Though we all know the importance of car maintenance, we often do some silly maintenance mistakes that stretch the usual process. Sometimes we don’t have the time to invest in car maintenance and at other times we merely forget some important pointers. Because proper car maintenance is a must for ensuring longer life, so here are 7 silly maintenance mistakes that you need to avoid.
7 Regretful Car Maintenance Mistakes
- Check Engine Light
Probably the silliest mistake, and the most paying is ignoring the continuous beeping of your car’s check engine light. Most of the times, we pass the problem to check it later, and that later comes only when the car is jammed. It is advisable to get your car’s engine checked as soon as the light starts showing up. The more you’ll wait for it to take care of, the more money you need to spend on repairs. - Delayed Brake Check
Whenever you start to hear a little squealing noise from the brakes then it’s time to get them checked. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We let the noise increase until it’s fully blown. Furthermore, brake pads need to be regularly replaced to avoid the unit to get completely stopped at some later time. - Forgetting Oil Filter Wrench
Most of the times tightening the oil filter by hand suffices, but sometimes it requires some amount of wrench work also. A loose oil filter might result into oil wastage that can result into minor damage to engine parts. To avoid it, you need to wrench about a half-turn more after you’ve tautened it by hand. - Irregular Tire Checks
Whether your car is in operation or not, tires lose pressure and air naturally. Hence, it is important to keep a regular check on tire pressure. Unfortunately, many times we may neglect to do so resulting in undesired consequences. As a result, the car stops at a time when it should not. While inflating tires, remember to keep them balanced. Both less inflation and over inflation gives rise to a number of issues such as lower fuel efficiency and slow acceleration. Tire alignment is important as well. - No Fluid Change
A number of car fluids like brake fluid and coolant need to be regularly checked and refilled if required. Just like oils, they demand a scheduled upkeep. Sometimes, we may ignore checking them to save time/money bills and then it results into some serious heavy repairs. Also, unbalanced fluids can damage other parts of your vehicle. Therefore, it is better to get them checked regularly. - Oil Change Skips
Compared to older vehicles, modern vehicles offer a fairly long duration until you need to get the oil changed. In the past, you have to change oil for every 3,000 miles but with the latest advancements, average oil change duration has reached 7,500 miles for a typical vehicle. But this doesn’t mean that you should skip regular oil changes. To further worsen the situation, older motor oil in the engine can damage the engine parts. Repairing would cost a hefty amount of money. Therefore, getting scheduled oil changes helps in prolonging your ride’s engine and saves you from all the extra hassle. - Overdue Air Filters
Like other car parts, air filters need to be regularly checked and replaced whenever required. Obviously, air filters and fuel filters can be a bit pricey but getting them changed when the situation comes can save you from spending a hefty sum of money in the near future.
Summary
Car maintenance is like gardening, every minor detail is important. Therefore, avoid these silly maintenance mistakes to enjoy a long and safe car ride.
