Making sure your car receives regular services is important for several reasons. By maintaining your car, you can ensure it’s safe to drive and less likely to need pricey repairs down the track. You’ll also be saving money by improving your vehicle’s fuel economy and extending its lifespan.
It’s important for you to know what needs to be done and how often for optimal upkeep of your vehicle. We’ve put together a guide to help you keep on top of your car maintenance requirements.
1. Keep it clean!
The simplest thing you can do to maintain your car’s value is to keep it clean – both inside and out.
By keeping the exterior clean, you can protect the paint, and therefore maintain the appearance and value of your vehicle. If you park outside and your car is exposed to tree sap or bird droppings, these should be cleaned off as soon as possible to prevent damage to the top layer of paint. If you wait too long, it could leave stains or even ruin the paint, meaning you’ll have to respray the entire panel. Leaving dirty water for too long can also result in stains you can’t wipe away – not to mention caked on dust that has the potential to scratch the paint finish when you try to clean it off.
Keeping the inside of your car clean is just as important as making sure the outside looks good – so get the vacuum and some non-toxic surface cleaner out. Bacteria can lurk in the carpets and plastics, while dust and pollen can enter through the air vents and settle inside the cabin. Regular interior cleaning will prevent potential allergies and breathing conditions.
2. Check your oil and coolant levels
To avoid problems with your engine, you need to make sure that your oil and coolant are at the correct level. Although these are things you can check on your own, at TAMMS Repair Centres, our mechanics will monitor and keep a record of these levels during your scheduled service to ensure they are always sitting where they should be.
3. Have a look at your air filter
The air filter is an important component of your engine. It regulates the airflow through your engine and helps to keep debris and particulate matter out. When your air filter is flowing properly, it improves your fuel economy, decreases your emissions, and extends the life of your engine. Your air filter is usually replaced once a year, depending on where most of your driving takes place. If you mainly drive on a dusty or sandy road, you’ll probably need to have your filters replaced more regularly. Because some air filters can be more complex and difficult to clean or replace, we recommend letting one of our experts take care of this for you.
4. Make sure your tyre pressure and tread depth are correct
You should be checking your tyre pressure at a service station at least once a month. If you’re not sure what the correct tyre pressure for your car is, check the sticker on the inside of your car door. The legal minimum for your tyre tread depth is 1.5mm – anything lower than this and your car will be classed as unroadworthy. Instead of fussing with a tyre tread depth indicator or the coin trick, let our team of professionals monitor the tread depth and pressure of your tyres to ensure a safe ride for you and your passengers.
5. Get your tyres rotated and wheels aligned
The tread wear patterns typically vary between your front and rear tyres. It’s important to rotate your tyres to extend their service life by evenly balancing the tread wear. This also helps to prevent noise and vibration issues. Our mechanics can look after this for you to improve the safety and effectiveness of your vehicle.
6. Check your headlights, indicators, brake and parking lights are working
To reduce the likelihood of someone crashing into you because they didn’t see you, you need to make sure your lights are all functioning properly. If they’re not, let one of our experts do the repairs to keep you and other drivers safe.
7. Ensure your transmission fluid is at the right level
Transmission fluid ensures all the moving parts inside your transmission are functioning properly. Depending on whether you drive a manual or an automatic vehicle, the time between changing your transmission fluid will vary. Our mechanics will follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations when it comes to changing your transmission fluid.
8. Get your shocks and struts inspected
The shocks and struts are an integral part of your car’s steering system. They control the impact and rebound of your vehicle when you drive over bumps in the road. These are usually replaced every 50,000 kilometres but are inspected during each scheduled service to ensure they are working correctly.
9. Have your spark plugs checked
Without spark plugs, your vehicle wouldn’t start. Spark plugs ignite the gas and air mixture that powers your vehicle. When they aren’t working properly, your engine loses power and won’t run at its optimal capacity. You can often identify a problem with your spark plugs if you have trouble starting your car or your car struggles to accelerate. Bring your car in and our experts can test your spark plugs and replace them if necessary.
10. Replace your windscreen wipers
Your windscreen wipers should be replaced once a year, usually before winter starts as they can harden over the warmer months.
11. Make sure your battery is working correctly
Without your car battery, your vehicle simply won’t run. Our mechanics will perform battery checks during your service and replace your battery when required.
If you’re looking for more information on regular car services, don’t forget to read this.
By following your servicing schedule, you can help extend the life of your vehicle and avoid any unwanted breakdowns or expensive repairs. It also comes in handy when you decide to sell your vehicle. Let TAMMS Repair Centres take care of all your vehicle maintenance. Be sure to give us a call and book your vehicle in with us.
