Basic Car Maintenance Tips You Can’t Do Without

So you just bought a new car. Congratulations!

You’re thrilled with your new ride and you want to look after it – but when you lift the bonnet you can’t help feeling a little overwhelmed. Where do you even start?

There’s no denying that cars are getting more and more complicated every year, which makes them ever harder for the regular person to maintain. But the good news is that there are still lots of things you can do yourself to keep your vehicle in peak condition between your regular services.

The simple car care tips in MotorCartel’s quick car maintenance checklist can save you big dollars every year. And best of all, they don’t require tools, specialised knowledge, or the expensive services of mechanics and workshops.

So if you’re keen to learn basic car maintenance skills so you can give your new wheels the care it deserves, then this is the article for you!

Maintain engine oil levels

Always keep the oil level up to the ‘maximum’ mark on the dipstick. The more oil there is in your engine, the longer the oil will take to degrade – providing better lubrication for the engine and making it last longer. Don’t go overboard though! The markers are there for a reason, so always fill up as the dip-stick indicates and no more.

Protect the cooling system

Keep the liquid in your radiator topped up to a maximum, and the reservoir bottle topped up to half way between its indication markers. The radiator is an air-tight component, so as the coolant heats up and expands the overflow spills into the reservoir, and as the liquid cools back down it contracts and sucks the coolant back into the radiator. Theoretically it’s possible to fill the radiator up via the reservoir overflow bottle, as long as you never let it go empty, but it’s better to check both just in case.

Oh, and do make sure you only ever fill the radiator when the engine is cooled, not straight after using the car, as pressure can form in the radiator under heated conditions. If you open the cap too soon you could end up with a jet of boiling liquid and steam in your face!

It’s a good idea to use coolant rather than straight water in your radiator. Coolant liquid has a higher boiling point than regular water, so it keeps the engine at the right temperature more efficiently and maintains the engine integrity for longer.

There are variant coolants that allow water and coolant mixes, but it’s wise to use the type suggested in the car’s manual, or one recommended by your local mechanic.

Protect the fuel system

Keep the fuel tank full at all times. This reduces evaporation and prevents the formation of condensation, which forms inside the fuel tank and causes surface rust on the interior walls. If this happens fine rust particles will eventually mix in with the fuel pump, prematurely clogging your fuel filters and blocking or damaging the fuel injectors.

So remember, the fuller the petrol tank remains, the better your cars fuel systems will serve you over the long haul.

You should also consider adding in a bottle of good quality fuel system cleaner at least twice a year, this helps to remove the gums and varnishes that form naturally in the pipes which can lead to fuel injector failures.

Protect the battery

It’s a good idea to neutralise battery acid accumulations periodically, by pouring a solution of food-grade baking soda and luke-warm water over each individual terminal. Ensure you’re wearing proper protective gloves whilst doing so and carefully wipe the battery terminals clean with a rag. Be sure to dispose of the rags safely afterwards.

Keeping the battery clean prevents current leakage through the dust, acid, and grime that builds up on your terminals and conducts electricity in damp or wet conditions. This will increase its lifespan.

Maintain tyre pressure

Check the pressure in your tyres at least once a month when the tyres are cold. Check the user manual, the inside of your car door or the side of the tyres for the correct pressure.

Maintaining correct tyre pressure saves fuel, extends tyre life and reduces wear on your steering and suspension components.

Protect the bodywork

Thoroughly clean your car and then apply a good quality, silicon-based car wax to the entire outside surface at least once every six weeks. Wax forms a thin film layer on the paintwork that protects the paint against the fading effects of the sun. It also protects it against rust formation caused by salt spray in coastal areas, as well as the effects of acidic pollutants in the atmosphere, particularly in city regions. These pollutants can eat through paint to attack the metal of the bodywork, eventually allowing rust to set in as the paint protecting the metal begins to degrade.

You may have noticed that we don’t suggest polishing your car. It’s actually not a good idea to polish your car too often, it is in fact an abrasive action that slightly grinds away the top layer of your paint each time, exposing the fresh new shiny paint underneath. As good as it makes the car look, do it too often and you’ll eventually end up grinding away your paint!

We recommend polishing only once every couple of years, and then protecting that great shine with the use of a good quality wax.

Protect the windscreen and wipers

Make sure you add some pH-neutral window cleaner to the windscreen washer reservoir. There are dozens of brands on the market, but be sure to check for pH-neutrality to prevent possible damage to the paintwork and trimmings.

Avoid using regular dish-washing liquids or similar detergents as these can clog your wipers. Only use a good quality car window cleaning product that are designed to be added to the window cleaner’s tank.

Keep the interior clean

Don’t just vacuum the insides and hang an odour disguiser on your review mirror! Regularly give your interior a good clean with some seat and carpet cleaners. There are plenty of great products on the market that’ll keep your interiors smelling fresh and looking fantastic.

The benefits of basic car maintenance

These basic car maintenance tips will not only go a long way to ensuring your car runs at peak efficiency, they will also help to maintain the appearance – and thus the resale value – of your car.

And the best part is that merely by using this handy vehicle maintenance checklist to help you learn basic car maintenance skills you can boost the power, the fuel economy, and even the reliability of your car without tools or technical expertise.

However, none of these car care tips eliminates the need for regular servicing, which should be done at scheduled intervals (with a maximum of 10,000 to 12,000kms between services).

Items like brake discs and pads (even if they are not noisy), timing belts and tensioners, serpentine belts and idler pulleys all have limited life spans, and must be replaced at prescribed intervals by a trained mechanic. Replacing these parts requires special tools and in-depth knowledge, so leave them to your regular workshop to inspect or replace.

Nonetheless, in the long run following these basic car maintenance tips will serve you and your car well and help you get years of pleasure from your hot new wheels.

Group1 Renault offers various excellent service and maintenance plans with their vehicles. Enquire about the Renault Captur’s available maintenance plans or take any of the great Renault vehicles available for a test drive today!

Article source: http://www.motorcartel.com.au/blog/basic-car-maintenance-tips-you-cant-do-without/

Car maintenance checklist for road trips

The summer road trip is as American as apple pie and Fourth of July fireworks, so don’t fail in your national duty to hit the road this year just because Old Nellie is overdue for some car maintenance.

Those who neglect doing a quick mechanical check-over – even of newer cars – before taking to the highway are begging to be stranded. We’re not talking about rebuilding the cylinder head or performing a line-bore on the crankshaft mains. Below are just a few reminders that may slip your mental checklist in the rush to get bags packed and kids fed.

Your family is counting on you to take a few preventative measures before you hurl them into the gauntlet of our national highway system.

• Engine oil: Check your oil levels and the date you’re due for an oil change, preferably in your driveway before you embark on that first 29-hour leg. If you’re close to the manufacturer-recommended oil-change interval listed in your manual, then change it. Nellie deserves better than a crankcase full of gunky old oil as she hauls you up the Loveland Pass.

If you’ll be going long distances, consider opting for a synthetic motor oil. If you’re traveling in hot weather or pulling a trailer, a fully synthetic engine oil such as Mobil Super™ Synthetic can give you the extra protection against thermal breakdowns that you need. It will also cut friction losses in the engine and bump your fuel economy while creating savings that you’ll see magnified on a long drive.

• Transmission and differential fluids: Did you forget about the other oil reservoirs in your car? Both your transmission and drive axle have their own lubricant supply. Check your owner’s manual for their change intervals, as they are quite a bit longer than engine oil. A regular oil-change shop can handle the greasy job of changing manual transmission oil and the differential oil. While they are under the car, have them give the drive-shaft U-joints and any other grease points a squirt of grease.

