How to Prevent Wear and Tear on Your Vehicle

How can you prevent wear and tear on your vehicle?

1. Warm up the engine
2. Stay on top of maintenance schedules
3. Ease your use of the brakes
4. Park your car properly

Owning a car takes a lot of responsibility. If you think it’s just about visiting your local gas station and filling up your engine tank, then think again — it’s so much more than that. There are many mistakes that first-time car owners may not necessarily be aware of. If you belong in this category and want to prevent car damage on your very own, then you might need to exert a bit more effort than you might be used to. Buying a car is an invaluable investment and you want it to be able to service you for a long time. Read on to learn more.

Warm up the engine

You may already be familiar with this tip, but there’s no harm in being reminded of it. One simple way of reducing the level of wear and tear on your vehicle is by simply allowing it to warm up for a few seconds.

In the past, you may find yourself backing out of your driveway as soon as you start your car’s engine. Though modern vehicles are already fitted with a fuel injection system that does away with this technique, the same may not be true for older car models.

By allowing your car to remain idle for 30 seconds to a minute, you’re allowing the engine to gradually heat up, especially in the cool climate during the rainy season. It’s also advisable to start your car periodically, even without the intention of driving it. This allows you to recharge your batteries and prevent them from dying out so suddenly.

Stay on top of maintenance schedules

It can be tedious work, but you should always be consistent in maintaining your vehicle. Fortunately, there’s a simple way of knowing when you should have your car serviced, and it’s simply by looking at the instrument panel, or the odometer.

The instrument panel displays how far your vehicle has traveled. The recommendation is for you to bring it to a servicing center after 10,000 kilometers, or after six months has already lapsed. However, other manufacturers have varying rules regarding this one, so make sure that you refer back to the manual if you’re ever unsure about the car’s maintenance.

A comprehensive vehicle maintenance done by professionals can inspect many components of the car, such as tires, exhaust system, brake function, coolant levels, wheel alignment, and so on. This is your best bet in learning how to properly optimize your vehicle usage.

Ease your use of the brakes

As much as possible, you’d want to ease up on your brakes from time to time. Apart from being a good driving habit to adopt, this is also a great way of maintaining the quality of your brake system and being much safer on the roads.

For example, when you’re driving at relatively high speeds on the road, abruptly pressing down on the brakes can wear down your brake pads much quicker. As such, you’ll want to drive at a sustainable space where you can gradually and safely press down on the brakes with your foot — a safer habit for both you and your fellow drivers on the road.

Park your car properly

Finally, you’ll always want to make sure that your car is parked properly, wherever it’s situated. Making sure that it’s getting adequate shade and protection from ultraviolet rays can maintain the appearance of your car’s exterior. The rays from the sun can create discoloration on your car’s paint body if subjected to prolonged exposure.

On another note, parking your car properly also has to do with ensuring that the wheels are not off to one side. This is simply done by positioning your steering wheel in a straight direction before you park and turn off the engine.

Key Takeaway

All car owners aspire to prevent car damage to these modern marvels. As said before, investing in vehicles may be one of the smartest choices you’ll ever want. You surely wouldn’t want to spend exorbitant amounts of money on trying to repair irreparable damage to your vehicle.

The tips above can hopefully help you be on your way. Coupled with the right maintenance checks and the best driving habits, you can easily increase the lifespan of your car and enable it to handle it as smoothly for as long as you have it.