Tips and Ideas

Tips and Ideas

If you love your car and want to keep it running smoothly as long as you can, then these maintenance tips can help.

We will start with the timing belt. Not every car has a timing belt, some have a timing chain which does not need to be changed. A timing belt on the other hand is basically a rubber belt, which controls the timing and motion of your entire engine. It is little wonder then that this eventually wears out and must be replaced. The bad news is that it is a long, tedious task due the number of parts which rely on the timing belt.

In most cases, the engine must be almost completely pulled apart to replace the timing belt. Each car will have a different timing belt maintenance schedule; however the average is to change it at around every 60,000 miles or 100,000 km. It is very important that you adhere to this routine as a snapped timing belt can spell the end of your engine. It is not recommended to change your timing belt yourself; however this car maintenance tip is vital so I felt I should mention it here.

Obviously one of the biggest car maintenance tips involves changing the engine oil. This should be done every 3000 miles or so (5000 km). Changing the oil stops the engine from getting sludgy. When this happens the parts will not fluidly work together, which can cause a whole stack of problems. Oil changes can be done yourself and generally cost no more than $20 for the oil. You will want to change the oil filter every second oil change as well. These can be bought for around $15 or less, depending on your type of car.

Tires are another important car maintenance tip. Your tires should be regularly inspected for wear and punctures. Tires should be replaced every 2-3 years, depending on tire type and what sort of surfaces you drive on.

These are just a few car maintenance tips which hopefully will help you to keep your car in safe and perfect condition!