Just like owning a house, a car is a responsibility. It means constant maintenance and upkeep, but that doesn’t mean you should be constantly preoccupied with trying to keep it clean or safe. Despite the significant improvement in car technology throughout the years, it’s still essential to take care of your car. Here are some maintenance tips to help you out, whether you’re a newbie car owner or a seasoned driver.
Keep Your Interior Clean
Your interior plays an important role in your car driving experience, so it stands that you take care of it as well. Cleanliness is important when it comes to car interiors, especially because you’ll be sitting inside. Keep a trash bin with you so you can immediately throw away garbage, even when you’re on the go. Don’t eat inside your car, too, as the crumbs can cause dirt and germs to build up, not to mention cause a horrible smell if not cleaned up immediately. If possible, always keep a portable vacuum cleaner in your car so you can instantly vacuum any crumbs or tiny debris that gets in your vehicle.
Follow the Schedule Maintenance
Inexperienced car owners tend to ignore maintenance, believing that if nothing is wrong, there’s no need to fix it. However, regularly following your car’s maintenance schedule can go a long way in keeping its longevity and preventing expensive repairs. When using a car regularly, small damages can often go unnoticed, but when these small damages pile up, they can eventually pose a threat. By having your car regularly maintained, you’re making the most out of what you paid for, so this is a definite rule to follow.
Don’t Throw Away the Manual
Many car owners tend to throw away the manual, especially if it isn’t their first car. However, it’s best to keep it as it contains the necessary information about your car. It will help prepare for unexpected situations as it would most likely hold information like starting your car or compartments that may store important parts. Manuals are specific to a certain type of car as well, so just finding another manual won’t do.
If you’ve lost your car manual, you can look up online copies for your vehicle’s exact brand and model. It’s best to have a soft copy of the manual constantly on you (perhaps your phone or laptop), as it’s quite easier to use a phone than lugging around a book. Keep the manual inside your dashboard compartment.
Make Sure Your Car is Safe When Traveling
When traveling away from home for days at a time, you won’t really have to worry about your car, especially if you have a garage or someone staying at your home. But when going on vacation where you might be away for weeks, you need to make sure it stays safe. You can ask a friend to watch over your house and drive your car around to make sure everything’s running.
But if you can’t get a house sitter that you can trust, consider renting a storage unit for your car. There are storage facilities for vehicles that can keep your care at a secure location with round-the-clock supervision. Of course, it all depends on how long you’ll be away, but never forget about your car when you’re off traveling.
Always Keep Your Fuel Up
Even if you don’t use your car daily, there’s still a good reason to keep your fuel tank full. Leaving it empty can cause rust, as moisture might form, eventually leading to rust to the inside walls. This is why keeping your car on a full tank as often as you can is beneficial, especially in the long run. Always remember to put on the gas cap securely and tightly so that the gas won’t evaporate. If you do drive regularly, that’s all the more reason to keep your fuel tank filled.
And Finally, Learn More about Cars
Of course, you don’t have to learn everything about cars. Just study enough to know what’s wrong with your car or how to drive it better. Often, damage begins with how we drive our car- forcing gears at the wrong time, abusing the brakes, haphazardly driving, these are all major contributors to how our car gets damaged. Being a responsible car owner means also being responsible for treating your car- from taking care of it to knowing how to drive it properly and safely.