A car is something that we all need in these modern times, especially if going to work and taking your kids to school is on your to-do list every single day. Although they are an investment that’s not on the cheap side, cars make our lives a lot easier, and they allow us to arrive everywhere on time.
For some people, cars are something else. They are a way to enjoy life by speeding down the freeway, they are a way to please their ears by revving powerful engines, and they are simply a pleasure that cannot be described to a person who doesn’t enjoy the same things.
There’s something in common for both groups of people, and that’s the fact that they all have to maintain their vehicle for it to be in the perfect shape before each season. In the winter, driving around is not as common as it is in the summer and spring, so now that winter is finally ending, you must prepare your vehicle for regular use. Here’s how to do it.
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Changing your oil and oil filter
If you haven’t been using your vehicle for a long time during the winter, it’s always a great idea to perform a full check and maintenance before taking it out on the road. You can start this process by replacing the oil and the oil filter.
The oil that your engine uses is a very important thing for your vehicle, and if you don’t have enough of it, you’re risking potential damage to some of the parts, caused by unwanted friction.
If this ends up happening, you will have to pay a lot more money to purchase new engine parts, which is the last thing you want to do on a vehicle. So, changing the filter and the oil itself after some time is quite important, make sure to do it.
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Condition your air conditioner
The AC in your vehicle is a real lifesaver when the temperatures start getting out of hand, both during the summer and the winter periods. However, because they are one of the most used parts in cars, AC’s tend to break down quite often, and they need repair.
Since summer is coming, and each new one has higher temperatures than the previous, it is quite important to make sure that your AC is in the perfect working condition, unless you want to drive around sweating for no good reason.
You can start this by making sure that there isn’t a clogged condenser or a leak going on, and if there is, it’s much better to fix it now than to risk a complete death of your AC, which is quite costly to fix.
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Changing the Engine Coolant
If during high temperatures, your engine is lacking coolant, you can risk a potential breakdown which will cost you probably more than getting a new car. Engine repairs are very expensive, and they are not practical to do at all. When you are repairing an engine, you are paying for a lot of unnecessary things, so don’t risk this and make sure that you add a fifty-fifty mix of regular water with top-quality antifreeze. You can purchase antifreeze in every local car shop, so make sure to grab a tube before the season starts.
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Checking your tire pressure
Your tires are the easiest thing to maintain on a car, but they can also cause the most damage if you don’t pay a lot of attention keeping them in good shape. If they have too much pressure, they can blow up in the middle of a road, and this can cause either a traffic accident or leave you hanging there without a way of coming back home.
If the pressure is too low, your car will just not perform as it should, and you’ll drive around much slower while experiencing reduced handling. To make sure that none of this happens, you should regularly check the tire pressure, either at home or at your local car shop.
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The condition of your wipers
We all know that the main task for your wipers is to help you clear the glass when it’s raining, but without scratching the windshield.
However, during winter when the temperatures are drastically low, the plastic, which is the material that your wipers are made out of, bends and deforms, and when this happens, your wipers can scratch the windshield when you’re using them.
Make sure that everything is in good condition, and if it’s not, wipers are one of the cheapest parts that you can replace on your vehicle. So, better do that instead of risking damaging your windshield.
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Paint fix
If you haven’t used your vehicle for some time, and you don’t store it in a garage, chances are that there are some parts of the paint job that experienced some kind of damage, whether from other people or the natural elements.
If you want to start the next season with a fresh-looking ride, you should look for any damaged parts and repaint them with a marker that’s of the same color as yours. You can find these at any local shop, and they are not even expensive either.
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Brake condition – brake motors and calipers
Without proper-functioning brakes, you are risking a traffic accident, and the well-being of every other passenger in your car, including yourself. Before each season, especially if you haven’t used your vehicle for a long time, you should visit a local service and check the condition of your brakes.
You should always be able to stop in place in case something happens in front of you on the road, so never risk heading out of the driveway without checking that your brakes are working just as they should. In case it is necessary, you should insert new parking brake motors as well as brake calipers. Make sure you consult with your mechanic of what the best ones would be to ensure safety, and you can find different models of these products at tylolcar.com
Conclusion
The condition of your vehicle speaks about what kind of a person you are, so if you are often driving around with some passengers, it’s more than important to have everything in top shape.
Some of the things that we mentioned above also impact your safety, so make sure that you keep those things in the best possible condition if you want to remain safe on the road.
Sometimes it’s much better to pay a few hundred bucks if that’s what’s going to assure that you’ll get back home without anything bad happening to you or the passengers you’re with.
