A Guide To Basic Car Maintenance

By: Phoenix Delray

Contrary to popular belief, a good car maintenance routine does not start and end with biweekly visits to the car wash and a trip to Jiffy Lube every 3,000 miles or so. Instead, you should have a more hands on approach to basic car maintenance. You should regularly monitor everything from fluid levels to belts and hoses, basic car maintenance kind of stuff that you can easily do on your own without having to pay a mechanic a lot of money.

Did you know that you should check your oil every single time you fill up your gas tank? Not many people do, and instead opt to only have their mechanic perform this very basic car maintenance every few thousand miles. The reason why it is so crucial to do so frequently is because of how important a proper oil level is to the smooth operation of your vehicle. If the oil is too low or too dirty, the performance of your car will suffer. Basic car maintenance really revolves around oil inspection.

Another part of basic car maintenance is keeping your windshield wipers and fluid in tip top condition. Some windshield washer fluids go a little further than average car maintenance requires, dissipating a chemical that help the wipers work more effectively by dispersing water.

It costs about the same as regular windshield washer fluid, so you should definitely look into getting some the next time you find yourself in need. Also, you want to make sure that you never put plain water in the windshield washer reservoir, as it would be counterproductive to the keeping up the overall car maintenance. Unlike water, the fluid is specially formulated not to freeze and crack the plastic reservoir when it gets cold outside.

Replacing windshield wiper blades are one of the easiest components of basic car maintenance, from start to finish the whole job should take you less than 10 minutes. This should be done at least once a year, as old windshield wiper blades tend to get brittle and cracked, which can then scratch your windshield when in use.

Keeping the proper tire pressure is also a relatively easy, yet very important, part of basic car maintenance. When your tires are properly inflated, you get much better gas mileage, and the likelihood of blowing out a tire while driving is decreased. So, always keep a pressure gauge in your vehicle!

Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

This article discusses about the important things to know about keeping your car in good shape.

About the Author:
For more tips and information on car maintenance, please visit our website.

Tags: cars and trucks, car maintenance, car care, auto repair, cars, auto care

Please Rate this Article

Comments

Share This Article - Quick and Easy Using This Button:

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Cars and Trucks Articles Via RSS!

Read More Articles From - Home | Cars and trucks

How to make Importing Japan cars from Auctions more profitable By: Yoichiro Shiba - When it comes to buying used Japan cars, the auction spots are the best places to look for to save huge money. Though the Japan car auction spots are the best places to buy used Japan cars at very cheap prices, there are several things to be noted.
Tags: cars and trucks, japanese cars, used car exporters in japan, woodstock-cartrading, used benz, used prosche, used bmw
Things to know while Importing cars from Japan By: Yoichiro Shiba - The popularity of the importing used Japan cars has greatly increased through the recent years. The reason behind the huge popularity of the import of Japan cars is the cheap pricing and ready availability of the same. The used Japan cars made the dreams of owning a car of many middle class men come true.
Tags: cars and trucks, japanese cars, used car exporters in japan, woodstock-cartrading, used benz, used prosche, used bmw
Why Should You Buy Luxury Performance Parts for Your Vehicle? By: Martin Reister - Why should you buy luxury performance parts for your vehicle? When these parts, like The Revolution-Vario Plus Control Module, can do so much extra for your driving experience why wouldn't you want to buy them? If you are the type of person who buys a Volkswagen EOS or a Skoda Octavia II, you like things the way you like them, right?
Tags: cars and trucks, vw, passat, volkswagen, eos, golf, gti
Aluminum Carports By: David H Urmann - Aluminum is hard yet light metal at the same time. It is a good construction material like in manufacturing carports. Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on earth. The metal is found in combination with other elements in over 270 kinds of minerals. Corrosion does not affect aluminum, a perfect characteristic for most structural designs.
Tags: cars and trucks, aluminum, carports, protect, choice of design, highest standards, hardness and lightness qualities
Portable Carports By: David H Urmann - Portable carports are cheaper alternatives to garages. Mounting them could take only a few hours.. There many carports on sale perfect for your budget. Carports are alternative structures to garages. It protects your car from harmful elements in the environment. The structure of the carport could be standing by itself or attached to a wall. Nowadays, portable carports are available commercially.
Tags: cars and trucks, carports, portable carports, protection, portable metal carports, easy assemble, workmanships and materials
Choices for Moving: Auto Transport By: Jennifer Strong - Thousands of people relocate each day. These people are from various countries all over the planet. Some people are moving just down the road, but many people are moving across the country or even to another country.
Tags: cars and trucks, auto transport
Car Shipping: Transport your Next Car Purchase for Less By: Jennifer Strong - Muscle cars are part of the great American image. Each year, thousands of mechanics rebuild these vehicles. Once complete, they compete for prizes in car shows and in car clubs. What most people may not realize, however, is that these beautiful pieces of art come from a very particular car that is usually quite beat up when originally purchased.
Tags: cars and trucks, car shipping
Does Anti Skid surfacing reduce road accidents? By: Robert Melkonyan - If your home is close to the highway and if you have had a lot of rain in your city recently, then you could expect a lot of thuds and bangs in some days! The problem is - None of those thuds and bangs are pleasant to hear.
Tags: cars and trucks, anti skid, anti skid surfacing
Never let your car down By: Robin Fulham - Most care drivers do not bother or pay notice about the well being of their car. They take the poor thing for granted and since their car cannot speak, they hardly know when it is not healthy.
Tags: cars and trucks, car parts, auto parts, used parts, spare car parts, canada parts .
Automatic Car Starters By: Ryan2 Ryan2 - Automatic Car Starters The automatic car starters are really useful for a vehicle as it allows the car to warm up before you take the driving seat. Think of a typical bad weather situation. It is freezing outside and you simply abhor the idea of getting inside a cold car from the warmth of the fireplace.
Tags: remote car starters, automatic car starters.