Preventative Maintenance, your saving grace

A man is searching for roadside assistance on his cellphone while his broken down car with an open hood is parked behind him in a Fairfax parking lot.Although we will always be there for you if you need a tow, for many of our customers, preventative maintenance could have saved them a hefty tow and repair charge! In this article, we are going to look at some great tips and tricks to ensure your car, truck or van can stay healthy on the road.

  1. Oil Changes

No, oil changes are not optional! It is recommended that you complete oil changes every 3200 miles to ensure your engine is operating at peak performance. Failure to do so could result in gas mileage decreases, engine damage, and at worst, destruction of your engine. There are recommended oil change tables in your owners manual, and you should do your best to keep to them!

 

  1. Tires, you might need to change them

If you have been driving on the same set of wheels for over a decade, it might be time to get new tires! Wheels wear out faster than any other part of your vehicle, and no matter if you are only driving during the summer, or are trekking through snow and ice, your tires need to be up to the challenge. Make sure to check the tread, the alignment, the pressure, and of course, rotate your tires as per the recommended intervals in your owners manual.

  1. Batteries and Belts

One of the easiest ways to ensure you will always be on the road is to keep an eye on your battery and your belts. Your battery will wear over time, and if you have started to experience some issues in starting and power, it might be time to get it looked it. Belts wise, you need to be aware of any wear or tear on your engine belts as if they go, your day is done. Some quick inspections and a handy mechanic should be enough to ensure your car is well maintained for years to come.

  1. Check your fluids

A woman on the side of the road with her car hood open on her broken car is on her cellphone calling Fairfax Tow Truck for roadside assistanceYes, we always get the classic window washer fluid pop up, but there are more than a few fluids that make your car run. When completing routine maintenance get your mechanic to check your brake line, your radiator, your drive train, and any other pertinent fluids that may affect your car’s performance. Your owners manual will let you know at what interval to flush and refill, but make sure to keep an eye on the levels, as if they drop below the recommended fill levels, you could face some issues.

Although we would love to help you out if you break down, we would much rather see you and your car happily driving down the road. These preventative maintenance tips will not guarantee your vehicle will not have any issues, but rather, it gives you a starting point to start thinking about the lifetime care of your car. Did we miss any? Comment below with your go-to preventative maintenance tip, and make sure to touch on your make and model!

5 thoughts on “Preventative Maintenance, your saving grace

  1. Let me just say I am guilty of this..I am horrible at keep up with my vehicle. My boyfriend is a mechanic and thank god he stays on top of things because if it was for me I would just put gas and thatโ€™s it. Thanks for this great article and reminding us how important it is to maintain your vehicle and save you lots of money down the road. 

  2. Thanks for this tip on preventive maintenance for my vehicle.  I always seem to forget about the belts and batteries, these are for sure the top things to keep maintained.  Just got brand new winter tires put on so I’m good there.  Oil change done, so now to get those belts and that batterie looked at.  Thanks for the reminder

  3. This is great article and you cover some of the most important aspects of good vehicle maintenance that should be done on a regular basis. Tires are very important and what keeps us safely running down the road as wheels are as well, but I believe you meant to put tires where you put wheels when it comes to wear. Also, you mentioned a very important aspect that most overlook on vehicle maintenance and that is belts and hoses. These wear just as tires do and I made a mistake once by not checking my hoses on a vehicle and it cost me an engine. Great article!

  4. This is a great list of ways to be preventative when it comes to car care. We are generally good about the oil changes and maintenance schedule. We also change the tires regularly and use winter tires during the colder months. Our son is using one of our vehicles now for his work, and we are teaching him about these things. One thing that we also do is to keep an eye on the wipers and their condition. Personally, I can’t stand driving in bad weather when the wipers are not in good shape.

    Thanks for the great preventative car care tips! ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Reading this article makes me remember my girlfriend car that always have a problem every time we go on date. Hahaha. She has a Renault Scenic 2004. Well, yeah, it’s pretty old car. But till now I always remind to do preventive maintenance before go anywhere. Since the car pretty old, there will have a lot of problem. So, consistent preventive maintenance really helps.

    By the way, preventive maintenance already note down in the user manual. But yeah, we are not the type read manuals, right? Hahaha

    Anyway, great advice article. Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *