Maintaining My Car All Year Round

Moving around back and forth between countries with my parents delayed my early progress in school, thus becoming a late bloomer. I was twenty-two years old and attending Junior college when I purchased my first car. My mentality regarding cars back then was simple, turn the car on, speed and stop, just to get to my destination. Car maintenance was never in the cards. Imagine the game of baseball, I am the bat, and the car is the ball. The object of the game is to hit the ball with the bat out of the park, in my early years, I never hit a “car” home run. I did however ding, crashed, roughly handled, ragged, and forced each vehicle beyond its limits. Mis-treatment of every car I owned continued throughout my twenties. Although, money was limited, that didn’t matter to me. If the car stalled, got a flat tire, or the engine light would turn on, I just sold it and got another cheap broken down car.

Now that I am little older, matured a bit and responsibility kicked in. I fully understand and acknowledge, that if you take care of your car, it will return back to you what you put into it. I’ve have had my current car for for about two years. The first thing I did after paying the dealer cash for my car was, read the owners manual from cover to cover. Now every time I drive the car, I try to stay within the specified limits per the car’s manual. To date, I am happy to say that still no accidents to report. I try to park in spacious areas to avoid undesired dings and just like those car-racers you see at the races or on TV, I try to maintain my car in tip-top shape. I personally take care of all the maintenance that goes it into my car, from the oil changes to checking the transmission fluid, radiator fluids, timing belts, breaking system, shocks, springs, and overall electrical systems. So, how can you maintain your car all year round to get the most out of your car?

Maintaining My Car All Year Round with Quaker State
#CambioConfiable #CollectiveBias

For starters, I make sure there are no items in the trunk that do not belong in there. I also, gas up later in the day when its a bit cooler to insure more gas will fit in the tank, thus saving me some money. Heat has tremendous affect on the amount of gas the tank will take and how the engine will burn it. While pumping gas, I open the hood and check the wiper fluid and windshield wipers. Once done, I check adjust accordingly, tire pressure on all four tires including the spare per the manufactures recommendations.

Changing the car oil yourself comes with a few safety guidelines. I tend to follow the steps that certified mechanics implement. I have used several types of brands and oils over the years. However, the brand I keep going back to is Quaker State. It’s a little tricky moving the car up on ramps, break quickly once the wheels lower a bit. I then allowed the car to rest for a while, having removed the oil cap and oil filter both on the engine block to releasing heat. While the car is resting, I check the transmission, radiator and break fluids and replenish as needed. The front tires air pressure can be accurately measured in this position as its bearing half the weight of the engine and chassis. After about 30 minutes or so, I remove the oil plug from the carter, that is the compartment that retains the oil while in motion and let oil drain completely. After that, I re-apply the oil plug with the new bearing tightly and screw in the new oil filter having applied lubricant to the thread and rubber seal. The last step is to add the oil using a drainer to avoid any kind of particles to enter the engine block. Additionally, I add a special oil lubricant separately that its designed to adhere to metal. This lubricant will extend the life of your car’s engine.

Maintaining the exterior of your car will also extend the life of your car. The exterior paint for most imported cars has a life cycle of approximately five to seven years. Washing my car regularly, helps me extends my car’s exterior paint life and to avoid rust to set into the car’s exterior sheet metal skin. Therefore, once a month I do a detailed washing of both the interior and exterior of my car. While waiting for the exterior wax and interior sun protection to dry, I start my standard car check list. I pop the hood open and check the oil, transmission, break radiator and windshield fluid to make sure they are filled to the manufacturer’s guideline. I also check the tire pressure. Right after the check up, I complete by polishing the wax to a showroom shine.

Are you responsible for all your car’s maintenance like myself? If you are, the next time you are at your local Walmart, check out Quaker State oil. You will find the perfect oil for your car’s needs from Advanced Durability Motor Oil (Green Bottle), Ultimate Durability Full Synthetic Motor Oil (Red Bottle) to High Mileage Motor Oil (Gold Bottle). Share with me your maintenance techniques by dropping me a note in the comment section below.