Too many people make common car maintenance mistakes. They aren't really trying to bring harm upon their rides, but they do. Whether by accident, ignorance or intent, these car maintenance mistakes and oversights are easy to correct if you're guilty of these in your everyday driving. Between them, you'll realize better gas mileage in the short term and more miles from your car in the long run.
1. Ignoring all your fluids except oil. Your oil is one of the most important things to keep track of in your car, but if you keep track of only your oil and forget to check all the other important fluids under your hood you can cause major and expensive damage to your car. Often times we get preoccupied wondering about our oil and ignore our brake and transmission fluids, coolant and even windshield wiper fluid. By adding these things to your mental checklist when you pop the hood, you can keep your car running great.
2. Having the wrong seasons tires. The second mistake it is easy to make is driving on tires that are out of season, or worse yet, driving on all-season tires all season long. Especially if you live somewhere with major seasonal weather swings, you should get a separate set of tires for summer and winter.
3. Using oil with the wrong viscosity. There is an ideal engine oil viscosity to keep your car from becoming an external combustion unit, it is recommended in your owner's manual. Heed its instruction. Using the wrong oil weight can lead to excess wear and premature failure from insufficient lubrication.
4. Carrying extra weight in your car. A lot of people know this is a problem but forget to do anything about it. There are a lot of extra things that we keep in our cars from clothes, athletic goods and hobby gear. The added weight rolling around in the back of your car is harder on your tires and affects your gas mileage. Get the extra stuff out of your car to keep it healthy.
5. Low tire pressure. Having tires that are too low on air is one of the most common oversights of people on the road. When your tire pressure it too low it will decrease your gas mileage (costing you money) and increase the likelihood of a blowout, a flat or another tire emergency when you are on the road. Find out what the ideal tire pressure for your car is and keep them full.
6. Sudden stops. When you slam on your cars brakes all the time, you do major damage to your car. The car is designed to help you stop quickly in a panic, but it is bad for your car to do it all the time. Hard brakes will negatively affect your calipers, brake pads, fluids and rotors, all of which will need to be replaced more quickly the longer you let your hard braking behavior go on.
By thinking twice you can avoid most, if not all, of these super common car maintenance mistakes. It is a good idea every once and a while to spring for a mechanic to do a full work up on your car to make sure there are no major problems - it's better to catch something early than to get stuck in a jam if there is a major disaster later. Add these things to your mental checklist and keep your car running in top form.
1. Ignoring all your fluids except oil. Your oil is one of the most important things to keep track of in your car, but if you keep track of only your oil and forget to check all the other important fluids under your hood you can cause major and expensive damage to your car. Often times we get preoccupied wondering about our oil and ignore our brake and transmission fluids, coolant and even windshield wiper fluid. By adding these things to your mental checklist when you pop the hood, you can keep your car running great.
2. Having the wrong seasons tires. The second mistake it is easy to make is driving on tires that are out of season, or worse yet, driving on all-season tires all season long. Especially if you live somewhere with major seasonal weather swings, you should get a separate set of tires for summer and winter.
3. Using oil with the wrong viscosity. There is an ideal engine oil viscosity to keep your car from becoming an external combustion unit, it is recommended in your owner's manual. Heed its instruction. Using the wrong oil weight can lead to excess wear and premature failure from insufficient lubrication.
4. Carrying extra weight in your car. A lot of people know this is a problem but forget to do anything about it. There are a lot of extra things that we keep in our cars from clothes, athletic goods and hobby gear. The added weight rolling around in the back of your car is harder on your tires and affects your gas mileage. Get the extra stuff out of your car to keep it healthy.
5. Low tire pressure. Having tires that are too low on air is one of the most common oversights of people on the road. When your tire pressure it too low it will decrease your gas mileage (costing you money) and increase the likelihood of a blowout, a flat or another tire emergency when you are on the road. Find out what the ideal tire pressure for your car is and keep them full.
6. Sudden stops. When you slam on your cars brakes all the time, you do major damage to your car. The car is designed to help you stop quickly in a panic, but it is bad for your car to do it all the time. Hard brakes will negatively affect your calipers, brake pads, fluids and rotors, all of which will need to be replaced more quickly the longer you let your hard braking behavior go on.
By thinking twice you can avoid most, if not all, of these super common car maintenance mistakes. It is a good idea every once and a while to spring for a mechanic to do a full work up on your car to make sure there are no major problems - it's better to catch something early than to get stuck in a jam if there is a major disaster later. Add these things to your mental checklist and keep your car running in top form.
About the Author:
Car maintenance is as vital to the life of your car as your auto insurance. Get no credit check car insurance coverage today at dillo.com. Dillo offers cheap Texas auto insurance through a fast and convenient online quote system!
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