Common Sense Car Care

By: Rick Ostien

This month’s article discusses maintenance of your vehicle.

The truth is that if it moves it has to be maintained, from the human body to a squeaky door hinge and definitely the auto or truck you own and drive. The maintenance level you choose as the owner can most effectively be determined by the type of driving you do.

The auto manufacturer bases maintenance intervals on mileage and normal or severe service. The person whose driving habits are of short distances would need to change their oil using time as a guideline rather than mileage. It would be vice-versa with a person whose driving habits are of longer distances. The oil in an engine is there to cool and lubricate. Over time and with the wear and tear of driving, oil looses its ability to perform its primary function of cooling and lubricating.

The oil change service that is performed by most facilities can vary from a 15 minute in and out to 45 minutes which includes a vehicle check as well. The price can also vary from about $19.00 to $40.00. The slogan of “pay me now or pay me later” used by the Fram Filter Co. years ago more than holds true today. A vehicle check is a very good idea and can find problems that are already in existence or it can head off problems that can become future emergencies.

A good vehicle check will include a visual check of the following areas:

1. Tire wear and air pressure

2. The exhaust system

3. Front and rear suspension

4. Brake and fuel lines

5. Drive axles

6. Belts and hoses

7. Fluid levels

8. Battery condition

9. Antifreeze PH and protective level

10. All lights

11. Windshield wipers and washers

12. The air filter

These 12 items are very important and they are often the most ignored.

The air filter, in most cases, can be checked very easily. The air filter box provides an excellent home for field mice. The obstruction created by these little creature’s nests cuts the air flow and that results in poor gas mileage and poor performance. The antifreeze in your cooling system can cause major problems if it has a high PH level. Engine parts will fail prematurely if this isn’t taken care of. These are two very good examples of why a vehicle check is so important. The 12 areas listed above need to be checked regularly to insure the trouble free performance of your vehicle.

The auto manufacturer’s schedule of services is a great guideline to help you maintain your car or truck. These schedules can be found in the owner’s manual of your vehicle or they can be obtained from most vehicle repair facilities. The idea of scheduling services is done so that you, as a consumer, get the most trouble free miles from your vehicle.

The person who still likes to do some of their own vehicle repairs should have a thorough understanding of what they are about to undertake. Using the correct 6 pointed box wrench or socket to remove an oil drain plug can often head off trouble. Remember to add oil to an oil filter before installing it and wipe a little oil on the filter seal. The oil added to the filter gives the engine oil pressure at the start after an oil change and the oil on the filter seal helps the filter come off easier the next time you change it. The parts you replace should meet the O.E.M. specifications of your vehicle’s manufacturer. Be sure to check the above mentioned items and replace worn parts with high quality ones. This will help to head off trouble down the road.

Take the time to have your vehicle checked so that you can enjoy your daily and weekend activities and can keep them as trouble free as possible.

Happy Motoring,

Rick

* Microsoft Word 2002 Clipart was used during the creation of this page.