I am not a person who takes car ownership lightly. In our family we have to keep our vehicles forever or, as Bryan like to say, “Drive them until the wheels fall off.” On a side note: no wheels have ever fallen off my vehicle. That’s why I wasn’t thrilled this year when Bryan’s extremely old vehicle began having transmission trouble and my Jeep began to have some problems from age and high mileage. We finally made the decision to trade in one of our vehicles for an (almost) new model. When we traded in our vehicle the dealer was surprised at how good of shape my Jeep was in for its age. Our secret? Using these tips to help maintain our car.
1. Wash, Wax and Vacuum. Keeping the outside of the car washed and wax helps preserve the paint and can prevent rust from gaining a foothold. Regular vacuuming and cleaning on the inside can help prevent grime from building up on the seats and floorboard and also prevent odors from stuff the kids spill. It also helped me find things I didn’t realize the kids had dropped like petrified French Fries.
2. Prepare for the Seasons. The heat of summer and the freezing temperatures of winter can be hard on a car’s battery and systems. Check the antifreeze and coolant levels often to prevent yourself from costly mishaps. While we don’t live in a harsh winter climate, checking the tires is still important. Once I complained because I hydroplaned on a cold day only to check the tire and find out it was almost bald.
3. Check for recalls. If you are the second owner of a vehicle you might not receive all the recall notices for your vehicle. You can easily find most recall information online. Once we missed an important safety recall on my daughter’s vehicle and her brake line actually snapped half in two while she was driving. It was a scary situation which, thankfully, ended without anyone getting hurt, but could have been deadly.
4. Keep an eye on fluid levels. When I first began driving I thought I could just hop in the car and go. This was not correct. Apparently there are all sorts of fluids that need to be checked on a regular basis. By keeping an eye on everything from the transmission fluid to the windshield wiper fluid you can save some unpleasant and costly surprises.
5. Regular Oil Changes. Frequent old changes can help prevent the buildup of harmful deposits on the car’s engine, making it work harder. A harder working engine has a shorter life span.
Do you have any tips on maintaining your car?
Good thing my dad does all of this. Definitely saving this for the future when i have my own car!
Regular oil changes are a must to keeping a car in good shape. We have always upgraded to full synthetic oil and it has always been worth it!
Your post couldn’t have come at a better time. I just returned from having my oil changed and they told me the air filter on my car was dirty so I will be shopping around to see where I could get the best price on that.
There are a lot of great tips here! It’s definitely important to keep your car in good shape, especially with the winter months almost upon us!
That is a great deal for an oil change! I love Pep Boys. They always do such a great job. Oil changes is one of the best things you can do to keep your car running smoothly. That and maintain your tire pressure.
We’re pretty good about oil changes, but I should check for recalls more often. And now that we have the kids, we pretty much always need to vacuum. 🙂
Right now I do not own a car so the only thing I can maintain is my bike and the city bus oh ya and my 2 strollers. I am working on getting a car so maybe these tips will come in handy! Until then I will pass them along to my family and friends!
My car is in need of some TLC… Oil change is due and the inside is a sad story! Kids and a Mommy that doesn’t pay attention to what shes leaving in the car has made our family car a mess!!!
Great tips, especially about checking online for recalls. Even if you’re the original owner, if you move frequently (like we do as a military family) the recalls might not always reach you. And yes, check the fluid levels. My first car had an oil leak and I burned out the engine much to my parents dismay.
i hate taking care of my van.. i do it but i hate it. we have pep boys like 15 min away and i go there often!
That is pretty neat considering I know almost nothing about cars! Thanks for sharing!
I also make sure to do my oil change. I will actually need one in a couple of months I think. I don’t drive that much. Hubby drives more than I do so he would need one sooner. Never thought about going to pep boys to get it done though. I do need to really pay more attention to my car as well now especially with the colder weather upon us.
Great tips to keep your car in working order; it’s soooo important… thanks for sharing your post and we are due for an oil change as well… thanks for the reminder
Those are a lot of great tips, luckily my husband does all of that for me so I do not have to worry about it.
Some great tips I have to admit I should check my oil more often that I do! Whoops! x
Those are some great tips. My husband does all the maintenance on my car but he has made sure I know how to do all the basics my self like adding brake fluid and check all the other fluids. We even made sure our daughter know how to keep her car maintained.
We have a free vacuum place by us so we stop in there all the time! It makes SUCH a difference.
Great ideas and tips. I am lucky enough to have a mechanic as a boyfriend so I don’t have to worry, but it is good info to have!
Thank goodness my Hubs takes care of everything with the cars and I don’t have to think about it. In case I ever do…. I will know where to go to get great service.
Great tips from Pep Boys. Maintenance is the key keeping your car on the road. $19.99 for an oil change, I am there. Great value, I paid almost double for my last change and had to wait half the day.
All great tips. My husbands always on top of doing all of those things. We spend a good amount for our vehicles so we want them to last us.
These are great tips! We try to check fluids every few months and always before and after any trips we take.
These are all good tips. And every mom has found a petrified fry in the car at least once… I totally suspect that to be true. 🙂
All great reminders! Need to follow-up on some of these before the weather gets too cold. We also like to get maximum use of our vehicles and quality care is such an important factor of doing so.
I don’t have a car so I don’t really know but my friends do have… I never knew there was a lot of list to maintain a car – like wow! No wonder they are obsessed with it, lol!
Great tips, I am so bad at this.. Thanks for passing along!
Ooh I LOVE the $19.99 price tag, that is really great. I literally just paid double that.. boo! I am going to have to try them out. Thanks for sharing!
Oil changes are very important. I don’t think a lot of people realize that, but regular oil changes keep everything running smoothly.
Pep Boys has an excellent reputation in our city and they are always highly recommended. We check our fluids weekly and it is always so prudent to follow the list you have posted and take care of your car.