Owning a car is also like owning a house- it needs proper maintenance. And it doesn’t just begin and halt with dispatching your car to the dealership for its preventative maintenance service (PMS).
Truth is, you also have a responsibility to check on some of your car parts every month to ensure that you will experience a reliable and functional vehicle on the road. To achieve that, let’s hop on to the list!
1. Oil
The oil of your car functions the same as the blood in the body. Oil is needed in order to ensure that your car’s motor is in the best condition, avoiding any leaks. Oil leaks may cost you a hefty amount later on so make sure to address them as soon as you can.
2. Hoses
Your coolant hoses must not be bulging, rotten, or brittle. Just in case, you have noticed these signs, these might just mean that your hoses have reached their lifespan. It is advisable to replace your hoses as quickly before major problems occur later on.
3. Belts
Always make sure that your belt is in tuck especially if you are still using a timing belt. As such, you must also regularly check your accessory belt as if this belt snaps it may result in your air conditioning and electric accessories not working, or even worse, an overheating problem.
4. Tire pressure and tires
To check your tire pressures and tire, you may personally visit a local gas station where you may avail their free service of inflating tires. During this time, you may have a good inspection of your tires while they are being pumped with air. Well, you can opt to do the tire inspection when you go for alignment.
5. Coolant
You must also consider checking your engine coolant on a monthly basis as without it, your engine will overheat. See if the coolant level stays the same or it decline over time. If this happens, it could implicate one thing, your cooling system is leaking.
6. Air Filter
In order for your car’s engine to work properly, it needs spark, fuel, and air. Combustion will not happen if your engine is not getting the right amount of air or enough clean air. Checking your air filter every month is highly encouraged as it serves as your engine’s first line of defense in preventing foreign objects from entering it. In short, it allows your engine to breathe properly and subsequently operate smoothly.
To avoid spending hefty amount of money because of your car parts, ensure to regularly inspect the abovementioned pieces of your vehicle on a monthly basis.
For every 3 months, oil and oil filter, windshield washer fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, battery, and lights, are encouraged to be checked.
Meanwhile, for every 6 months, the wiper blades, horn, brakers, spare tire, exhaust system, and shocks absorbers, are advisable to be examined. That’s it for this article! As they always say, prevention is always better than cure.
