We’all have been guilty on going above the service due date which is forgivable if not too often. But the least you can do with your busy schedule is these 5 Basic Car Maintenance Tips that you can quickly cramp into your schedule:
1. Check your Car Lubricants
Not many attention was given to the engine oil inside our car engine. The attention is only given when we’ve seen the due date in the little stickers on our windshield or when the engine warning light came out. However, paying extra attention or not to your car lubricants will save or cost your serious amount of money in the future. After all, the car engine is the heart of the car. No heart, how to go liao! Check your car engine oil regularly as the colour, consistency and oil level will give you an important indication on the health of your car. Commonly, a new or healthy lubricant will provide a pale yellow or golden colour while an old or unhealthy lubricant will provide dark, brown or even black colour as a result of wear & tear in the engine. Furthermore, your engine oil dipstick provides an indication with a small marking on the stick indicating the amount of the engine oil inside of the engine. Aim for the same level or slighly lower for the oil level amount.
2. Check your wheels & brakes
No tayar how can your car jalan? It’s the only parts of your car that in contact of you and the road. The wheels & braking system is your ultimate life-savour as you travel. Faulty wheels or brakes will provide an uncomfortable ride or even endangering you and other road users. Pay attention to the amount of thread on your tyres and get more tips on tyres maintenance here (hyperlink to previous web post). As for the brakes, look for the signs and feedback while you’re driving. Do your brakes producing weird noises or is your wheels shaking or vibrating during acceleration of brakings? If so, it’s a good time to visit your service centre to get a throughout check
3. Check Coolant System
No matter how innovative the automotive world is, we’re still relying on the basic mechanism that been ages on how a car works. It’s a combination of multiple elements from gears and combustion. Hence, when there’s movement, there’s heat. When there’s heat, there’s a coolant system in place to keep the heat in check. Faulty coolant equals to the faulty engine, faulty engine leads to much more faulty system. Faulty system equals to burn your wallet lah!
4. Take note of Fuel Consumption
This is a bit old-school. With newer car these days, there’s already a built-in reading system that monitor your fuel consumption. However, taking note of your own fuel consumption will give you a better understanding of your car’s performance. Most importantly, it provides a pattern to be overseen. Is your car drink petrol more than the last 2 months significantly? Are you getting same mileage covered monthly but your car throttle seems a bit heavy? Take note of these pattern as it provides a more solid insight on your car’s performance.
5. Keep a clean space
For some, a car is their second home away from home. They sleep & eat in the car. If you’re one of them, spring cleaning once a week will do you more good than harm. Exessive items in your car will not just affect the cleanest of your car but it will also avoid unnecessary distractions while you’re driving. You don’t want to see flying socks while taking the sharp corners kan?
There’s more to be covered when it comes to car maintenance. But let’s be honest, not all of us have the time to get it right on our own!
Lim Tayar is your car One-Stop Service Centre with ranges of car products and services and over 35 years of Malaysia automotive industry. Lim Tayar provides FREE 15-point check that covers all your basic car checklist in ensuring a safer journey for our customers through our 15 point check. We’re open 7 days a week, including public holiday! Looking for a reliable service centre? Look no further than Lim Tayar!