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Keeping Your Vehicle "Fit"
October 6, 2009
You work hard to keep your body fit and looking good: you log hours at the gym, visit the doctor annually, eat healthy foods, observe good hygiene—but what is the best routine for keeping your vehicle performing and looking its best? Proper maintenance is incredibly important for maintaining your vehicle’s value over time, so read on for tips to help ensure your investment.
1. Wash your vehicle regularly. Acid from bugs, bird droppings, tree sap and even leaves becomes more active when heated. Metal retains heat when sitting out in the sun, which in turn increases the chances that these irritants will cause permanent stains when left on your car. So wash your vehicle regularly, but use a commercial car wash—doing it yourself can be harmful to the environment. Most commercial car washes use 60 percent less water for the entire process than a homeowner uses just to rinse the car! [epa.gov] In addition, wax your vehicle twice a year to protect its factory-added clearcoat from damage and to maintain the car´s color and shine.
2. Keep it tuned. According to motortrend.com, keeping up with regular vehicle maintenance can allow you to increase your gas mileage by an average of 4.1%. In addition, skipping regular maintenance can be costly: drivers who defer regular maintenance risk engine failure and compromise safety.
3. Follow the oil change schedule recommended by your manufacturer. Motor oil lubricates the car engine, reducing friction and allowing the engine parts to move smoothly, protecting them from wear and tear. There are many variables that determine how often an oil change is needed (climate, drive time, highway or city street driving, etc.). You should refer to the guidelines posted by your manufacturer for specific information about how frequently oil changes are recommended.
4. Go easy during startup. A cold engine (one that´s sat for more than five hours) will have little or no oil left on the moving parts because it has all seeped down into the oil pan. It takes only a few seconds after start-up for the oil pump to adequately lubricate an engine, so give the engine at least 30 seconds (longer if it has sat for more than 24 hours) before driving, recommends Edmunds.com.
5. Check your engine air filter every 7,500 miles. Your vehicle´s air filter prevents dust and dirt from entering the engine. A dirty or clogged air filter restricts the airflow and will reduce engine performance and fuel economy while increasing exhaust emission levels. Typically, your repair shop will inspect the filter at each oil change, but motortrend.com offers a tip for checking it yourself. Hold the filter up to a 60-watt bulb—if you can see light through much of the filter, it´s still clean enough to work effectively. However, if the light is blocked by most of the filter, replace it.
6. Rotate your tires on a regular basis. It’s important to rotate tires regularly to promote more uniform wear for all of the tires on a vehicle. You should check your vehicle owner´s manual for the manufacturer´s rotation recommendations, but if no rotation period is specified, tires should likely be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, according to Goodyear Tires. Also, it’s important to make sure tires are properly inflated: properly inflated tires grip the road better for braking and can improve your gas mileage.
7. Brake gently. Stopping from 65 mph rather than 55 mph forces the brakes to dissipate about a third more energy, says Edmunds.com. In addition, don’t carry unnecessary weight. According to the fueleconomy.gov Web site, an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent.
There are a lot of little—but important—steps you can take to help ensure the long life and top performance of your vehicle, and some bigger ones, too. Some you can complete on your own, and for others you’ll need to rely on professionals, but the investment is worth it. Just as you make caring for your body part of your routine, try to make caring for your vehicle part of your routine, too, and you’ll be able to enjoy a vehicle that runs smoothly and looks good for years to come.
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