Most car owners are not fully aware of what lies beneath the hood of their car. Hence, they are not adept in early detection of any problem that can occur in their car.
By the time it gets detected, the problem has already become a major one. The result is that now the car owner pays a hefty some to get the repairs done.
All this can be avoided if car owners know more about their cars and take proper care of vital machinery beneath that hood. Following are a few tips that can help you with basic car maintenance and help you detect and tackle a problem even before it has manifested itself.
A) Engine:
Oil Level: Too high or too low a level of engine oil can mean trouble for your car's engine. Check it regularly too ensure that there is adequate amount of engine oil, or else the engine would burn itself.
Engine Belt: Belts attached to the engines are the life of your car. Almost everything runs through them. Hence, regularly check for wear and tear and tension in the belts. They shouldn't be slackened or too tight.
Coolant: Checking coolant levels is necessary or else you will find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere.
B) Tyres:
Tyre pressure: It is mandatory to have optimum air-pressure levels inside your tyre. If the pressure is too much or too less, the car's tyres will face above-average wear and tear.
Tyre pressure will also have an impact upon your fuel economy and suspension. Higher pressure will increase chances of damage to the suspension whereas lower pressure would increase fuel consumption.
C) Lights:
Check whether the front, rear and indicator lights are functioning or not. Get the front lights tested for their brightness. If they are not bright, get the lamp and/or reflector changed. Ensure that break and indicator lights are working properly. These come in handy when you drive at night.
D) Battery:
Negative rather than Positive: The proper way of disconnecting your battery from all electrical subsystems inside your car is to remove the wire from the negative terminal first and then removing the wire attached to the positive terminal. This would avoid chances of shorting.
Check that the contact points in your 12 volt car battery is clean. This would ensure that your car gets uninterrupted supply of electricity.
E) Read Warning Lights on the Dashboard:
Car makers have already provided you with technology to know about the status of vital things inside your car. The dashboard is fitted with indicator lights such as engine ("check" and "service") lights, "battery fault" light, "coolant warning" light, "engine temperature" light, "brake" light. These tell you vital information and can help you avoid major expenses on car and your life.
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