Car Maintenance: The First Steps to Avoiding Car Trouble
Posted on Jan 9, 2012 11:30am PST
Some people hear the word car maintenance and instinctively start seeing money slipping out of their pockets, but car maintenance doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, there are many different tips that you could put in practice every day and save your car the extra wear and tear. Here are some inexpensive ways that you can tune-up your car and make it last longer while still getting everything you need to get done throughout the day-there's no need to reroute your days traveling schedule or spend any extra time with these tips.
Readers Digest has an article that explains important factors that you need to know from the day you drive your car off the lot towards the days when it becomes your steady and reliable car. Here are some of the key points that can help you save time and money on your vehicle: When you first buy your car, the first thousand miles are imperative for vehicle maintenance, and is commonly known as the break-in period. It is very important that you try and keep the speed to 55 miles an hour or under unless specified differently in your manufacturer's manual. When driving your vehicle, it is also important that you don't over accelerate when operating it the first couple of hours. Also, make sure you use your car a steady amount of time - don't allow it to sit while the engine is turned on for a long time period as well. If you accidentally do this, there could be an oil malfunction, which would not give oil to the parts of your engine that is necessary for it to function.
A lot of car maintenance damages can be saved when starting your car in the morning. Readers Digest reports that the first couple minutes of driving are poignant to keeping your car last longer and operate better. In hot or cold weather it is beneficial to drive a car more cautiously: they allege that "warming up" your car is actually not as good as you may think. When cars are left running for a small period of time, the engine cannot function at the proper temperature and therefore generates contaminated oil and sit deposits on the walls of the cylinders. While waiting at red lights at an intersection, they also suggest to shift your gear into neutral which will eliminate your car's need to push its weight while you are not driving. Also, avoid driving extremely fast or quickly accelerating when starting your car; it is said that the first 10 to 20 minutes of driving can provide the most damage to your vehicle.
Car maintenance doesn't stop at engine care, so it is important to check the other elements that keep your car running, one being tires. Everyday maintenance can begin by being a little more cautious on the road and a little more proactive about being aware of the damage that can incur through hitting potholes, curbs, or burning rubber. Tires that are low on air or unclean filters can take a toll on your fuel tank, and sometimes lead to a breakdown. To avoid this catastrophe, make sure you have an appropriate amount of air in each tire, avoiding overinflating your tires, which is also dangerous.
Lastly, your vehicle will only perform as well as the gas that is put into the tank; so it is important that the gas stations that are chosen filter their gasoline. If you see a gasoline truck filling up the pumps, you might want to come back another day, or for your immediate needs, go to another gas station. Gas trucks can have dirt or other sediments that may have a bad effect on your fuel injectors and filters which can cause performance problems.