With fall here, winter is following close behind. It’s important to do maintenance of your car before the weather gets chillier. Your safety while driving depends on the condition that your car is in, so take the time to make sure it’s in good condition. You can use these five tips as a checklist for your car’s fall maintenance.
Get Your Battery Checked
The last thing you want is for your battery to go flat while you’re driving to or from work all alone in the cold. Have a technician check your battery and replace it if necessary to avoid this dark scenario from happening to you. Your battery may have loose cable connections or be corroded, both of which need immediate attention. If necessary, get a new battery and replace yours responsibly. With about 98% to 99% of car batteries being recyclable, you should check in your local area where you can take the battery you replace.
Check Your Tire’s Tread Depths and Pressure
With colder weather, frost, and eventually snow, the importance of having tires with good pressure and treads that are deep enough cannot be overstated. Your safety on the road is influenced by how well your tires grip the road. Good tires also help you increase your gas mileage, which is another good reason to make sure you have a good set. Check thoroughly to make sure that you have no punctures, and rotate the tires if they have uneven wear. If they are worn beyond a certain degree, however, get new ones and replace them to make sure you are ready for cold, slippery roads.
Change Your Windshield Wipers
Your windshield wipers will heavily influence how well you see while driving in the dark, rain, or snow. Check them to ensure that they have no cracks and that you can rely on them in the coming weather. If they are stiff, cracked, or in otherwise bad shape, don’t take the risk of not replacing them. While you are getting a new pair, also top up the washing fluid to make sure you don’t run out in the middle of a drive. The fact that four out of five of the repairs performed on a car are directly related to the car’s durability should not make you reluctant to do the necessary maintenance. Even the best cars need a fix every now and then and doing it as soon as is necessary helps you save time and money.
Check Your Lights
Turn the lights on and do a quick visual inspection to ensure that all of them are fully functional. The taillights, brake lights, emergency flashers, headlights, and parking lights should all be working well. If any are broken, replace them and make sure that all other lights are clean. Get halogen lamps, if they are not what you currently have, and you will instantly get better visibility, improving your road safety.
Change Your Oil
This is easy enough to do, as you need to check your oil using the dipstick to see if it is at the right level, is dirty and in need of a change, or is low and simply needs topping up. Some newer cars can show you the oil level on the in-car computer, and you can check your manual for the steps of checking the oil in your car if you’re unsure. Oil that is dirty or not at the right level will have a negative effect on your engine, causing it to need costly repairs in the future. With car owners putting about 13,500 miles on their car on average each year, it is good to make sure you maintain yours well so it keeps serving you well.
The maintenance tips outlined above are easy enough to do on your own, but if you like, you can head to your local dealership to help you out. Prevention is always better, and in the case of your car, it is also safer and cheaper.
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