Vehicle maintenance is a crucial part of owning a vehicle. Doing routine maintenance can help prevent damages to your vehicle and save you money. Here is a list of things you can look for when doing vehicle maintenance.
Under the Hood
Check all of your vehicle's fluids. Including coolant, oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid and windshield wiper fluid.
Inspect Belts and Hoses. Check your belts for frayed edges, damage, missing sections and cracking. Check hoses for heavy wear, bulging, and leaks.
Inspect your battery. Look over your battery for damage or bulging. Check terminals and wires for corrosion or exposed wires. General Maintenance Intervals.
Brakes
Listen: Listen for squeaking, squealing or grinding when you are driving. These sounds can mean you need new brakes.
Feel: When you apply pressure to your brake pedal, does it feel soft, does it pulse or go straight to the floor? If it does any of these things, your vehicle may not brake when you need it to, contact your mechanic immediately.
See: Check for an illuminated brake or ABS light on your dashboard. Look at the rims on your tires for discoloration or brake dust.
Check: Your brakes should be replaced every 12 months or 12,000 miles. Check your records to verify the last time you had your brakes serviced.
Warning Lights/Dash Lights
Do you have any warning lights illuminated on your dashboard? If you do, now's the time to get those checked out. A warning light is your vehicle's way of telling you something's wrong; don't ignore these lights, get them checked out right away to prevent further damage to your vehicle. If you're not sure what a light means, use this dash light decoder.
Leaks
Is your vehicle losing fluid? Do you have to keep adding fluid to your vehicle multiple times a week or month? Have you noticed any spots on the pavement where you park your vehicle?
If you said yes to any of these questions, you probably have a leak. Check out this chart to help you find out what's leaking and contact your mechanic as soon as possible.
Smells
Check your vehicle for any odd smells! Other than the old chicken nuggets under a car seat and the smelly little tree hanging for your mirror, does your vehicle have any other weird smells? If your vehicle smells like any of these 6 things, get it checked out as soon as possible!
Tires
Check your tires! Yes, even the spare. Look them over for uneven wear, cracking, dry rotting, bulging, or debris stuck in your tires. Also be sure to check the tread depth, if you're not sure how, use The Penny Trick.
Lights
Be sure to borrow a friend to help give your vehicle lights a once-over. Turn signals, reverse lights, headlights, high beams, etc.
Noises
Is your vehicle making any odd noises? Whether it be while you are driving, when your vehicle is idling or only when you first start it up. If you notice any of these odd noises coming from your vehicle, contact your mechanic as soon as possible.
J&S FixQuik Automotive | Mobile Auto Repair Service | Aurora, IL
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