You can think of preventative car maintenance as exchanging time for money. As you invest a small amount of time on a regular basis in maintaining your vehicle, you will save having to spend a lot of money on significant repairs.

The bottom line is that your car is a machine with moving parts and that means there will be wear and tear. That wear and tear is part of the design, and maintenance is part of the design to reduce the speed with which parts deteriorate in your vehicle.

In this article, you’ll read about 9 maintenance tips that will help keep your car on the road and running well. You’ll see that these are basic things anyone can and should do.

1. Start Reading

The basics of preventative maintenance are very similar in most cars. That said, you should start to get familiar with the user manual. In your car manual, there will be a car maintenance schedule to guide you; this is very useful for knowing when to replace more expensive car parts also.

2. Get Charged

Make sure you regularly give your battery a quick visual inspection. Make sure the fluid levels are correct and topped up if needed. Keep an eye out for cracked casing or any damage.

3. Oil Up

Lubrication is at the heart of keeping your engine running smoothly. You should regularly check the oil level, as depending on the model of your car you may need to top up the oil. You will also need to change the oil and filter every 5000-10,000 kilometers depending on the car model.

4. Don’t Get Tired Out

Don’t take your tires for granted. Regularly top up the tire pressure to the correct level. Inspect your tires for damage and uneven wear.

5. Clean Air 

Your car’s combustion engine appreciates clean air almost as much as we do. You’ll need to change the air filter once or twice per year. This is often best combined with the time you change the oil and filter.

6. Wash and Wipe

Properly functioning window wipers and screenwash are not essential to the operation of the vehicle but they’re vital as a safety aspect. You need to see clearly what’s in front of you and so maintaining this part of your car is very important. Plus, it helps you keep your sanity when the wipers are not making an annoying noise.

7. Tighten Your Belt

Whenever you open the hood to check on various parts of the engine mentioned in this list, always cast an eye over the belts in your engine. Do they look worn or frayed? If they look slack, then you need to book in to see your local mechanic.

8. Check Your Fluids

Just as we need to stay hydrated to maintain our health, so your vehicle needs to be topped up with various fluids. These include your power steering, as well as coolant and antifreeze.

9. Listen Up

When your car is operating as it should you’ll notice a familiar smooth sound of the engine and transmission system as well as the sound of the car on the road. Try to make a point of paying attention to this sound so that if you notice any changes you can begin to locate the source.

Damage to an injector or other internal engine parts can be noticed by a change in the engine sound or even other visual clues. Even if you don’t know what’s wrong, you could save yourself a small fortune by taking the car in for an inspection.

Preventative Car Maintenance Guru

In this article, you’ve read about preventative car maintenance that’ll make a big difference in the ongoing performance and durability of your vehicle. Keep this car maintenance checklist in mind and in comparison to other people you’ll be a maintenance guru.

Check out other informative and fun car-related articles on our site.