Keep Your Vehicle Running Longer With These Preventative Maintenance Steps

Cars are made to last longer than ever, often well over the 200,000-mile mark, but they don’t get there without some good old-fashioned TLC. Use these tips to help your car live a long-full life with routine maintenance.

Read Your Manual

Though it may seem like an obvious tip, reading the owner’s manual that your vehicle came with will give you the right foundation for taking care of your car for the long haul.

Check The Fluids

Even if you don’t change the fluids yourself, it’s important to keep tabs on how your antifreeze, power steering, coolant, and wiper fluids are doing and have them topped up and replaced as necessary.

Inspect And Replace Belts

Check your owner’s manual for how often the timing and serpentine belts need to be replaced and have those services performed on time.

Regular Oil Changes

We can’t stress enough how important it is to get regular oil changes. Motor oil helps prevent sludge build-up and overheating among many other functions and is essential to overall engine health.

Check Battery

Regularly check the battery in your car, and clean off the terminals to prevent the build-up of corrosion and minerals.

Replace Filters

Replacing the cabin air filter and engine air filter are easy tasks that you can complete at home, and they’ll make a big difference in the performance of your engine and comfort of your cabin.

Align And Balance

It’s important to keep your car in alignment and get your tires rotated and balanced every several thousand miles. Alignments and rotations ensure that your tires get even wear and that your suspension is in good shape.

Change Spark Plugs

Like most everything in your car, the spark plugs need to be swapped out and replaced after a while, and your owner’s manual will let you know how often this is. Though you can do it yourself, it’s recommended that you have a mechanic perform this service.

Keep Up With Services Digitally

We also recommend downloading an app like Road Trip, AutoCare, or Car Minder Plus to keep track of your mileage and recently performed services to ensure that everything is up to date.

You might also like: Buying A Used Vehicle: A Complete Guide

Schedule Service

When it’s time for one of these routine services, book your appointment online with Warrenton Toyota!