Benefits Of Maintaining Your Car

TIPS OF THE WEEK

Bennett Oghifo

Longevity

You’ve probably seen a car that is older than Dracula but surprisingly, it doesn’t look like it. In fact, a well-maintained old car can outlive a newer car that’s been neglected without proper care. Quite often, it’s the little things like regularly checking your tire pressure, brakes, fluid level, battery and lights that make the big difference in the long run.

Boost Your Safety

Did you know that some road accidents are indirectly caused by poor car maintenance? For instance, you can forget to service your brake system and when you need to slow down, it malfunctions causing an accident. Another scenario would be a worn out tire that was supposed to be changed that bursts when you’re driving at high speed – you get the picture?

Anyway, maintaining your car can improve your safety and potentially save your life.

Enhances Reliability And Performance

If you drive a car for long enough without maintenance, you start to notice a decline in the performance. It could be that it doesn’t accelerate fast like it did when it was fresh out of the dealership. Maybe the fuel economy worsened or it coughs when you start it. No, a wizard didn’t put a spell on your car but it is normal for car components to wear out if they aren’t serviced or replaced on a regular basis.

Increases The Resale Value Of Your Vehicle

Ever wondered why some classic cars are auctioned at a higher resale value decades later after they were purchased? This is usually quite common among rare limited car models that are out of the market but the owners kept them in mint condition. However, even if your vehicle is not one of those scarce types, ensuring that it is well-maintained will increase its resale value.

Saves You Expensive Repair Costs

Sometimes, the repair cost of a vehicle can be too expensive to the point that you spend more money trying to fix your car than you would if you bought a new car of the same exact model.

Nonetheless, you can avoid digging a hole in your pocket by scheduling regular maintenance check-ups to seal that crack before it brings down the wall. Catch the drift? Remember, prevention is better than cure!

Minimizes Roadside Emergencies

It can be annoying when your car engine won’t start on a cold winter morning or it suddenly breaks down on the roadside due to overheating problems. It’s even more frustrating when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with no strong network signal and you have no choice but to abandon your vehicle to go seek help. Whoa! You don’t want to imagine that; it reads like a script from a horror movie.

Onto serious matters, you can minimize the risk of roadside emergencies if you take good care of your vehicle.

Protects The Environment

Even if you have no passion for a cleaner environment, most countries have implemented regulations to limit vehicle exhaust emissions. Nowadays, it’s not just car manufacturers who have a duty to reduce vehicle emissions but even car owners have a responsibility to keep off cars that are road unworthy due to excess carbon emissions. What better way to keep your vehicle in compliance with environmental protection standards than properly maintaining it.

Read The Owner’s Manual

When it comes to vehicles, there is no ‘one size fits all’ prescription. For example, the oil change schedule of your car depends on the type of car that you drive. Contrary to the common misconception, you don’t need to change the oil after every 3,000 miles.

Hence, before everything else, make sure you read the owner’s manual to double check what your vehicle needs during maintenance. If you don’t, you will probably end up putting the wrong oil into your vehicle’s engine and cause serious damage.

2. Learn The Meaning Of Different Warning Light Indicators

Most modern cars will notify you via warning lights whenever there are some issues that require immediate attention. However, those warning lights will be useless if you can’t interpret what they mean to choose the appropriate course of action. Here’s how it goes:

· Service engine light – You see that little print on your dashboard written “service engine”, “service” or “maint reqd”? When you see that indicator light, it’s a reminder that the recommended maintenance schedule is due.

· Check engine light – Otherwise known as the malfunction indicator lamp, it will tell you whenever the sensors in your engine detect a problem that ought to be fixed. Usually, it doesn’t specify the exact issue but you can consult a mechanic or use OBD2 scanner to find out the root cause of the problem.

· Brake warning light- If the brake warning light indicator automaticallyturns on, it could mean your brake fluid level is low or the brake pads are worn out. The brake warning light can also activate when you’ve engaged the parking brakes. But just to be sure, you can refer to the owner’s manual.

· Coolant warning light- Don’t wait for a whistle! In case you see the coolant warning light, you should pull over immediately, open the hood and wait for the car to cool down. The coolant light tells you that the engine internal temperature is beyond the limit and if you keep driving you may damage it. Don’t forget: never open the radiator cap when the engine is hot!

· ABS Warning light – Just like thebrake warning light, if the ABS warning light flashes, it’s a sign that there could be a problem with the anti-lock braking system. In other words, it could be harder for you to suddenly stop your vehicle in an emergency situation. Otherwise, if both your ABS and brake warning lights are on, you shouldn’t risk driving your vehicle until the problem is fixed.

· Oil Warning light – Once the oil in your engine is lowerthan recommended, the oil warning light will engage. It could also be a symptom of a bigger problem like oil filter blockage or oil pump malfunction. Mind you, driving your car when the warning light is on can completely wreak havoc to the engine.

· Electrical fault light – Obviously, it means there is an issue with the electrical charging system. You can run a diagnostic to dig deeper into the cause. In most cases, it’s usually the alternator that is misbehaving.

How To Break In A New Car

Vehicles are made out of parts that need to synchronize after getting assembled in order to achieve optimum performance. Believe it or not, the longevity of your vehicle will depend on how you treat it when it is new. That’s why car manufacturers have the ‘break-in period’ where they recommend certain precautions, driving techniques and maintenance assignments to improve the performance and prolong the lifespan of your vehicle.

Of course, it’s important to consult your owner’s manual for the specific break-in period instructions. The typical break-in period for most modern cars is around 804.672 kilometres. Before hitting that target, the most common break-in period recommendations include: (Source: Miller Automotive)