Jan 29, 2019

Maintaining your vehicle on schedule is the key to assuring the long life of your vehicle and helps keep driving your vehicle safe, pleasurable and worry-free. Here are some tips to help you get the most of your car’s lifetime and help minimize repairs and breakdowns in the future.

Oil changes are a top priority of any maintenance program. Check your owner’s manual to see the manufacturer-recommended oil change periods, but for most cars they are every 3,000 to 5,000 miles — or two times per year if you don’t drive that many miles. The engine is the heart of your vehicle, providing not only the power to move your car, but also powering the electrical system, power systems, brakes, heating and air conditioning. Within the engine, the oil is the blood that lubricates the system. Engine oil lubricates all of the moving parts inside your engine, helps prevent overheating, keeps the inside of your engine clean and assures all parts keep working smoothly together.

Check the oil in your car frequently

The oil in your engine is kept clean by the oil filter, which should be changed every time the oil is changed. Because the oil sweeps away particles of metal, dirt and carbon (soot), keeping the oil clean helps keep it refreshed to do its job efficiently. Some oil manufacturers have developed extended-wear oils (one has a product that now lasts a full year), which definitely cuts down on the time you spend on oil changes, but if you choose an extended life oil, you need to make sure you are using a filter that will also last that long. Oil filters contain media that removes contaminates from the oil, and if you choose a filter with a shorter lifespan, that material can break down far sooner than the oil, leading to premature failure of the oil and possibly substantial wear or damage to your engine.

Tire Rotations are also a key aspect of vehicle maintenance. Rotating your car’s tires assures that your tires wear evenly and helps identify possible other deficiencies in your vehicle’s suspension and steering. Regular tire rotations can extend your tire life by up to 10,000 miles, lowering or delaying the cost of replacing your tires. The same can be said for your tire pressure, which you should check regularly and keep within manufacturer’s specifications. Checking your tire pressure quarterly (or every time the seasons change) is a minimum, unless your vehicle has TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), which checks your tire pressure constantly for you. The handling and braking capability of your vehicle relies on the tires, so taking good care of the tires is a critical aspect of keeping your vehicle safe.

Wiper Blades keep your windshield clean and free of splatters, rain and snow, assuring safe vision as you drive. Wiper blades can be cleaned by sliding a wet towel or cloth down the thin strip that contacts the windshield. Wiper blades should be cleaned at least monthly and more often in dirty or snowy conditions. Wiper blades are inexpensive and should be replaced at least twice a year and more often in warmer climates. The summer heat is hard on the rubber material that wiper blades are made from, so the summer months can wear out wiper blades more quickly. Good times to change the wiper blades are first thing in the spring and again in the fall before winter sets in.

Wiper blades help you see while you’re driving in bad weather

Lights are critical to lighting the path where you’re driving but are also critical for other cars to see where you are and where you are going. While most cars will have some sort of indication if you have a failed bulb, not every vehicle does and even the best system doesn’t sense all the lights in your vehicle. At least every two months, take a walk around your car with all the lights turned on after dark — including the hazard flashers — and make sure all the lights are properly working. Have a friend step on the brake pedal and make sure the brake lights are working, too! If you notice one or more of the lights are not working, get it replaced as soon as possible — your safety depends on it.

The Serpentine Belt drives the accessories on your engine, the electrical, power steering and air conditioning systems also rely on it. Manufacturer recommendations differ widely on how often this needs to be replaced, but inspect the serpentine belt at least once a year, looking for cracks, splits or signs of serious wear on the grooved side of the belt. If it looks shiny on the grooved side it probably needs to be replaced. The serpentine belt may be shiny or dull looking on the flat side, either is fine, but if you see any cracks on the flat side, especially if they run parallel to the belt, you need to get the belt replaced.

Car Washes aren’t really a required part of a maintenance program, but regular washes will certainly extend the life of your vehicle. The underside of your car collects a lot of dirt and road grime that can build up on the surfaces causing rust. Also, all that dirt can work its way into critical systems and start affecting your brakes, wheel bearings, anti-lock brake sensors, electrical connections and all sorts of other nooks and crannies. At least one thorough wash on a regular basis will help keep the dirt at bay and help prevent those dirt gremlins from working into your car’s precious systems.

If you don’t know much about cars, it wouldn’t hurt to get an annual inspection. A good mechanic can do this at a modest charge and can let you know what needs to be fixed (if anything) and if there are issues that may need attention down the road. Of course, at Neil Huffman Mazda, our service department will gladly help you maintain your vehicle and provide the best maintenance for your new Mazda or any other vehicle. We even offer online scheduling for your convenience, 24 hours a day.