The Secrets of Car Maintenance You may know the basics of how to keep your car running and intact, but there are a few secrets that most people don’t know about car maintenance. These rules are easily kept and can go a long way in preserving the lifespan of your car and saving you money on car upkeep.
Avoid Tankers While looking for gas, avoid a station if the tanker is currently present. When they refill their underground tanks, it stirs up sediments that then find their way into your tank as your filling up. Sediment will clog fuel filters and injectors which will lead to poor performance and eventual repairs.
Use Less Key Chains It may seem harmless, but all those big pink bunny key chains hanging from your ignition can actually do some damage. The weight of the key chains will wear down the tumblers inside the ignition which leads to ignition switch failure. Take off those extra key chains and postpone any switch failure. If your ignition key sticks when you try to use it, that means your ignition key is about ready to fail and you need to replace it immediately.
Door and Window Seals In order to avoid the damage that you can do to the rubber on your window and door seals in the winter use a protectant. It will keep it from sticking in extreme cold weather. Do not use any oil-based products because that will only damage the rubber and will only perpetuate it’s needing a replacement.
Windshield Washer When it comes time to replace your windshield washer reservoir, do not use water. You may think it is the obvious and cheap decision that will help just as well but it would be a mistake. Not only will it not clean the window as sufficiently but it will freeze in the winter and damage the whole washer system. If you know that you are out of windshield washing fluid do not run the pump as doing so will damage it.
Wash in Winter With all of the snow and slush in winter, you and the rest of the world are pretty convinced that no washing is necessary. This is actually an incorrect assumption as winter is the most important time for you to wash your car. The most damage to it can be done by the snow, slush, mud, dirt, sand, and especially rock salt. If you cannot be bothered to wash your whole car every now and again in the winter, be sure that you at least take care of the most vulnerable parts such as the bumper and underparts of the car. Don’t use water to clean it unless you are sure that temperatures will be staying above freezing. Otherwise you will find yourself contacting your auto insurance agencies in Seattle or Monroe.
If you follow these easy tips you will be able to add years to the lifespan of your car and save more money than you would have thought possible. Photo Credit: Vjik86, MrK001