5 Essential Car Maintenance Tips in Metro-Detroit, MI

A car’s performance, longevity, and safety depend on how well-maintained it is. Ignoring necessary checks will eventually lead to your vehicle’s breakdown, amounting to costly bills. You can avoid all that by maintaining your car by yourself. Yes, car maintenance does not always need a mechanic who will service the vehicle weekly. You can be your mechanic as long as you follow some basic tips.

Here Are the Most Effective Ways to Improve the Overall Car Performance

Make the Car Manual Your Best Friend

Do you have the original user manual handy? If not, will you be able to locate it? Wondering why we are stressing so much on the owner’s manual? Well, it will be your guide for everything about your vehicle and you are bound to discover things you must not be doing, which can void existing warranties. Find the section on Maintenance Schedule and mark the pages. Do not forget to make a note of the schedules for regular maintenance like tire pressure, rotation, and more. You will find more detail mentioned below.

Oil and Filter Change

Your car’s oil is the source of your engines’ life. As a lubricant, your oil assures key engine parts that don’t grind against one another. Over time, this will completely damage the engine. If you avoid changing the oil from time-to-time, contaminants will get deposited, resulting in parts rubbings against one another and eventually malfunctioning.

Choose the Right Kind of Oil for Your Vehicle

Knowing the ideal oil for your vehicle is a necessity. Your options are petroleum-based or synthetic. It is not compulsory to always stick to one or the other. What is important is whether the oil satisfies the desired viscosity and offers great service as mentioned in the user manual. If the oil you pick meets the abovementioned condition, feel free to go for either or keep switching between the two if you want.

Tire Pressure

Tires are critical for your car’s safety. Inadequate pressure will affect a car’s on-road performance, jeopardizing the driver and passenger’s safety. To put it simply: unless a tire is inflated sufficiently, the car is prone to a blowout. Experts suggest inflating tires when the car has driven about a mile or lesser. This way the reading will be near accurate.

How to Check Your Car’s Essential Fluids

Besides oil, a car has other fluids like coolant and washer, transmission, and brake fluid. You can check the transmission fluid just the way you check the oil – with a dipstick. For checking the amount of washer and brake fluid, just take off the covers and check.

Do not ever make the mistake of removing the radiator cap to check the amount of coolant. Wondering why we are restricting you from doing so? Because it is extremely risky. To keep track of your coolant, check the refill container. Only when your car’s engine has turned cold, the coolant level will be above the “fill” or “minimum” line on the container. Also, always check your wiper blades, air filter, and battery just to avoid unprecedented glitches.

Time to Visit Your Fraser, MI Auto Repair Shop?

Feel free to stop in and visit Car Guys Auto Center today or give us a call at (586) 285-4444!  We would be happy to answer any auto-related questions you may have.  We are located at :

Car Guys Auto Center
32639 Groesbeck Hwy
Fraser, MI 48026