Auto Care 101

Auto Care 101 – Aloha Auto Repair

The easiest and most effective way to extend your vehicle’s lifetime is to maintain it routinely. While most modern vehicles are built to last quite a long time, bringing your vehicle in to a trusted mechanic for maintenance is always a good idea.

While you can always take your vehicle in to a mechanic to have it maintained, there are also steps that vehicle owners can take to extend the lifetime of their vehicles. The mechanic can help with general things, such as oil changes and tune ups, but everyday maintenance and keeping the vehicle in good condition is up to the owner. Simple steps, such as these, can help keep a vehicle running smoothly for many years:

Check Your Tire Pressure Often

The first auto care 101 is checking the tire pressure. Drivers should make it a habit to check their vehicles’ tire pressures at least once a month. It’s a simple step that takes no more than five minutes and can help you avoid needing to have your vehicle’s tires replaced prematurely. You can find the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle in your vehicle’s manual. If your vehicle’s tire pressure is below the recommended psi, you can drive to any gas station and fill your tires with air. It’s important to note that during the winter months, tire pressure tends to decrease due to cold weather.

Rotate Your Tires Every 5,000-10,000 Miles

Having your vehicle’s tires rotated as needed can extend the lifetime and improve the drivability of your vehicle. Tires aren’t cheap, so you want to avoid needing to have them replaced unnecessarily. Another auto care 101 is to ensure optimal tire pressures, as mentioned earlier, and to have them rotated every 5,000-10,000 miles.

Change The Oil Every 3,000-5,000 Miles

As we mentioned earlier, having your vehicle’s oil changed is another easy, yet important way to increase your vehicle’s lifetime. Generally speaking, for auto care 101, you should make sure to have your vehicle’s oil changed every 3,000-5,000 miles. Bringing your vehicle in to a mechanic to have the oil changed is easy, and can help you avoid complications and more expensive repairs in the long run.

Change The Air Filter Every 10,000-15,000 Miles

Having an air filter that’s being used long after it should be replaced could spell trouble, so you should make sure to have it replaced every 10,000-15,000 miles. It’s an easy switch that can make all the difference for your vehicle, as well as the driver and passengers of the vehicle.

Check The Breaks

The difference between brakes that work and brakes that need replacement can mean the difference between safe driving and an accident. Don’t risk your life or your vehicle by not having your vehicle’s breaks replaced when they need to be. As soon as you feel the breaks squeaking or not working as they should, take your vehicle to your trusted mechanic and have the issue resolved. As we mentioned, these are simple fixes that could save your life.

Make Sure Headlights Work

This is easy and should be resolved for your sake. If you notice your headlights or taillights not working, go to a mechanic. It could save you from an accident or even a ticket from a police officer.

Save Your Receipts

And the last auto care 101 tips is keeping your receipt. Doing this after an oil change or repair can help you remember when to bring your vehicle in for more routine maintenance. Additionally, they can serve to be useful if you need to make insurance claims later on. As you can see, keeping your vehicle well maintained is extremely easy and extremely important. If you ever need quality vehicle maintenance services, bring your car in to Aloha Auto Repair!

Aloha Auto Repair is here to help you with all your vehicle repair and maintenance needs! From oil changes to engine rebuilds, we can get the job done right the first time! Auto Repair