Essential Vehicle Checkup Tips
Author: Marcel Angelo Navarro
Essential Vehicle Checkup Tips are crucial for maintaining your car’s safety, performance, and longevity. Regular checkups, such as checking tire pressure, inspecting brakes, changing oil, and ensuring all lights and signals are working, can help prevent costly repairs. Monitoring fluid levels—coolant, transmission, and brake fluid—ensures your vehicle stays in top shape, improving fuel efficiency, reducing breakdown risks, and offering peace of mind on the road.
To maintain your vehicle long-term and to a high standard, here’s a seasonal checklist. Some elements should be checked more frequently, while others can be assessed less often. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and keep records of services performed.
Taking care of your car so that it runs smoothly takes some elbow grease unless you have to be a car expert to maintain your car? The big hurdle is knowing what needs to be done and how often to maintain your vehicle in top condition.
Here’s what you need to check in order to maintain your vehicle:
OIL AND COOLANT LEVELS
Once a month or a few gas fill-ups, especially before any longer road trips, it’s a good idea to get under the hood of your car when the engine is cool and check the coolant and oil levels. Low levels of either, if left unchecked, can result in engine problems. To locate both on your specific vehicle, check your owner’s manual.
AIR FILTER
The air filter in your engine helps to regulate the airflow coming into the engine as well as help catch any debris and particles. Ensuring your air filter is functioning properly can prolong the life of your engine, reduce emissions, and make your car more fuel efficient.
FILTER AND OIL
Motor oil does many jobs in the engine of a car. It cools the engine from overheating, prevents it from corroding, lubricates the moving parts and seals it from external dirt. Therefore, for engine health and operation, it is essential to maintain it clean. Oil and oil filter changes may be needed every three months or 3,000 miles, depending on the car and oil type. However, many newer car manuals recommend oil changes every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. To be sure, refer to your owner’s manual or consult a specialist for the best maintenance schedule for your car.
BRAKE, PARKING, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS
It’s vital to check that your car’s lights are all working perfectly, yet it’s one of those things that often gets forgotten. Every month, when you park in front of a level area, turn on your headlights and check to see that both are pointing the same way. Walk around your car and visually check your parking lights and turn signals. Have a buddy monitor the rear of your car for operation as you press your brake pedals to test the status of your brake lights.
In the time between your calendar and your own reflective musings, which typically happen under an overhead fluorescent bulb at work, you have adequately built up enough pressure inside you, bright enough for it to turn to steam and blow. It happens before it starts heating, and then it sometimes boils but then sometimes ends up functioning effectively.
ROTATE TIRES
The patterns of tread wear present on tires can vary between the front and rear tires, or even vary between the two sides of the tread surface on the same tire, depending on the alignment of your vehicle, how you use your vehicle, and numerous other factors. Tire rotation can help to prolong tire life by more even distribution of tread wear and reduction of noise and vibration.
WAX VEHICLE
Thus, your ride will keep shining and also, waxing every six months after washing it will maintain the paint in form and reduce the chances of rust. Wax keeps moisture away from attaching itself to the surface of the paint. Sunlight acts as a source of damage, and ozone and other irritants such as dust, sand, and salt create all kinds of microscopic damage.
LONG TERM CHECK-UPS
TRANSMISSION FLUID
Transmission fluid acts as a lubricant between the different moving parts inside the car, ensuring that they perform their necessary functions, just like engine oil. If you drive an automatic or manual car, you need to get your transmission fluid checked and replaced if it prefers to burn. This is important for preventing serious and expensive damage or replacement to the entire transmission system. Follow the car manufacturer’s guidelines.
INSPECT YOUR SHOCKS AND STRUTS
The shocks and struts facilitate the vehicles to absorb sudden bumps while helping to control rebound. Importantly, they are an integral part of the steering system of your auto. They should be inspected by a professional mechanic every fifty thousand miles, or the car should be brought to a garage when it starts experiencing a loss of smoothness or control while driving.
SPARK PLUGS
The spark plug provides ignition to a mixture of air and gas that should finally ignite the vehicle. If the spark plugs are not functioning, then the engine is probably the one that power will be lost, and it won’t run the optimal efficient capacity. A car professional needs to check the spark plugs and replace faulty ones based on manufacturer recommendations or whenever the car owner feels a loss in power.
