Owning and operating a vehicle daily comes with the commitment various forms of maintenance. While this can be tiring, it’s an absolute necessity for the safety of your vehicle, yourself, and everyone else on the road. One of the best ways to keep your vehicle is working order is to know the parts that should be maintained the most often. Learn about the parts of your vehicle that should be maintained regularly by reading below.
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Brake Pads
In most vehicles, break failure is one of the most common causes of accidents related to mechanical failure. Break failure can be one of the most dangerous mechanical failures, especially when you’re driving on the road and having to stop for traffic. The good news is that it’s easy to check and tell if they’re worn out and need replacing. Check your breaks at least every tire rotation. If you’re feeling heavy resistance when trying to press down on the break, have them inspected immediately.
Air Filter
The air filter ensures clean, uncontaminated air gets taken into your engine. However, they can become clogged after a long period of use by all of the dirt and grime they end up collecting and filtering out. When this air flow is blocked off, your engine will begin to stall. Power failure due to clogged air filters happen in both gasoline and diesel vehicles. Proper cleaning is just one of the ways to extend the life of a diesel air filter. You can do this with gasoline engines as well. Whenever you hit another 12,000 miles, you should be replacing the air filter.
Oil
Many people drive long periods of time and forget about the condition of their oil. This is not a wise way to think. Your car must get a proper oil change frequent enough for your vehicle to run properly. If your oil isn’t changed frequently enough, you run the risk of damaging your engine. You should also be checking the amount of oil is in the engine. If your oil remains too low and you keep driving without filling it, you could end up with a blown engine. Get an oil change around every 3,000 miles.
Tires
Another of the parts of your vehicle that should be maintained regularly is the tires. You don’t want to be driving around, especially long distances, with bad tires. The likelihood of you getting in an accident increases three times by simply driving on underinflated tires. The alignment is also incredibly crucial. Poorly aligned tires can actually pull you off the road or into the wrong lane and oncoming traffic. Make sure to check your tire pressure regularly. If you notice your tires pulling your vehicle in a particular direction, you need to get the alignment fixed immediately before driving further.
