The Best Checklist for Car Maintenance

O n average, car maintenance can cost you around $500-700 per year, depending on what car you have and how frequent your visits to the mechanic are. If you want to know what exactly you should be checking, here is the ultimate checklist for car maintenance.

Tread Depth and Tire Pressure

Make it a practice to visually examine your tires on a regular basis. Check the air pressure in your tires once a month, as well as before lengthy travels or hauling additional weight. Don't forget to bring a spare. During the colder months, keep in mind that every 10-degree decline results in a one-pound drop in tire pressure.

Check Coolant and Oil Levels

Reach under the hood and examine both the oil and coolant levels while the engine is cold every month, and especially before any long road trips. If left unchecked, low amounts might cause engine issues.

Check the Air Filter

You can increase your fuel efficiency, lower your emissions, and extend the life of your engine by ensuring that your air filter is flowing correctly. Check your car's handbook for instructions and how often it needs to be replaced.

Check the Lights

Once per month, when parked in front of a level surface, check your headlights to see if they're working and properly positioned. As you circle your car, check both your turn signals and your parking lights. Get someone to stand behind the car when you are using the brakes to ensure that your brake lights are working.

Rotate Your Tires

The patterns on your tires may differ between all four tires, or even from one side of the tread to the other, depending on the alignment of your car, usage, and a variety of other factors. Rotating your tires will aid in extending the life of your tires by distributing tread wear more evenly and preventing noise and vibration issues.

Wax Your Car

Waxing your car every six months after washing it will not only keep it bright but will also assist to keep the paint in excellent condition and prevent the risk of corrosion. Many irritants, including sand, dust, and salt, can build up, and external conditions like ozone and UV radiation can cause nanoscale damage, but waxing can help reduce this by providing a protective layer.

Check Your Transmission Fluid

Has your transmission fluid been tested and replaced as necessary, regardless of whether you drive an automatic or manual transmission car?

Check Your Transfer Case Fluid

To ensure that the transfer case fluid in your car is filled and isn't leaking, get it examined, and since this will need you to climb beneath the car, it is advised that you take it to a specialist.

Check Shocks and Struts

They should be examined by a professional after every 50,000 miles, or if you detect a lack of smoothness or control while driving.

Change Your Coolant Fluid

Having your coolant system cleaned on a regular basis will assist to remove pollutants from the system and guarantee that your radiator is filled to the right level.

Check Your Spark Plugs

Unless you want your engine to lose power and run at a lower capacity, have a professional inspect and replace any defective spark plugs.

Check Your Serpentine Belt

Your vehicle's serpentine belt, while seemingly just a piece of rubber, is critical to keeping your automobile operating. Visually check the belt for any cracks or other signs of wear and strain. If it's damaged, replace it.

Check Your Differentials

There is just one differential in front or rear-wheel-drive cars, but there are both front and rear differentials, as well as perhaps a center differential, in 4-wheel drive vehicles. They require regular lubrication to work properly. Get them checked and changed by a professional when needed.

Replace Your Wipers

Replace them about once a year or whenever their efficacy begins to decline. Install winter wiper blades for maximum efficiency throughout the winter months. When your car is parked in the winter, pull your wipers away from the window to avoid ice formation, so you can protect your wipers.

Check Your Battery Performance

Extremely hot temperatures have an adverse impact on the battery's function, so make sure to check it on a regular basis to guarantee that it works.

Change Your Tires

You may want to swap your tires to a winter/snow tire, which has different tread patterns and is made of materials that keep it soft in the cold while also providing traction in the snow, unlike non-winter tires, which harden and reduce grip while increasing braking distance, which is dangerous.

Car maintenance is for sure a tedious and long process, but if it’s done regularly, it can be less daunting. We hope this checklist for car maintenance helps you in the process.

• This post is tagged in:

• driving
• car
• checklist
• maintenance
• mechanic
• automobile