What Parts of a Vehicle Are Most Important to Maintain?

We don’t have to tell you how important car maintenance is. It’s all in your owner’s manual in black and white: “maintain your car properly or suffer the consequences.” That being said, as a car body shop in Visalia, CA, we do realize that keeping up with all the recommended maintenance needs of your car can get expensive and time-consuming. If you let a few things slide, we get it. However, there are some things that may okay to put off, while others are not. If you’re not sure which is which, here’s a list of the vehicle parts that are most important for you to maintain:

• Tires: When it comes to your car’s performance and safety, ensuring that your tires are in good condition is a must. While how often you change your tires varies greatly depending on the type of tires you use, your vehicle and where and how you drive your car, the bottom line is that you shouldn’t drive on tires that are worn or don’t have adequate tread. Check your tires about once a month. A quick glance and running your hand over your tire will tell you if it’s time for a replacement.
• Brake pads: Brake pads, just like tires, get worn out with use, but how quickly they wear depends on your vehicle and how you drive it. Some newer vehicles have a light indicator to let you know when it’s time for new brake pads. Older vehicles, however, have a small metal tab built into the brake pad. Once the pad wears down too far, this metal tab will come in contact with your rotor and make a screeching sound. When you hear that sound, you know that it’s time to get new brake pads.
• Oil: Oil is probably one of the simplest, most inexpensive and yet most beneficial maintenance tasks you can do for your car. Oil is the lifeblood of your engine; it keeps everything running smoothly. If the oil is old or dirty, it can start to cause things to clog up and wear out inside your engine. Consult your owner’s manual to determine how often you should be changing your vehicle’s oil.
• Air filter: Last but not least, there’s your air filter. Just like you, your car needs to be able to get clean air in order to perform at its best. A clogged air filter can affect your engine’s horsepower, reduce your gas mileage and even cause your engine to stall. Like an oil change, changing your air filter is simple and inexpensive, but it does a lot to keep your car working at peak performance levels.

Take it from your local car body shop in Visalia, CA: while there are some parts of car maintenance that you can put off, your tires, brakes, oil and air filter are not among them. For more tips like these, check out some of our other blog posts or stop in to visit us at Tom’s Body & Paint, Inc. today!

Categorised in: Auto Body Shop

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