Save money with proper car maintenance dos & dont’s

Your vehicle is an essential tool but it can be taken for granted. It’s often used daily, but if car maintenance is not done properly repairs can become expensive and your safety is at risk.

To help keep your car in proper condition, improve its longevity and ensure your safety, here’s a list of “dos and don’ts.”

DO THIS

* Buy from a reputable used car dealership. It will ensure you have spent your money wisely. A reputable dealership will service its inventory before offering it for sale. It will provide the reassurance you’re purchasing a vehicle properly maintained and without the need for further expense for the length of the used car warranty.

* Have your regularly serviced is the key to keeping it in good working condition. Proper service will include having the oil and filter checked as well as the brake discs and pads, lights, exhausts, car battery and tires. It is a full car health check.

Proper Car Maintenance Is Important

When properly done, completing the recommended full-service record will also maintain the vehicle’s value when it’s time to sell. All vehicles require servicing, so check your manufacturer’s guide for the recommended intervals.

* Check fluid levels is an easy but essential task. Always make sure water and oil levels are satisfactory. Without proper supplies of water and oil your car will overheat, eventually stop and catch fire.

Don’t forget to check windshield cleaner and don’t forget to add antifreeze to your water coolant during inclement weather months.

DON’T DO THIS

* Ignore the little things. Much like when you’re not at your best, your body is telling you something. It’s not the best time to run a marathon. You need to recover before strenuous activity. If not, your condition can get worse.

It’s the same with your car. Don’t ignore engine management lights. If your service records or maintenance warn, replace your brake pads. Don’t wait for the brake pads to be unusable. If not replace, faulty brake pads will likely cost more because something else will also go wrong.

* Run on empty. Running on fumes when your red light is on is bad for the engine. Sediment from the bottom of the gas tank can run through the engine. And it’s the heart of your car. If it isn’t well maintained, your vehicle will have problems.

* Forget your owner’s manual. It might seem simple, the instruction booklet, codebooks and other literature have are invaluable. Even simple questions, from opening the hood to and fuel tank are included, and good to always have in the vehicle’s manual

The owner’s manual also explains what different lights on your dash mean, when your service is due and how to operate parts of the vehicle. Search engines can be excellent resources, but in specialty situations (like being out of internet range) a vehicle manual is still critically important.