Jennifer Dawson shares her car maintenance ideas with us during lockdown.
One of the most expensive purchases that you will make in your life after a house is to buy a car. Thus, it is normal that you would want to protect your investment by ensuring that your ride is properly maintained to extend its life and keep you safe and comfortable while on the road. Although most modern cars require little maintenance, you still need to make sure that they are working well and kept in good condition. Fortunately, there are several maintenance tasks that you can easily do yourself, saving you money and time. Instead of relying on garages for routine servicing, leaving you with no ride for the rest of the day, you can do basic maintenance on your car at home.
Change the Windshield Wipers
Replacing windshield wipers is one the easiest tasks that you can do yourself. Remember, excellent visibility is indispensable to your safety while driving. Changing your wipers as soon as they are worn out or after 6 months to a year at the max prevents streaks from forming on the windshield when it rains giving you good visibility on the road. Wipers in good condition also remove water, dust, and debris on your windshield, enabling you to see what’s ahead and behind when driving.
Replace Air Filters
Another easy car maintenance task is to replace air filters. Ideally, change air filters every year or between 15,000-30,000 kilometres, whichever comes first. Air filters are important to prevent dust and other particles from getting in your car’s engine that could affect combustion and even damage it. When changing air filters, make sure that you get a manufacturer-recommended one so that they fit properly. Follow the instructions in the vehicle owner’s manual how to open the air filter box and replace the filters. When replacing them, clean the area around and close it tightly to avoid the ‘check engine light’ from switching on.
Replace Spark Plugs
Spark plugs are responsible for igniting the air and fuel mixture so that the engine will produce power. If your spark plugs are worn out or need to be changed, you will experience hard starts, engine misfires, and rough idling, among others. Gas mileage is also reduced along with a lack of acceleration, according to Champion. Hence, it’s a good idea to check under the hood for signs that your spark plugs might need changing. In older cars, oil on spark plugs can reduce the performance of cars and can be a sign of dirty oil, faulty compression rings, or worn out valve guides. Newer cars can also get this problem due to heavy foot driving. Ideally, change spark plugs after driving 30,000 kilometres or as recommended by your dealer or mechanic.
Modern and new cars don’t need a lot of maintenance making costly trips to the garage unnecessary because you can do some basic activities yourself. Changing air filters, windshield wipers, and spark plugs are some maintenance tasks that you can easily do at home.
