Coolant

Prevention is better than cure. Probably, when it comes to using clichés this will win the contest hands down, but still it says a lot. If you maintain your car from the Day 1 itself then there won’t be any breakdowns or mechanic hassles. Still confused from where to start from? Initiate from here - K&N air filter. This air filter will provide your vehicle protection against dirt and oil backup and can also be washed away with water as well as reused. The K&N air filter will also increase the air flow which will upgrade the performance of your vehicle. Check this weekly on new cars, daily on cars more than a year or two old. Always check this when the car is cold. Open the radiator cap. Does the fluid come all the way to the top? If not, top it up with coolant. Check the radiator overflow container. Top that up also if needed. If you are having to frequently add coolant then you have an underlying problem in your cooling system and you need to get this looked into thoroughly.

Oil

Check the oil weekly on new cars, daily on older cars. Look at your owners manual to determine which grade of oil you should use. Check the oil by taking out the oil dipstick. Wipe it clean. Insert it back in fully again. Pull it back out and observe the level of oil against the markings on the dipstick. It will tell you if the oil level is full or if it requires adding oil. If you are having to add oil frequently then you have an oil leak or the car is burning oil.

Change the oil completely and replace the oil filter every 3 months or 3000 miles WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. We recommend this strongly, no matter what any manual or mechanic might suggest to the contrary. You will more than save in repair bills for any money you spend on regular oil changes at 3 months or 3,000 miles.

Transmission fluid or oil

Check the transmission fluid in automatics weekly. Check it with the engine running. In cars that are a few years old we suggest that you check it every time you fill up at the gas station. If you have had any history of transmission problems then check it daily. There is a dipstick to check the fluid level. Using a special funnel that fits right into the filler that the dipstick sits in, keep it topped up. Synthetic fluid is recommended. If any quantity of fluid is getting used up then get the transmission fully checked out. Change the fluid once a year. In a manual transmission the gear oil is sealed into the gear box and there is nothing to check. Get this gear oil replaced once a year by your mechanic.

Power steering fluid

If you have power steering then you need to check the power steering fluid regularly. It is usually in a similar type of container as transmission fluid. If this fluid is getting used up a lot, or you detect any problems with your steering column, such as a lack of smoothness or any noise, check it out at once.

Brake fluid

Check this weekly in new cars, daily in older cars. There is another container that is similar to the transmission fluid canister. Make sure you have these clearly marked so they do not get confused. If you are having to add brake fluid you must get your brakes checked out and serviced to avoid the danger of accidents due to brake failure.

Tires

Check your tires every time you fill up at the gas station. Invest in a tire pressure gauge as most gas stations can supply you with air but few now have working pressure gauges. Look in the manual for the correct tire pressure for your car. Note that this pressure is usually based on using the recommended tire for that car. Of course that is the only type of tire you should use anyway. If you are going on a long journey the tire pressure should be a bit higher then normal. If you are carrying extra weight or hitching up a trailer then you must add additional pressure. Once you are back to normal weight don't forget to put the pressure back to normal.

Check your tires for wear. If the tires become worn on one side of the car more than the other you need to get an alignment. Tires also need to be correctly balanced. Tires can wear at one spot more than others or a wheel can get slightly chipped or scraped and cease to revolve in a true circle. This will cause the car to shake. Such a wheel needs to have small weights attached at the points it is out of true to allow it to revolve correctly again. This is called balancing. When you see a tire wearing down to the point that there are flat spots on the tire then it is time to change it Never let a tire wear down to the metal underneath the rubber—the tire can explode as you are driving.

The only way in which you rotate radial tires (which means almost all tires today) is to move the back tires to the front wheels and the front tires to the back wheels. Never switch them from side to side. If your car is rear-wheel drive the back tires will wear down first. So when you see the back tires begin to wear a little rotate them with the front tires, as long as the front tires are in better condition. For front-wheel drive, when the front tires begins to wear a little, switch them with the back tires as long as the back tires are in better condition.

Battery

If your battery is not of the maintenance-free variety, you need to check the battery fluid level regularly and top up with distilled water only as needed.

Windshield fluid

Check this fluid regularly. Ensure your wipers are in good condition also, before winter hits.

Tune-ups

If you have a new car or if your car has been properly serviced according to the manual, then simply continue to service it according to those specifications. If your car is older and has not been serviced in this way then you need to get regular tune-up servicing. A good mechanic will do a thorough check, replacing only those items that require it.

Normally this will mean checking and probably replacing the air filter, the fuel filter, the distributor cap and rotor, the spark plugs and spark plug wires, the oxygen sensor on the exhaust manifold, adjusting the timing, changing the oil and oil filter, and lubrication of all the joints under the car.

Major tune-ups will involve the replacement of items such as timing belts, valve adjustments, and so forth. These can be checked each time you get a tune-up but timing belts should only have to be replaced approximately every 50 to 60,000 miles.

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