Spring is here, and it’s time to venture outdoors and enjoy the warmer weather. But before you set out on a spring journey, prepare your vehicle. Drive safely once you’ve followed these seven basic vehicle maintenance checks.
1. Wash Your Car
Winter is tough on your car. Freezing temperatures and salt build-up can do serious damage to your car’s paintwork. Start the season by taking your car to be washed or by washing it yourself. If you choose to take it to a car wash, make sure that the exterior and undercarriage are thoroughly washed to remove any salt buildup. If you wash your car yourself, add some baking soda to your water to neutralize the salt buildup.
2. Check the Tires
During the cold winter months, your tires can stiffen, causing cracks and other damage. Many national auto services retailers offer free tire inspection.
While you have your tires inspected, have them rotated, aligned, and the air pressure checked as well. This will help your tires to last longer and the right tire pressure will aid in saving on gasoline.
3. Replace Wiper Blades and Fluid
The icy winter is hard on wiper blades, and snow can wear and damage your wiper blades. Even if your wiper blades look all right, replacing them is a good idea before they start leaving streaks on your windshield. New wiper blades improve your visibility while driving, reducing the risk of an accident.
Replacing wiper blades is a relatively easy and cheap maintenance job. Either take your car to an auto technician to change the blades or replace them yourself.
Be sure to top off your windshield fluid. During winter, it is constantly used to clean grime from the windshield, so, spring is the perfect time to fill it up.
4. Change the Oil
Many cars use thicker oil in the summer and thinner oil that flows more easily during winter. Whether your car uses multi-viscosity oil or not, it’s a good idea to change the oil in the spring. During winter the oil and the oil filter became dirty, changing the oil will help your engine to perform well and last longer.
5. Check the Battery
During the winter months when your vehicle works hard, the battery can drain. Many auto parts stores offer a free battery check. If your vehicle’s battery is weakening, prevent future problems by replacing it before it fails.
6. Check the Air Conditioning
Before the heat of summer, get your car technician to check your air conditioning for leaks and functionality, and top up the refrigerant if necessary. During the winter months, it’s a good idea to regularly run your air conditioning for a few minutes for it to stay fresh. That way, when you turn on the air conditioning on a blazing summer day, you’ll know that it will work.
7. Change the Air Filters
After a long winter, changing the cabin and engine air filter will help you and your engine to breathe better. A clean cabin air filter will make sure that your cabin air is allergen-free, with good and clean airflow.
By following this checklist, your vehicle will be ready for spring and all that comes with visiting the outdoors!
Image via pixabay.com | Licensed under Pixabay License
Connect with us