FRONT AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL
These are the devices that divide the power from the engine as torque and allow joining or removing points for power to the tires. There will be only one differential in any front or rear wheel drive vehicle, while all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicles come outfitted with both front and rear differentials, and possibly even a center differential. Like many parts of your car, differentials also need care maintenance to ensure effective functioning. Check how your car manufacturer recommends for changing the fluid, and when due, have it professionally checked and changed as necessary.
SEASONAL CHECKUPS
MONITOR COOLANT LEVELS
To keep your radiator or engine parts from freezing during winter, check also antifreeze levels in your radiator. A 50/50 antifreeze to water has been recommended but double-check with your owner’s manual or an expert for specifics.
Regular and systematic maintenance of your car with proper documentation of activities will make your car endure and save you from expensive repairs, inconveniences, and nasty surprises.
CHECK BATTERY PERFORMANCE
The battery is one of the most important components required for the electrical operation of your car. An automobile battery supports the engine, starter, and electrical components of the vehicle with substantial amounts of current. Regular battery testing is a sure guarantee that the battery will perform to your demands since extreme temperatures affect battery performance.
REPLACE WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Windshield wipers need to be replaced about once every year, or whenever the effectiveness is compromised. In winter months, it could also be a good idea to install winter wiper blades for optimum performance. You should also pull your wipers away from the window when parked during the winter to prevent ice buildup.
REPLACE TIRES
Keep your tires’ inflation pressure at the recommended level.
For optimal tire performance, safety, and fuel efficiency, the right inflation pressure is required. Don’t forget to use a precise tire pressure gauge to check your tires often (at least once a month) while they are cool.
Keep the inflation rate at the suggested level.
The owner’s manual or the vehicle placard will tell you the recommended level. The most crucial thing you can do to keep your tires durable and long-lasting is to maintain the right inflation pressure.
The most common cause of irreparable tire damage is underinflation, which can lead to serious cracking and subsequent air loss. It causes heat and mechanical damage by decreasing load capacity, permitting excessive sidewall flexing, and increasing rolling resistance.
Increased stiffness from overinflation can make driving uncomfortable and result in undesired vibrations in the car. Additionally, it raises the possibility of impact damage.
Avoid spinning your tires too much.
When your car is stuck in sand, mud, snow, or ice, try not to spin your tires too much. Tire overheating and irreparable damage could result from this. To release your car, gently rock it forward and backward. Never stand close to or behind a tire that is spinning quickly, such as when trying to push a stalled automobile or when an on-car spin balancer is operating.
Examine the wear on your tires.
Tires should always be taken out of service when their tread depth is 1.6 mm. When the treads are worn to 1.6 mm level, the tread wear indicators on all new tires show up as smooth banks in the tread grooves. Tires that are bald or almost bald might cause skidding accidents in wet conditions. Additionally, tires that are overly worn have a higher risk of punctures.
SIGNS THAT YOUR CAR NEEDS MAINTENANCE
Understanding certain signs of your car needing service or repairs is important for any car owner. Performing maintenance early on can help save you money in the way of preventing more expensive repairs later.
Even a car that’s well maintained and follows the checklist from above can experience problems that will require servicing. KBB explains a few of the more common signs to look out for when your vehicle may need immediate service:
– Check Engine Light
– Any Issues with Braking
– Lacking Acceleration
– Vibrations
– Stalling or Difficulty Starting the Car
– Fuel Efficiency Changes
– Hard or Delayed Shifting
REFERENCES:
Bridgestone. (n.d.). The ultimate car maintenance checklist. Bridgestone Tire. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://www.bridgestonetire.com/learn/maintenance/ultimate-car-maintenance-checklist/
Allstate. (n.d.). Car maintenance tips. Allstate Insurance Company. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://www.allstate.com/resources/car-insurance/car-maintenance-tips
Toyota. (n.d.). Basic car maintenance tips and services checklist. Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://www.toyota.com/car-tips/basic-car-maintenance-tips-services-checklist/
Toyota Philippines. (n.d.). 25 things to check before your next road trip. Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://toyota.com.ph/blog/25-Things-To-Check-Before-Your-Next-Roadtrip