As you know that the car you own is the most or one of the most expensive things that you have and you need to take a good care of it. Cars are needed every day in our day-to-day life and in order to make it last longer, proper care is a must. Car maintenance and servicing is sometimes a real pain for some people as they don’t want to spend a lot of money on it. These are the people who don’t know much about cars and servicing sounds confusing to them. However, if proper servicing and maintenance is not done just because of the money, the life of the car is shortened and it will cost you more in a long run. In car servicing, mistakes are bound to happen and here are 7 common mistakes to avoid when servicing your car and these should be strictly avoided if you want your car to have a good life.
1. OLD WIPERS
Windshield wipers as we know are very easy thing to replace and are incredibly cheap. Yet there are people who don’t care about it and keep on using the old ones. They don’t care if the condition of the weather is adverse or they are not able to see properly. People are too lazy to make a service check of the wipers and this can cost you a big time. Always look for cracks in the blades and streaks in the windshields. You can change it every six months if you are in doubt, and if you want, then a good quality blade can also be a good option for your car.
2. FAILING TO INSPECT/CHANGE BRAKES
As for the people living in a city with facing lots of traffic every day, the brakes are used continuously and it is effected quickly. Brakes wipes out fast and hence regular checking and servicing is required for proper functioning of your car. It is expensive to change brake pads and people usually leave it. But if it is left like this and no servicing is done on it, then it starts to work away at the rotators and it will completely wear down. If this happens, you will have to pay a lot more money than you would have paid before in changing the brake pads. You should do a check out of your car brakes as soon as you hear the first tell-tale squeaking noise. Often the brake checkups are done for free by the mechanics and if you find a proper, then change it immediately.
3. NOT CHECKING TIRE PRESSURE
As we know that tires are the things that are most quickly affected while driving and proper maintenance is necessary to avoid damage to it. And damages will not only be caused by external factors, but also by internal factors like tire pressure. It is not just about avoiding fattening of tires, but fuel economy also plays a main role in it. If the pressure in your tires is less and they are under-inflated, then it will be bad for your vehicle and excess gas is eaten by it than normally it does. Hence, proper checkups should be done with a fuel gauge every few months and you should never forget to make a quick check when going for a servicing. Always make sure that as listed in your car’s manual, your tire should be like it every day. Another common problem associated with tires is that people forget to do other types of tire checkups like regular tire rotation, which can help in increasing the life of your car.
4. OLD AIR FILTERS
Air filters are an important part of your car and it requires regular servicing and checkups. Usually these are not too much expensive and still people fail to change it regularly and end up with damaging their cars. Failing to change air and fuel filters can cause a big problem in future period and hence, it is necessary to do it regularly. While performing other servicings, the mechanic will change this one also with no extra charges. If you want, then you can do it by yourself too in your own garage and it is not a big deal.
5. NEGLECTING OIL CHANGES
There is no need for oil changes in newer cars and this is true, but regular oil checkups are necessary for your cars. Usually oil needs to be changed after 3,000 miles, but some people leave it and they don’t even bother to look at it. They just keep on driving 8,000 to 10,000 miles without changing the oil and this has a great effect on the car. The oil becomes bad in nature due to prolonged use and this damages the engine. Hence, at servicing, always remember to take a quick look at the oil.
6. IGNORING FLUID CHECKS
As changing oil regularly is mandatory, other fluids also play an important role in your car and can cause big problems if not checked regularly. These small things are often forgotten during servicing and after a period of time these small things lead to major problems. The engine runs smoothly because of these fluids and hence they play an important role in your car. Transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant, and more are all important in your vehicle and if ignored can cost you a lot more than expected.
7. NOT KNOWING THE BASICS
Having basic car maintenance knowledge can be really useful and many people don’t have such kind of knowledge. Having the basic information can help you solve unnecessary problems and save you a lot of time and money. Things like changing a flat tire, how to jumpstart a car should be known to everyone and can be really helpful in many places. It can also help you during the servicing of your car and will save your precious time.
CONCLUSION
These are the 7 common mistakes to avoid when servicing your car and neglecting these small things can lead to much bigger problems that can cost you a lot of money. Follow these small things of car servicing, mistakes of such should be avoided, remember the basic information and you will never have to suffer from your car maintenance and your car will have a long life.