6 Car Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Car in Top Condition

Unless you like running out of petrol in the middle of nowhere because your fuel gauge is broken, or your engine failing on you in a busy junction because you forgot to change the oil yet again, taking good care of your car is a great way to NOT suffer through a long and arduous tow to the nearby mechanics.

And some folks like such a scenario, imagine that. Though it’s the noble sport of mudding what they’re interested in the most.

Anyway, proper maintenance can prolong the life of your car for many years, so why risk shaving off fifteen years of your car’s operational effectiveness, so to speak, if all you need to do is check the oil a couple of times a year?

In this article, we’re going to talk about what you can do to ensure your car is always in tip-top condition so that you can drive it wherever you want knowing you’re operating a sound and ‘healthy’ vehicle.

Also, ensuring your car is in a good shape is a prerequisite for registering your car, so if you don’t think you can perform the necessary car maintenance tasks yourself, you should have a thorough new registration safety check done by a team of professionals.

Right then folks, without further ado, here’s the deal.

6 Car Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Car in a Good Condition

1) Check Your Engine Oil

Checking and changing the engine oil is one of the most important maintenance tasks that often gets overlooked as unimportant by inexperienced folks.

The thing is, a car's engine needs constant lubrication to function properly, so failing to provide this will mean your engine's metal components will chafe against each other, so to speak, which can total the engine itself in a short period.

So, to prevent such a disastrous turn of events, make sure to regularly change the oil – especially if you have an older car.

2) Check Your Spark Plugs

…unless you’re driving a diesel, in which case – don’t bother, you won’t find any under the hood.

Spark plugs represent the bridge between the ignition system and the engine itself, because they spark the fuel mixture within the engine, so that the pistons can start moving up and down. The greatest thing about this sort of arrangement would be that the spark plugs aren’t that difficult to remove or replace, so you don't have to be a genius in mechanics to figure out how this works.

The biggest problem folks have with spark plugs is that they simply forget about them. It’s only when their car won’t start that the problem with spark plugs becomes apparent. Anyway, these are easy to change and relatively inexpensive, so make sure to check them after each 50,000 to 80,000 miles.

3) Check Your Car Battery

Powering up all electrical systems in your car, its battery plays a crucial role in enabling your car to start in the first place.

Now, batteries aren’t built to last forever, so you should start seeing signs of a malfunctioning one every two to three years. If it lasts longer than that – great, but don’t risk trying to see if it will work or not. It’s better to change it right away if it’s close to the end of those two to three years.

4) Inspect the Air Filter

To function, an internal combustion engine needs oil, fuel, and plenty of air. This is why you lose a tremendous amount of power if you drive your car on high altitudes because the air is too thin. (Remember that Top Gear episode where the trio went up the Andes and then had to take Viagra to keep their blood circulation to a normal level.)

Air plays an important role in a car, so the air filter would be a part you should check regularly, else your fuel ‘n’ air mixture can become dirty and the engine clogged, given enough time.

5) Inspect the Brakes

Any driving instructor will tell you that the most important part of a car isn’t the motor – but the brakes.

Indeed, if the brakes lack their brake fluid or the disks are too worn out, you in your car can represent a proper safety risk to both yourself and the other vehicles in traffic.

6) Maintain Tire Pressure

Tires are one of the parts of the car that gets worn out the soonest.

That is, that depends on how you’re treating them. If you drive on deflated tires, you’ll not only waste fuel and go slower, but you’ll also wear the tires themselves thin too soon.

To prolong the life of your tires, and enjoy a smooth ride, ensure they are always inflated to 30 PSI, which is the optimal pressure. (Also, don’t over-inflate them, because this can also put an additional strain on them.)