Car Maintenance Essentials You Should Know About

Owning a car is more than just purchasing it from a dealership. It's an asset that you have to maintain, or else it will deteriorate and break down pretty often. There are quite a few aspects of car maintenance that most car owners aren't familiar with, and yet they can help them keep their car in good function. Because of this, we've come up with some of the basics for vehicle maintenance. Here are a few good examples of what to do with your car when you're stuck and how to maintain it as well as possible.

Choosing the correct type and amount of oil for your car

Oil and tank requirements tend to differ between vehicles, even if we're just talking about cars. What works for one car may not necessarily be good for another one. If you fill the tank with the incorrect type of oil you won't notice the problem immediately, but it will slowly cause damage over time. The amount of oil you should pour into the tank varies.

Your best bet would be to consult the car's manual. There you'll find the exact type of oil you should use for your vehicle as well as the amount that should be poured in. It's a small detail that can help you increase the longevity and health of your car.

Tire changing essentials

If you have a car, you should know how to change a tire. Unfortunately, many individuals find themselves in situations where their tires deflate, there's a spare in the trunk, but they don't know how to complete this task. They often have to call and wait for a tow truck to take care of the problem.

The good news is that changing a tire isn't difficult to learn, but you still need the necessary tools. Always keep a wrench and jack lift in your trunk along with a spare tire.

When the inevitable flat tire occurs, you should start by loosening the lug nuts. Then, lift the car with a jack lift and completely remove the lugs. Once you've removed the flat tire, you can replace it with the spare and put the lugs in again. Afterward, all you need to do is remove the jack lift and tighten the lugs. Keep in mind, the spare is only there to last you until a trip to the mechanic, it shouldn't be used as a complete replacement.

Cleaning your car

Cleaning is just as important for car maintenance as checking the oil or fixing the paint job. Your car has to be clean to provide you with a smooth driving experience. This doesn't just apply to the interior or surface-level exterior. You have to keep the wheels, door jambs, and windows spick and span.

Cleaning everything on your own is doable, but requires that you get adequate cleaning materials and tools. Not to mention, it can take a while and cost you if you don't have the supplies. In most cases, it's better to get a full cleaning by enlisting help from professionals. Finding car detailing services isn't too difficult, and many companies will even find you the nearest service provider for your location. Going in for a good cleaning every once in a while will make your car much more comfortable, and it will keep parts of it functional for longer.

Jumpstarting a car battery

A flat tire isn't the only thing that can catch you off-guard while driving somewhere. If your car battery suddenly dies, you're left with no power to your vehicle, and there's not much you can do to replace it unless you have a spare battery on hand. Since most people don't, jumpstarting your car with the help of another driver is your best bet.

To do this, you'll need some jumper cables, which you should always keep in the trunk of your car. Once you have a bystander that can help you out with their car, you have to connect the positive cable to the dead and good batteries' positive clamps, connect the good battery's terminal with the negative cable, and then connect the same cable to a ground on the dead battery. Start the rescue car and then the one without a working battery and you should be able to drive. Disconnect the cables and you can move on with your car to the nearest mechanic.

Conclusion

There's plenty of maintenance knowledge that you have to acquire when you drive a vehicle. In many cases, they can help you get out of a tough situation when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, you'll need to know when and how to deal with your vehicle in terms of maintenance and cleaning, as these are essential parts of owning a car. With the right steps, you should be able to keep your car working for quite a while.