of every driver. Ensure that you are not running short on brake fluid but stop short of overfilling.

Transmission fluid, power steering fluid and motor oil checks should be an integral part of every car maintenance and repair regimen. Put the transmission fluid through the rigors of a reality check by rapidly changing gears so that any possible chinks in the armor are exposed. Change the motor oil every 3 months or 3,000 miles.

A highly recommended car maintenance tip is to periodically check the shock absorber by actually putting the car through bumps and grinds. Shock absorbers should always be replaced in pairs.

The windshield washer fluid reservoir should always be full. One oft overlooked car maintenance and repair job is to regularly clean the wiper blades and replace them yearly, if not broken or chipped by then, so that when the skies open up, you are not stuck with rusty blades.

Finally, do not wait for the car to send warning signals. Any car maintenance and repair job might be too late then. Instead, periodically check the belts and hoses, exhaust clamps and supports and replace them whenever deemed necessary.

These car maintenance tips and tricks are not meant to be broken like the New Year resolutions. Go about your car maintenance job diligently. Each car maintenance tip, practiced rigorously will ensure your car looking radiant, running like well-oiled machinery and the engines purring happily.

We all avoid maintenance on one pretext or the other but forget its core advantages, like low recurring expenses and optimum product utilization, especially in the case of Car Maintenance. By doing regular maintenance on our car, not only we can save money on car repair, but also enjoy more pleasant drives.

Car Maintenance is not a big technical job, and a novice with minimal car-related knowledge can also do it easily. You can initially start with tires. Tires are among the most expensive, regularly replaceable and neglected items on the car.

One must follow some basic rules for tire maintenance. The first and the foremost are checking tire tread for abnormal wear patterns. On finding any symptoms of abnormal wear in specific areas, tire alignment needs to be done to prevent further deterioration. Along with it, you must check tire pressures once a week, for longer tire life. Tire experts also suggest rotating tires and wheel balancing on every car’s regular service.

The other important aspect is oil, filter change and chassis lubrication. Car experts always advice car owners to change them after every 4,000-5,000 miles or every 3-4 months, to ensure longer engine life and optimum performance.

It is also important that lights are in working condition. One must check and replace all fuse bulbs every month, to ensure your journeys at nights are smooth and trouble-free. Besides this, we also advise you to check for any fuel leaks by looking for fuel drops below the car every morning, before you start your car. Washing the car and checking the battery once a week will also help you keep your car in perfect condition. By following these small instructions, you can easily say, “Let’s go for a long drive, honey!”

If you want to ruin your day, never take the time to property maintain your car’s engine. This is a sure fire way to have your car breakdown in the most remote of areas. Instead of tempting fate, why not learn how to keep your car well maintained and working properly.

Check your oil levels every week. Engines run at extremely high temperatures and some models will burn through oil at an alarming rate. You do not want to run dry on oil. This will damage the engine to cease. Once this has happened, you either need a new engine or a new car. Both of these issues are extremely costly. Can you afford to be without your car for a lengthy amount of time?

Change your oil every 3,000 miles. After driving for a certain amount of time, oil becomes dirty and sluggish. Keeping the oil changed regularly reduces dirt circulating in the engine.

Another troublesome issue is the belts. With every oil change, you should have the fan belts and air hoses checked for wear and tear.

Antifreeze should be changed every year. Have a professional flush out the cooling system and replace the tanks with new coolant. This can keep a radiator from developing leaks.

Transmission fluid should be checked regularly. The fluid should be changed every 36,000 miles. If the head gasket leaks, your coolant will leak into the oil system. This is an extremely costly repair, so have them checked regularly to prevent this issue. Always stop first before shifting into drive.

Look regularly in your driveway for leaks. If you spot any, take not of the color of the fluid and then take the car in for servicing. Transmission fluid is pinkish, antifreeze is green, oil is golden brown, and brake fluid is reddish. Knowing which fluid is leaking can help a garage determine the severity of your problem. They can fit you into a busy schedule if the leak is potentially hazardous.

To keep your air conditioning system working properly, run the system every month, even in the winter. The same is true with the heating system. It should be run in the summer to prevent any seizing.

Try to brake in advance. Sudden stops wear down brake pads far more quickly. Have your brakes checked regularly for wear and tear.

Tires should be rotated every 7,000 miles. Inspect them visually every month for tire wear, punctures, and bulges.

