Why Preventative Maintenance is Essential for Your Car
It has been seen that a number of vehicle owners try to procrastinate or even evade the matter of car maintenance mainly owing to the fact that it can involve considerable amount of expenses. Given this scenario, auto repair preventative maintenance is by far the most effective way to keep your vehicle repairing costs to a minimum.
It is true that preventative maintenance might call for regular visits to the mechanics and the corresponding costs involved with such visits. Nevertheless, opting for this type of pro-active maintenance helps owners save a lot of repair time as well as money. Another important thing is that it also prevents the requirement for a premature car replacement, which would definitely cost much more compared to some visits to the repairing center.
What makes preventative maintenance so significant?
To keep your car in good health, it is important to follow a series of maintenance measures. Bringing you car at an auto service station and having it checked may not be mandatory, but it is a vital necessity.
The car’s engine is like the heart of your car. You must have the engine monitored regularly, because a busted engine implies a useless car. A timely checked engine is always in a proper working condition and maintains the requisite speed. Auto repair preventative maintenance also involves checking the car transmission, so as to prevent you from getting stuck in the road, perhaps when you need to speed up the most.
Checking the brakes is also a significant component of basic car maintenance. It is highly recommended that vehicle owners should seek the assistance of an experienced mechanic to have the brakes checked. It goes without saying that proper maintenance of the brakes is of immense importance for safety reasons. Low levels of brake fluid levels may lead to soft brake pedals.
Again, the brakes might squeak if the brake pads are dirty. If you visit a mechanic and have your brakes checked on a regular basis, it can prevent the occurrence of dirty brake pads thereby bringing down the risk of accidents caused as a result of brake malfunction.
If you have an auto AC, then auto repair preventative maintenance becomes all the more important. A well-functioning auto AC protects the inside of the car as well as the drivers and passengers from the outside heat. If you find that your auto AC is emitting undesirable cooling then you should know that it is time to drive your car to an auto service center and have it checked. AC repair may involve tasks ranging from simple cleansing of the dirt-filled condenser to a more complicated mechanical procedure.
As the popular saying goes, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. It applies in the case of your vehicle too! If you take care of the small concerns as soon as they are identified, it becomes very convenient to avoid serious issues in the future that might elevate the expenses involved in car repair procedure.
Major procedures involved in automotive preventative maintenance
Although preventative care of your vehicle might seem unnecessary as your vehicle apparently seems hale and hearty, by going for this type of service you might address matters before they take a mammoth shape, involving higher expenses. Here are the main procedures that you car has to go through, based on the different components. Let’s have a look.
- Fluids: All fluids should be checked regularly and if you are not well-versed with the checking procedure, it is advisable to seek the assistance of a mechanic or someone who is an expert in the field. Conduct regular checking of your steering fluid, antifreeze, oil brake fluid as well as wiper fluid. Remember that if your vehicle runs out of oil, there are high chances that your engine would be destroyed. Moreover, in order to prevent the oil from becoming dirty, get it changed every three months or 5,000 miles. Again, change the antifreeze every two years to prevent overheating of the car engine, owing to low antifreeze.
- Wheels: Checking the wheels begins with checking the tire pressure, which should be done minimum once in a week. Attend cases of low inflation on an urgent basis to prevent poor gas mileage, loss of control and blowouts. Preventative maintenance also includes examining the tire tread to locate any uneven wear and to verify whether there is adequate tread on the tires. During the procedure, it is also checked whether the brake pads need to be changed and if there is any screeching or grinding sound coming out of the vehicle, which might imply a possible problem.
- Air Filter and Battery: These are two of the vital areas that need inspection during auto repair preventative maintenance. Although a battery lasts for an average period of 5 years, it is important to get the battery tested in case it is more than 3 years old. Check for any kind of corrosion around the battery cables or the main body of the battery. In the process of keeping the air that circulates within the engine clean, the air filter may get very dirty at time. This is the point when you need a replacement to maintain your car in a properly functioning condition. Remember that a dirty filter may make you lose on gas mileage.
- Serpentine Belts: It is advisable to get a replacement for your serpentine belt every 40,000 miles or so. Visit a mechanic and ask the person to inspect the belts thoroughly, and if necessary, replace the same mileage-wise before they fail. Any negligence on your part will lead to breaking down of the belt, and that’s not all. The damaged belt can in turn cause damage to other accessories, turning the repair into a more expensive affair.
Automotive preventative maintenance might seem a not-so-necessary activity, but when done timely, it saves you from a number of unnecessary expenses. The most significant fact is that regular maintenance will go a long way in keeping yourself as well as others safe. If you avoid it, you might as well find a major fault in your vehicle in need of immediate repair when you least expect it or when you can least afford the same. So, go ahead and approach your mechanic for all the necessary maintenance activities.
For more information on obtaining preventative maintenance on your vehicle please call Falcon Auto Repair at 310.329.8969 and speak to one of our automotive service consultants today! Proudly serving Carson, Gardena, Torrance and Compton and their surrounding areas.