One of the most important things that define an adult is their car. When you look an adult’s car, you know it belongs to them by the way they look after it. They care for its outer, as well as, inner appearance, too. The classic television trope; where the kids take their parents’ car, and scratch it, only makes sense when you understand how much a grown-up cares for their car. However, what’s more, important than that is, how do they know what to do to keep their cars in tip top shape? Is there a guide, or something?
Well, there wasn’t until now. The following steps should help you get your car up to “code”.
1. Regularly clean glass surfaces
Most people focus on cleaning their windshields; they totally overlook the importance of cleaning the other windows. While only cleaning your windshield will save you time, and effort, in the end, it will look like a half-done job. It simply won’t look like a decent car. On the other hand, what you should be doing is cleaning all other windows, as well. It won’t cost you a lot of time, and it, definitely, won’t leave you out of breath, either.
The added bonus would be that your car would actually look like an adult’s car. It’s the same thing as when we were kids and used to sweep dust under the rug, instead of actually cleaning. Keep in mind that glass surfaces don’t only include windows. You should also make sure that your mirrors are squeaky clean; side-mirrors, as well as, the one in the center.
Now, you’re probably asking, how is it possible to cut out a chunk of the day, just to keep everything clean? We all have busy schedules, but, there’s quite an easy solution. When fuelling, instead of checking your texts, you could just get out of the car, and thoroughly wash your windows and mirrors.
2. Protect the car at all times
Another important aspect of car care takes place when the car is parked. No one drives 24/7, in fact, most of our time is spent with the car parked. Depending on the atmosphere, climate, and surroundings of the car, a certain amount of damage is done. For example, a desert climate may cause your car to gather dust extremely quickly, the rain may leave trails on your car, and if you live around birds, bird poop would be your worst enemy.
This is why you need to figure out a way to take care of your car while it’s parked. There are three ways that are commonly known by most; garages, car covers, and car shades.
If you have a house, a garage is pretty much a standard thing; you’re in luck. It offers the most protection against external elements, compared to the other two ways. However, if you don’t own a house, or don’t have a garage, it is recommended that you invest in the other two protective methods.
A car cover is basically a huge sheet made of polyester and other materials. You stretch it over your car and pull it down to cover the car entirely. It is a cheap and easy way to protect your car from bird droppings, dead leaves, and excessive dust. Their only drawback is that they don’t look so good. Yet, it is worth mentioning that they can easily be purchased online; several people talk about how they bought the best car covers from online shops.
Then there are car shades that while providing an appealing sight, they are only capable of offering protection from things that affect the top of the car; they are useless if anything comes at the car from the side.
3. Check your fluids
Fluids are extremely important for the well-being of a car. Some act as lubricants, others as cooling agents, to collectively make sure that all systems within the car are working with maximum efficiency. Engines usually have a lot of moving parts, it is important that these parts run smoothly with minimal friction; it can easily lead to overheating, or worse.
Making sure your car has enough oil is not just an adult thing, it’s common sense. This is why you need to get familiar with the procedure of checking your oil levels. It is quite an easy process, it shouldn’t take much time to learn, or perform.
First of all, you need to turn off your engine and wait for about 5 minutes. As long as the car is running, oil flows through the pipes which means that any readings won’t be accurate. After the engine stops, the oil takes a while to get back into its container, that’s what you need to wait for.
Second, look under your hood, on your engine, you should find a lid of sorts labeled, “oil”. Open the lid, you’ll find a thin metal pipe. What you need to do is pull it out of the engine, and wipe it clean. That way you’ll ensure an accurate reading.
Then, you need to dip the stick and pull it out again. This time, hold the stick down, and look at the bottom part; you’ll find two markings. Make sure that your oil level is between the two marks. If it’s below, you need to top up your fluids; be careful not to put too much, though.
When it comes to your car, we can tell you all what you need to know, however, what makes the real difference is something that no guide can ever teach. It is pure love for your car. If you want to properly look after your car, you need to love it first. If you don’t love your car, you’ll eventually get bored with the cleaning and maintenance routines. On the other hand, you’ll find the ultimate value in those routines if you value your car. This is why we recommend that you try to develop a relationship with your car; as in, make memories with it, or give it a name, things like that can go a long way.
