Your car has to be in tip-top shape at any given time. This is non-negotiable, since driving a poorly-maintained vehicle puts not only your and your passengers’ safety at great risk but also those of other motorists and pedestrians alike.
According to the data released in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO), some 1.2 million deaths were caused by motor vehicle crashes. The impacts of these fatal car accidents do not stop with the deaths alone; in fact, their negative aftermaths also affect the survivors and their families. However, a lot of these deaths are preventable with due diligence and care on the part of car owners.
This is particularly true when your car is what others call a daily driver. The fact that you’re always on the road means that your vehicle’s mechanical parts can be worn quickly, thus necessitating periodic maintenance and care. Cars require such TLC that owners are expected to look after their vehicles even when not using them.
Are you wondering just how you could maintain your car so it would not only perform well but look great, too? Here are eight simple maintenance tricks to keep your car in perfect shape, both performance-wise and in the aesthetics department:
1. Have your car professionally detailed periodically
Your car should be professionally detailed every once in a while if you want to keep its aesthetics looking like it’s still brand new even after logging thousands of mileage. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, your auto detailing routine should now include disinfection of your cabin, so you avoid potential transmission of the deadly virus. In the hands of a professional car detailing shop, you can expect your car to have a thorough cleanup from the exteriors right into your car’s interior spaces.
2. Stick to your maintenance schedules
Carmakers explicitly state the recommended maintenance schedule of the vehicles they make not because they just want to, but because they have to. Given how even the toughest engines could fail without regular maintenance, car models who have seen years of service should be taken in for scheduled maintenance as they are more prone to mechanical failures. As such, you have to strictly follow the indicated maintenance schedule of your car if you want to keep enjoying its service for decades to come.
3. Mind your wheels and tires
There are probably millions of car crashes that were caused by exploding tires or wheels that accidentally got detached at full speed. The simplest car maintenance tricks to avoid such a potentially deadly accident are to regularly check your wheels and tires for trouble signs and to do some basic maintenance. You should check for tire pressure to see if all tires are properly inflated, while you have to also see if the thread depth is within a safe level. If needed, have the wheels aligned by a professional mechanic and the tires rotated according to the interval indicated in the owner’s manual.
4. Be gentle with your car when driving it
If you’re someone who loves driving your car to full speed from a complete stop or doing aggressive shifts, you should quickly stop these damaging driving habits if you want your car to run longer.
5. Park in a shaded area
Just parking your car elsewhere without proper protection from the scorching sun is a sure way to make its paint go bad after a few years. If you have the money, built a secure garage for it or just park it somewhere shady and cool.
6. Use manufacturer-recommended lubes
Car manufacturers dedicated billions worth of their annual budget to research and development, and this includes determining which lubricants work best for specific models. So, one important car maintenance trick to make your car run like new is to use manufacturer-specified lubricants and oils. They’ve invested a serious amount to come up with these specifications, so the least you can do is follow them.
7. Do weekly car interior cleanups
You need not take your car to be detailed each week, but you can spare a few hours every week to clean your car’s interior. This would include vacuuming the seats and hard to reach areas, as well as getting rid of any trash that you or any of your passengers have left there.
8. Get rid of those bird poops quickly
Bird poops, when not cleaned up over time, wouldn’t just make your car an eyesore but also wreak havoc on your car’s paint job. So, you should be the wiser and get rid of those nasty bird poops the minute you see them on your car’s exteriors.
With these eight simple maintenance tips, making your car run and look like new for decades should be a breeze.
