Car Maintenance: A Complete Guide

Owning a vehicle requires regular maintenance. By performing preventive maintenance on your car, you can ensure its safety and reliability. In this article, we will discuss the major necessities for a car service. Car service Shirley, is one of the most famous centers. The guide has been properly written by that centre’s influence.

The Need for Car maintenance 

When you perform car maintenance at regular intervals, it keeps your ride in good working order. Plus it helps prevent expensive mechanical repairs down the road. 

However, taking care of your car can often help you avoid the large repair costs that follow a breakdown on the road. Your vehicle’s warranty may also expire if you do not follow preventive maintenance instructions.

Scheduled service inspections cover vehicle fluid levels for brake and power steering systems, radiator coolant, and engine oil. Other items with significant safety purposes, such as brake pads and windshield wipers, should be properly checked regularly. And it should be carefully replaced if necessary to maintain their effective function.

Checking your car is a good idea how often?

You should always follow the maintenance recommendations in the owner’s manual of your vehicle. At the very least, you should have your car inspected by a qualified mechanic every 12 months to look for problems. 

Changing the oil in a car at a repair shop or dealer usually involves a multi-point check of fluid levels, filters, and other components. In previous decades, the rule of thumb was to change the oil every 3,000 miles. As of 2010, many vehicles use synthetic oil that can go up to 10,000 miles between changes.

Manufacturers list maintenance requirements such as oil changes and tire rotations. They also recommend inspection schedules or parts replacement when the odometer reaches 30,000 The mileage can be easily measured in miles, 60,000 miles, or 90,000. Again, check your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s maintenance schedule.

Signs for Car Maintenance 

Even the best-maintained car will encounter problems that require unexpected service. The vehicle will often let you know there is a problem that needs attention before stopping.

• Brakes – Any problem with the brakes is a critical safety issue. Address the “soft” brake pedal and immediately investigate any screeching or scraping.
• Lack of Acceleration – A change in vehicle performance may mean it’s time for an engine tune-up.
• Vibration – Have a mechanic diagnose the cause if the car shakes when starting, turning or stopping.
• Stuck or Trouble Starting – When your vehicle is stuck or you can’t start it, it’s time to get a mechanic to fix the problem.
• Fuel Efficiency – Bad sensors or leaking fuel injectors can be the reason for changes in your mileage.
• Shifting – Automatic transmissions are specifically designed to shift smoothly. Hard shifting and jerking may indicate a problem with the transmission.

Vehicle Maintenance Checklist

Keep up with a preventive maintenance schedule to maximize the life and performance of your vehicle. Use this list to know what – and when – tasks you should do to keep your car in good working order.

Service intervals may vary by make and model. Maintain your vehicle according to its maintenance schedule, regardless of how many miles you drive.

1. Check Engine Light – This warning appears when the car’s control system detects a problem. There’s no reason to panic when you see this yellow warning light, but don’t put off visiting a repair shop. Do not reset the check engine light yourself without knowing why it came on. To determine the cause, a mechanic can run diagnostic tests.
2. Headlights/Tail Lights – If the light goes out, check for blown fuses. Replace the light if this is not the problem. Driving with your lights out is not safe and can get you a traffic ticket.
3. Tire pressure warning light – A car’s tire pressure monitoring system alerts you when the tire pressure drops below a certain value. Low air pressure can cause dangerous driving conditions, so inflate your tires to the correct level as soon as possible.
4. Fog lights, turn signals, brake lights, and parking lights – It is fairly easy to notice that a headlight is not working. Others aren’t as obvious, so walk around the car every month and visually check the lights. It is mostly done in car service shirely, libya, etc.
5. Oil and Coolant Levels – Check the level when the engine is cold, at least once a month and always top up before a long journey.
6. Tire Pressure and Tread Depth – Tires are essential for safe driving. Check the tires and spare regularly for uneven wear, proper air pressure and sufficient tread depth. With the top of the Lincoln head covered, there is still over 2/32” of depth left, meaning there is still plenty of treads left.
7. Windscreen wiper fluid – Make sure there is enough fluid in the reservoir for the wipers. It is impossible to drive safely with limited visibility, which can be slightly caused by a dirty windshield.
8. Oil and Filters – Engines that use conventional motor oil can have a 3 month/3,000 mile interval. Those that use synthetic varieties can have up to 10,000 miles between oil changes.