When was the last time your car broke down? If you don’t look after it correctly, it won’t last as long as it should. You will need to spend money you don’t have to fix problems that could have been avoided.
It’s worth learning a few things about car maintenance. Nobody expects you to become proficient, but there are some skills you should know besides how to change tires. Let’s look at some easy ones to get you started.
Table of Contents
1. Changing The Air Filter
The exhaust filter on your car will help keep the environment clean when you’re driving, but you need to stop your engine from getting polluted too. That means changing your engine air filter once it’s too dirty.
If you don’t change the filter, it’s possible debris will get into your engine. It’s going to damage the engine and hurt its efficiency. You’ll find it easy to replace, which you can do every year if it’s in a bad state.
2. Change Windshield Wipers
Windshield wipers should cut through rain and snow like butter through a hot knife. Once your wipers stop working, you’ll need to change them. Don’t let it get to the stage where they sound like nails on a chalkboard.
If your windshield wipers don’t work properly, it won’t destroy your windows, but it will increase your chances of crashing into someone. It’s going to be much harder to fix your car after an accident.
3. Examining Belts And Hoses
You don’t need to be able to change belts and hoses, but it’s nice to know where they are. You’ll be able to inspect them regularly. If something goes wrong while driving, you could be left stranded in a random place.
Drivers who know when something is about to break will be able to get them fixed before breaking down. It’s not hard to pop into a garage to get a belt changed, but it’s tough walking for miles to find help.
4. Testing All The Car Lights
If you have a broken light, you might get stopped by the police, which is a best-case scenario. Someone could also smash into your car because they don’t know what you’re doing. It’s especially bad when driving at night.
You need to learn where all your bulbs are situated so you can change them. It’s also a good idea to replace any that are too dim. It’s only a matter of time before they go out, so fix them when you have time.
5. Checking All The Car Fluids
When someone has a problem with their car, they’ll usually find it doesn’t have any oil. You have things like coolant and brake fluid too. Make sure you check the levels of all the fluid in your car every now and again.
It’s sometimes easy to spot if you find a leak underneath your car. Instead of looking like plain water, the spill will be a weird color. You can also use a dipstick to check fluids are sitting at a reasonable level.
Take It To The Garage
If you find something wrong that you can’t fix yourself, it’s best to take it to get sorted before it gets even worse.
