When it comes to auto maintenance, it’s always a good idea to schedule regular checkups at your local auto mechanic.
Stewart’s Donnybrook Automotive in Tyler, Texas, knows the importance of keeping up with tire maintenance, oil changes, filter changes, and all the other details that keep your car, truck, or SUV running smoothly. Your vehicle keeps you and your family safe daily, and regular maintenance is a big part of that.
While it’s important to take your vehicle to your local auto mechanic shop regularly, there are also some auto maintenance tricks you can do at home that will help keep your vehicle running smoothly and keep you from needing car repair sooner than expected.
Tire maintenance is crucial to keeping your car in the best working condition. No one likes to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. Not only is it inconvenient—but it can also be dangerous. Keeping your tires properly maintained at home can help save you trouble on the road and potentially expensive tire repairs or replacements.
Regularly check your tire pressure at home, and if you notice that one or more of your tires are low, make sure you air them up either at home or at the gas station. If you notice a tire is losing air regularly, it’s a good idea to take it to your local garage and have it looked at. You might have a nail or other sharp object in the tire or have a slow leak that could lead to a flat.
When checking your tires, don’t forget your spare. Have you ever gone to change a flat tire and found that the spare is also flat? No fun. Make sure to check and maintain your spare tire to ensure it’s in good working order when you need it.
While having a clean car might not seem at the top of the list for vehicle maintenance tips, there’s a lot to be said for keeping your vehicle clean. Clutter in a car is one thing, but it’s important to ensure you regularly keep dust from clogging your air conditioner vents and getting into all the other little cracks and crevices. It’s harder to diagnose issues if the inside of your car is dirty.
When it comes to the outside of your vehicle, keeping it clean can help keep the paint from degrading, as well as dust, dirt, and other debris from causing issues with everything from your headlights and taillights to your spark plugs to something as important as your engine.
If you don’t want to spend the money on detailing your car at a local car wash, you can easily wash and detail your car at home. Better yet, maybe you can convince your kids to do it!
East Texas gets a lot of sun, and it’s important to think about your vehicle when it comes to protecting it from the elements.
Sun can do a lot of damage to paint, as well as the interior of your vehicle. Using a sunshade when you park—especially for long periods of time—can help a lot.
On top of lots of sun, East Texas gets big storms and even tornadoes. If your vehicle is outside during such weather, you might suffer damage from flying debris, water damage from rain, or hail damage. To protect your vehicle, it’s a good idea to keep it covered and even inside a garage if possible. While building or adding a protective space for your vehicle might be a cost in the short term, you’ll save yourself pricey vehicle repairs in the long term.
There aren’t many things that can cause problems with your engine like running out of oil. Too often, people wait until their oil light comes on to check or change their oil. By then, it might be too late.
One of the most important car maintenance tips out there is to take the time to check your oil and add or change oil if necessary. Your car and wallet will thank you down the road.
When you check your oil, make sure to do so when the engine is warm—aka after the vehicle has been running for a while.
While checking your oil at home and adding more if needed will help maintain your car, scheduling regular oil changes with your trusted local East Texas mechanic is crucial. When you get your oil changed, the mechanics should also check and maintain your vehicle’s fluid levels, filters, tires, head and taillights, and other basic vehicle maintenance details to help prevent breakdowns and keep your car, truck, or SUV running smoothly.
While this might seem self-evident, regularly driving your vehicle is an important way to make sure it stays running properly. When a car sits for too long, things start to degrade and could even cause your engine to stop working properly. If you have a vehicle that hasn’t been started in a while or that you don’t use regularly, make sure you start it and take it for a spin to get the engine warmed up and check the gauges to see that everything is in proper working order.
While it’s necessary to take your car to a professional mechanic near you regularly for routine maintenance, there are simple maintenance tricks you can do at home that will help save you money and keep your vehicle working properly.
