It is vital that any car owner takes their car in for regular maintenance. To prevent further damage to your car and to save money down the road, you should keep up with regular maintenance. You can take your car to auto experts in Huntington WV at East End Body Shop which offers quality repair service, prices, and customer service.
If you expect to rely on your vehicle to get you around, you will want to keep up with your car maintenance.
Five-step maintenance checklist
Just as humans need to take care of their bodies by eating nutritious foods and getting adequate and quality sleep, your car needs the same type of regular car. It is highly recommended that you take your car to auto experts in Huntington, WV for regular car maintenance to ensure it continues to run properly.
- Top off your car oils
Regularly check and top off the oils in your car. Some oils like your power steering don’t need to be topped off as often, but it’s still important to keep an eye on them. You also want to check your engine oil, transmission oil (you can only check this underneath the car if you have a lift), coolant, and windshield wiper fluid.
- Minor repairs for your mechanic
You should take your car to a mechanic for regular, minor repairs to keep it running in good condition.
The most important car maintenance is getting your oil changed every 5,000-6,000 miles. Your car should get a tire rotation every 8,000-10,000 miles. Your air filter should be replaced every 12,000-15,000 miles. When you take your car into the shop for regular maintenance, the mechanic will let you know if your windshield wipers need to be replaced as well.
- Ensure tire pressure is adequate and the battery is working
Invest in a pressure gauge to check your tire pressure once a month. Your car manual will have a recommended psi for your tire pressure. You also want to check for cracking or wearing in your tire tread.
You should inspect your battery terminals and clean them monthly to maintain a secure connection. If you notice signs of your battery going out, you can bring it to a shop to check it and determine if you need to replace it or not.
- Ensure all your essential lights are working
You should regularly check that your blinkers, fog lights, headlights, taillights, and brake lights are working. These are essential lights that you need to use and will get pulled over if they’re out. Make sure to take it to the shop as soon as you notice one is out.
- Keep your exterior and interior clean
The exterior of your car can get dirty from bug guts, bird droppings, and tree sap, which can corrode paint if it’s not cleaned off soon enough. Letting guck stay on your car and potentially damage the paint will diminish its value and accelerate rusting. It’s especially important to clean your car if you live in a cold climate or near an ocean because the salt will get into the wheel wells and undercarriage, slowly eating your car’s frame. It’s important to keep your headlights clean and clear for nighttime driving as well.
It’s important to keep your car windows clean so you can see clearly when you’re driving and stay safe, especially if you have to drive in poor weather conditions.
People benefit from spending time in clean, de-cluttered spaces, this includes your car. If you have wrappers or dishes in your car, try to clean them out every time you get home for the day. Vacuum and wipe down your interior every couple of months, or sooner if it gets messy from children or pets.
Now you know the essential steps in keeping your car in a proper condition, and if you’re in the Huntington area, you also know where to go to speak with auto experts in Huntington, WV.
If you need auto experts in Huntington, WV to take care of your car maintenance, you can call East End Body Shop or fill out a form indicating what services you are looking for.
Why regular car maintenance is important
- Increases safety
Keeping your regular car maintenance up to date will increase your safety on the road. Maintaining car repairs will prevent the parts from breaking and larger issues from arising.
- Keeps the car performing at its best
If you maintain your car’s functions, your car will continue to perform at its best. If the maintenance seems to stress you out, just take the time to make an appointment with East End Body Shop for your regular car maintenance in Huntington, Virginia and they will take care of the car for you.
- Saves you money
If you regularly take care of your car, you will prevent more expensive damages from arising. The smartest way to save money is to just make an appointment with an auto shop and spend the money on maintenance rather than big repairs later.
- Lower cost of fuel
If you skip your regular car maintenance, you may skip something important and cause your gas mileage to go up quite a bit. This means you will need to fill up your gas more often.
- Saves you time
By staying on top of your car maintenance, you will prevent further damages which can keep your car from running. If it’s a big enough issue, you may need to drop it off at an auto shop for days or weeks to get fixed. This is not only a big inconvenience because you won’t have a means of transportation, but it also takes time out of your precious schedule to deal with getting it repaired.
- Keeps your car at a high value
If you are planning on selling your car in the future, you want to ensure you keep the maintenance up to date. If you keep everything working properly, you don’t have to worry about getting less money for your car or repairing a costly fix just to be able to sell it for more.
Tips to afford regular maintenance?
- Save in advance
You should always anticipate taking your car to the auto shop for its regular maintenance. If you anticipate it, you can be sure to save a little bit of money each month to put toward the months you will take it to the shop.
- Pay for car insurance.
I know it sounds silly to say that you can afford car maintenance by spending money, but you can. You can never anticipate a car accident happening and if it doesn’t, and you don’t have insurance, you will not only get a hefty fee from the police, but your cost to repair your car will be through the roof.
Despite the cost, it is important to maintain your car’s health. If you have questions about prices for regular car maintenance, reach out to auto experts in Huntington, WV at East End Body Shop.
