3 Things YOU Can Do to Help Take Care of Your Car

Written by Issaquah on October 5, 2016. Posted in Auto Repair, Tips

Auto Maintenance Tips Every Vehicle Owner Should Know

October is Fall Car Care Month, so we thought we’d share some things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your vehicle. Properly maintaining your vehicle can help save you money in the long run, ensuring your vehicle is operating at its peak performance.

Keep it clean.

You should be cleaning your vehicle once a month—inside and out. Regularly cleaning your big investment is an easy way you can take care of it! A dirty car is not just an eyesore, but dirt on your vehicle can scratch the paint, and things like spilled drinks or bird droppings can deteriorate the paint even faster! Before you clean your car, make sure you have the proper tools, including a car wash solution (not just dish soap, which can harm your wax and paint) and a few sponges.

Take care of your tires.

Your tires are very important to your vehicle, and taking proper care of them can only benefit you—better gas mileage, longer tire life, and ensuring your safety. Checking your tire pressure and tread, rotating them regularly, and getting alignments are all things that will help extend the life of your tires. Although you should bring them into the shop for rotations and alignments, you can check your own tire pressure and tread! Check your owner’s manual for the recommended pressure. Your tire tread is very important in making sure your vehicle has good traction that will help you in those inevitable quick stops. A good rule to follow is the Penny Test: Insert a penny into the tread with Lincoln’s head upside down. If you can see all of his head, it’s time for new tires!

Check and replace your lights and wipers.

Your lights and windshield wipers are very important safety features on your vehicle, and they’re often neglected. Your windshield wipers should be replaced regularly or when you notice something is off with them. You can read all about when you should replace your windshield wipers in this blog post! Knowing when to replace your lights can be a little tricky sometimes, especially if they’re on the back of your vehicle. Grab a buddy, and help each other out by checking each other’s lights, or back up into a spot in front of a reflective surface!

Bonus: Change your oil regularly.

You might not be able to do this yourself, but you can definitely bring your vehicle to Integrity Automotive to have it done in the shop by one of our ASE Certified Technicians! This is the single most important thing you can do to extend the life of your engine (neglecting to do it is also the worst thing you can do to your engine!). Check your owner’s manual and contact us for recommended intervals.

Your vehicle is a big investment, and there are a ton of things you should be doing to make sure it’s properly maintained, but these are some easy ones to start off with and that you can do yourself! If you have any questions about recommended auto maintenance, need help with any of them, or think something may be a little funky, feel free to bring your vehicle in. We’re here to help!

Tags: car maintenance tips