Vehicle maintenance is important if you want your car to last. Too many people just let it go and then become frustrated when things start going wrong with the car. If you can keep up on the regular vehicle maintenance then you are less likely to have to pay a lot of money when something goes wrong. One of the best things about vehicle maintenance is that it is also a malfunction prevention method. The auto mechanic that looks at your car regularly can tell you if something looks like it’s going to break down soon so that you won’t be surprised when it happens. Here are some simple ways that you can keep up on maintaining your vehicle properly.

1. 1. Watch the tires
      This is the easiest thing to do. Every now and again when you go out to your car just take a look at the tires. Make sure they are full, wearing evenly and still have a lot of tread. Getting new tires isn’t incredibly expensive but it is still something that you might want to save up for so you need to know if you will be needing tire replacement anytime soon.

1. 1. Get oil changes
      Every three months or 3000 miles you should be getting an oil change. During the oil change you can also get a tire rotation. It’s not as important to get a tire rotation every single time you get an oil change. If you are consistent with your three monthly oil changes then you could get a tire rotation every other time. During an oil change, the mechanics will likely do a vehicle check for free and top up fluids.

1. 1. Do seasonal maintenance
      As the weather gets colder, the best way to make sure that your vehicle is going to perform well is to take the opportunity to change to synthetic lubricants or use lighter weight oils. Make sure that you check the heater hoses and the radiator hoses and fill the battery cells with distilled water.

1. 1. Replace your windshield
      Even the smallest of cracks can grow into something problematic. Your insurance company probably covers windshield replacement up to a certain amount of times per year. If you get a crack in your windshield make sure to get it replaced as soon as possible so that you don’t end up having your vision impaired in the middle of a drive.

1. 1. Take care of your battery
      This means checking the water levels and keeping the battery terminals clean. A car battery should last about four years but it won’t stay around that long if you do not keep up on the maintenance. You should be checking your battery about every two months.

1. 1. Replace brake pads
      Driving requires a lot of stop and go which puts a lot of strain on your brake pads. Particularly the front brake pads will usually wear out fairly quickly. If you break speak in squealing, this is their way of telling you that they need new pads. Once the grinding noise and starts, you will need to replace your rotors as well. Replacing brake pads is relatively inexpensive but a whole new brake job could cost hundreds.

1. 1. Check your lights
      Generally speaking, most people forget about checking the lights of your car. You only notice that you have a headlight out when the road seems dim in front of you and you’d never know your tail lights were out if someone didn’t tell you. Have someone help you check them to make sure you don’t have any lighting problems or burned out bulbs. These vehicle repairs are easy and very inexpensive. If you’re a police officer, make sure to check if you need to install a new set of amber warning lights on your vehicle so you can alert drivers if they need to pull over for any reason.

1. Don’t overload your car
   If you are going on a road trip, try to minimize the amount the stuff you bring. One of the reasons that it seems like cars break down on road trips is because of load it’s bearing. It’s usually due to an overworked cooling system but in some cases it could cause frames to buckle or axles to break. Those aren’t easy or cheap fixes.

Vehicle maintenance could save you a ton of money and time without a vehicle. It’s important to stay on top of things and be organized when it comes to taking care of our cars. They can last us a long time if we will commit to the upkeep.