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Money-Saving Vehicle Maintenance Checklist

tire-606100_1920Vehicle repairs are a necessity and they’re not particularly cheap either. Automobiles are extremely important for our everyday tasks. Without them, you may have to depend on other unreliable methods of transportation. When something goes wrong with your car and you have an emergency fund, you may find relief, but some vehicle repairs can be avoided with the help of timely maintenance.

Here are 4 main things, you’ll want to look out for as a way to maintain your car, save money, and avoid costly repairs in the future.

1. Your Check Engine Light

Don’t ignore this light your check engine light when it comes on. Instead try to get it checked out as soon as you can. The check engine light along with other lights on your dash come on for a reason. The reason could be something minor or if could be something major so it’s important to take all warning lights seriously. Some auto part shops offer free dash light diagnostic checks. Your local Auto Zone might do this. This could help point you in the right direction as to what part of your car needs to be further examined.

2. Keep up with Oil Changes

Changing oil is something that needs to be done to ensure your vehicle will run as smoothly as possible. You can’t let your car run on the same oil for a long period of time because that will do more harm than good. Every three months or three thousand miles is a great timeline to go by when deciding when to have the oil in your car changed.

Oil changes are easy enough that you can do if yourself if you have a few quarts of oil, a jack, and a new oil filter. You can also bring your vehicle to the shop since some offer 20 minute oil changes for a reasonable price. This is also a good time for a mechanic to check and see if any additional problems have come up or will in the near future.

3. Check Tire Air Pressure

Make sure that you keep up with the air pressure in all four of your tires. A flat tire is no fun to change and it can be dangerous if you endure a blowout while you’re driving on a busy road. If you’re not to sure what the pressure should be, it usually says the number in the door jam on the drivers side. Some mechanics and tire shops offer free pressure checks if you want to go that route as well. Personally, I always do this. You can also purchase a small tire pressure gauge so you can check it yourself on the go.

Multiple gas stations offer free air to anyone that needs to use it. They may even have a air gauge inside that you can borrow to check your air to see where you are at before you put air into the tire.

4. Rotate Tires

Another thing you should so is rotate your tires. Knowing the approximate time to change your oil is common. When to rotate tires maybe not so easy to remember. Rotating tires is important and should be done around every six thousand miles. When purchasing new tires that is the recommended time frame and most places that you buy the tires from may offer to take care of that issue right there for you under a warranty program.

These vehicle maintenance techniques are important to keep up with and easy for any vehicle owner to understand whether you are interested in cars or not. Keeping up with maintenance will help you avoid lots of costly car repairs and dangerous situations on the road later down the line.

Do you have any vehicle maintenance techniques or tips you follow to save money?

Posted in: Auto

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