Pay attention to your battery. If you see white deposits forming on the terminals, clean them with a wire brush and then clean the battery with a mixture of baking soda and water.

Keep your car rust free by keeping it waxed once per season. Have the undercarriage washed at least twice a year.

Use WD40 to keep door hinges well lubricated. This keeps doors opening and closing properly.

Follow your car manual’s recommended maintenance schedule. This guarantees the warranty will cover costly repairs, but also prevents unexpected breakdowns.

All it takes is a few simple checks every month, and you can protect yourself from breaking down in an unfamiliar or remote area. Your safety is that important isn’t it?

Is your “Check Engine” or “Service Engine Soon” light on? If so, you may need to “service your engine soon,” but how can you know for sure what is wrong without taking it to a dealership and getting charged for a diagnostic test. The car still runs fine, so what’s the big deal.

There are a wide range of things that can trigger the unwanted light. It can be anything from a misfiring cylinder due to a bad spark plug, to a bad O2 sensor, to an air fuel ratio outside the optimal parameters. There is an easy and cheap way to check. In our area of georgia, I have found that most of the Autozones carry the OBD1 and OBD2 diagnostic computers which can scan for trouble codes. They offer this as a free service to their customers, which can save the $35 to $80 I have seen charged for the same thing.

Once these error codes are received from your computer, you have a clue as to what the problem is. You can now do a simple google search to see what the codes mean specifically for your vehicle. In a lot of cases, it will tell you exactly the faulty component, such as which O2 sensor or cylinder is failing. You can now purchase the parts you need and save time and money on the repairs and service.

Beginning in the 1990’s most cars began coming equipped with on board diagnostics, or OBD codes. Also called trouble codes, these codes help diagnosis problems your vehicle is having, sometimes before they are bad enough for you to be stuck on the side of the road. If the warnings are acted upon, you can save yourself in the long run. There are two different types of on board diagnostics depending on the make and year of your vehicle. OBD 1 cars were produced up to ‘95 and OBD2 runs from ‘95/’96 and up. Check your vehicle owners manual to know for sure.

When your check engine or service engine soon light come on, be sure to go and have the codes read. Don’t wait for your car to stop running before you take it in for repairs, because the cost of waiting is usually higher.

To check your trouble codes, you can visit one of my favorite sites for trouble code information located at the code database. Here you can find all the codes for all makes and models sorted by year and code. Armed with the right info, maintenance and service are a breeze for any vehicle.

Hopefully you have some useful information to use when you encounter the dreaded check engine light. Stay up to date on the maintenance and service and your car should return the favor by being reliable.

Maintaining your car’s condition and conserving its beauty may prove to be a Herculean task if you do not follow simple guidelines pertaining to car care. Do not get edgy in situations when your car groans, grunts, reeks or comes to a halt. You can fix all these problems immediately, and even avoid them from occurring, by following a simple car maintenance guide. Mentioned below are few tips that can keep your car as good as new; and also save your time, energy and money.

• Trapped water, usually under the carpet, produces a musty odour. It also leads to corrosion in the course of time. Remove the carpet and dry up both the carpet as well as the floor of the car to prevent corrosion and odour emission.

• It is advisable to stop the car if you smell the emission of smoke. After bringing the car engine to a halt, open the bonnet and disconnect the batteries. Ask professional help to get the problem scrutinized.

• Clean the fuel tank venting regularly. This periodical cleaning avoids choking.

• Do not use excess engine oil. Also, ensure that the engine oil hasn’t grown old.

• To prevent the odour that arises due to the burning of varnish, check the dynamo or alternator regularly.

• Sudden breaking causes the rubber of the tyre to burn. Also, make ensure that the tyres do not get overheated.

• If you can sense any strange odour, it is an early warning sign. Quick action and proper servicing may save a lot of time and money.

• If you can hear strange clicking when you take a turn, fix the front shaft.

• Replace or check the fan belt if it produces a sharp and loud sound.

• Apply oil to the bearing of the wheel at regular intervals. This prevents it from clicking.

• If you are driving for a long hours, it may cause overheating of the engine. Take stops or vary the engine speed to avoid overheating. It is also advisable to check the radiator and water level.

• Check the engine and engine oil carefully to prevent your engine from knocking.

• It is advisable to use only good quality fuel. This allows the carburetor or fuel injection to provide optimum performance.

• Check the tyres for proper air pressure.

Periodic car maintenance can help immensely to keep those repair bills at bay!