- March 30, 2009
- Maintenance
Taking Care of Your Car's Battery
Your car's battery isn't completely maintenance free no matter what someone tells you. You must check your battery annually or risk being inconvenienced or worse.
Important Car Battery Maintenance for Uninterrupted Rides
Your car battery is one item that should definitely not be ignored. Ask anyone that was stranded due to a dead battery. It's easy to properly care for your car's battery and make sure you don't get stranded.
Cleaning Your Car: Removing Fallout and Small Rust Spots
Many of us get stuff on our cars, which will not easily come off. There is tree sap, over spray, bird droppings, rust spots and even salt marks from that stuff they put on the roads in winter; none of which is very easy to get off.
The Best in Proper Car Maintenance
Tips for making your car run better and to get more fuel efficiency from actual certified mechanics.
Summer Car Care
Summer is right around the corner and with so many people saving money these days, a lot of you are thinking about driving to your summer destination instead of flying. There're a few things you should consider before you head out on your summer getaway.
Demystifying the Tire Sidewall Code
If you've ever wondered what all those alphanumeric codes on the sidewall of a tire meant, this article will describe them in detail and arm you with the facts to make an informed decision when purchasing tires.
Windshield Wiper Blades in Good Condition are Important to Your Safety
Tell me how your windshield wiper blades are and I will tell you the condition of your car. Learn why it is so important to keep them in good condition.
Car maintenance means to inspect or test the condition of car subsystems (e.g., engine) and service or replace parts and fluids. Regular maintenance is critical to ensures the safety, reliability, drivability, comfort and longevity of a car. A number of parts are replaced preventively to avoid major damage or even safety issues, e.g. timing belt replacement.
The actual schedule of car maintenance varies depending on the Year/Make/Model of a car and its driving conditions and driver behavior. Car makers recommend the so-called extreme or the ideal service schedule based on impact parameters such as
- number of trips and distance travelled per trip per day
- extreme hot or cold climate conditions
- mountainous, dusty or de-iced roads
- heavy stop and go vs. long distance cruising
- towing a trailer and other heavy load
Experienced service advisors in dealerships and independent shops recommend schedule intervals, which are often in-between the ideal or extreme service schedule. They base it on the driving conditions and behavior of the car owner/driver.
Common car maintenance tasks include:
- Car wash
- check or flush the engine oil and replace fuel filters
- inspect or replace windshield wipers
- check or refill windshield washer fluid
- inspect tires for pressure and wear.
- Tire balancing
- Tire rotation
- Wheel alignment
- check, clean or replace battery terminals and top up battery fluid
- inspect or replace brake pads
- check or flush brake fluid
- check or flush transmission fluid
- check or flush power steering fluid
- check and flush engine coolant
- inspect or replace spark plugs
- inspect or replace air filter
- inspect or replace timing belt and other belts
- lubricate locks, latches, hinges
- check all lights
- tighten chassis nuts / bolts
- check if rubber boots are cracked and need replacement
- test electronics, e.g., Anti-lock braking system or ABS
Some tasks that have equivalent service intervals are combined into one single service known as a tune up. Modern cars, where electronics control most of the car's functions, the traditional tune up doesn't apply anymore. Maintenance jobs like a tune up used to mean getting the engine’s performance back on track. Today embedded software takes care of it by checking constantly thousands of sensor signals compensating for worn out spark plugs, clogged filters, etc. The so-called limp-home function lets you drive on limited power when your engine is in trouble. In the old days this might have meant a break down.
In some countries, the completed services are recorded in a service book which is rubber stamped by the service centre upon completion of each service. A complete service history usually adds to the resale value of a vehicle.