A car is a prized possession for many individuals. Every car owner strives to keep their vehicle in top-notch condition to ensure it functions smoothly for a long time.
If you want to keep your vehicle in excellent condition, but have no idea how, here is the ultimate car maintenance checklist you need to follow:
Coolant Level
You should check your car’s coolant levels four times a year. Low coolant levels can reduce engine life and create serious problems. Refer to your car’s manual for more information. A coolant flush is typically between $100-$150
Air Filter
The engine air filter ensures clean air flow through your engines intake. The filter protects your engine from dirt and accumulating particulate matter. A clean air filter improves fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Check your air filter each month to ensure long engine life and reliability.
Tire Pressure
Sufficient tire pressure ensures safety while driving so it’s recommended that you check it on a monthly basis. If you are about to head out for a long road trip or if your car hauls heavy loads on a regular basis make sure to check it more frequently. You can easily measure tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge.
During cold weather, the pressure may drop by a pound for each 10 degree decrease in temperature. Your car’s manual has information on the correct tire pressure range.
Headlights, Parking, Brake and Turn Signal Lights
Inspect all lights for brakes, parking and turn signals. Try turning on all of these lights to make sure they are all working properly.
Oil and Filter
Motor oil serves many purposes. It minimizes engine corrosion, reduces abrasion, cools the engine, and lubricates moving parts in the engine.
Your car’s manual indicates how often you should change the oil and filter. For most new models, you will need to do this for every 5,000 to 10,000 miles.
Rotate Tires
The load on your tires may differ according to usage, driving habits, vehicle alignment, and other factors. To minimize the effects of wear, make sure to rotate your tires. Otherwise, some tire’s treads may erode faster than others. You should be rotating your vehicle’s tires every time you change your motor oil. This will help balance tire wear and extend life for all tires.
Wax Vehicle
After a vehicle wash, you should apply wax to it every 6 months. This is not just to keep your car shiny and glossy but it also protects your vehicles body against rust and corrosion. It acts as a barrier to dust, salt, particles and UV rays, which can damage your paint and the underlying anti-rust layers.
Transmission Fluid
This fluid allows the transmission parts to operate smoothly by minimizing friction and abrasion. This fluid can also protect against costly transmission damage. With the many types of transmissions and different fluid types, have a look at your car’s manual for manufacturer directions for replacement interval recommendations.
Transfer Case Fluid
Transfer case fluid shifts power and splits the power from the transmission to the front differential on 4WD and AWD vehicles. Inspecting transfer cases requires getting underneath the vehicle for inspection. So you will need professional help.