• Hoses: Rubber hoses would last 10 years if all they did were sit on a shelf. In a car, they are regularly exposed to temperatures around the 212-degree boiling point. At high temps, the plasticizers that make rubber squishy leach out at a faster rate. Once a hose gets hard, it cracks and hot water spurts out. Look first at where both the input and output radiator hoses attach to the engine and to the radiator. The extra stress on the hose from the pipe collar and hose clamp means they typically crack and fail there first. Also check your heater hoses, which run from the engine (usually near the thermostat housing) into the firewall and back. Look for bulges or blisters, which indicate a weakness in the hose wall. If your hoses have cracks or blisters, replace them. It’s easier to do it now than in the 112-degree heat of Death Valley. As a precaution, buy a hose-patch kit at the local auto parts store.

• Belts: Check the engine belts by turning them sideways with your hand so you can see the friction surface. If they’re at all ragged, torn, cracked or showing the fiber cords, it’s time for fresh ones. Newer cars often have one large belt, called a serpentine, which runs the water pump and all the accessories (A/C, power steering and alternator). If your car has less than 50,000 miles, it’s probably fine. Older cars have more than one belt to run these devices. Make sure they are all in good condition. If you hear loud screeches when you pull away from a stoplight, a loose belt is probably the cause. If they are loose – in other words, if your finger can depress the belt more than a half-inch of deflection at a point halfway between pulleys – the belt is stretched. If it’s old and worn, replace. If it’s not, you’ll have to retension it or it may fall off, usually at a really inopportune moment such as in the 2-mile backup at the turnpike toll booth.

• Engine coolant: New vehicles come equipped with engine coolant designed to go 100,000 to 150,000 miles. If your car is less than four years old, check that the under-hood coolant reservoir – usually a clear plastic bottle that says “engine coolant” on the cap – is topped up.

Water is water, right? Wrong. Not all coolants are the same, and they don’t want to be mixed. Be sure to use the same coolant type as is already in the engine. You can tell the difference from the color. Green coolant is the most common, indicating an ethylene glycol-based coolant with a standard package of rust inhibitors. Orange is called Dex-Cool, originally developed by General Motors but manufactured by other coolant name brands under license. The jug should have a large “Dex-Cool” trademark on it. It is also ethylene glycol-based, but it has an enhanced package of corrosion inhibitors (and, hence, tends to be more expensive). If you have an older vehicle, check both the coolant reservoir and the radiator. If your coolant is rust-colored or looks like mucky pond water, it’s time for a change.

• Tire pressure and tread: Tires are your contact with the road, and since losing contact generally results in the remains of your vehicle being vacuumed up, check ’em out. Most people believe the appropriate tire pressure is listed on the tire itself. Actually, the number on the tire is the maximum amount of pressure the tire can hold and, if combined with extreme heat and speeds, could lead to a blowout. Be safe. Look on your driver’s side door, in the glove compartment, or on the fuel filler door for the recommended tire pressures, and check the pressure before you leave with a good gauge (available from your auto parts store) and an air hose (available at the corner gas station). Low tire pressures waste fuel and, more importantly, cause the tire to run hotter from the extra friction.

Also, look at the tread on all four tires to make sure it’s not too worn or unevenly worn. Most new tires come with about 10/32” of tread depth. If your tire tread-depth gauge (just a buck or two at the parts store) shows less than 2/32”, it’s time for new tires. You can also use a penny. If the depth is below Lincoln’s shoulder, it’s time to change. If your tires are on the bubble in terms of wear, or have a bubble in the sidewall from a recent bounce against a curb, it’s better to install new tires now than to take a chance on them wearing out while you’re on the road.

• Brake system: Brake fluid classified by the government as DOT3 or DOT4 (most brake fluid, in other words) is a hygroscopic mineral oil, meaning that it attracts and absorbs moisture. As it ages, it turns the color of maple syrup and begins rusting your brake components. Check your brake reservoir for the color of the fluid, and make sure that it is topped up to the “full” mark. If you haven’t had a flush in two or three years, get one before you leave. Water-laden brake fluid, besides causing damage to very costly brake parts, also lowers the fluid’s boiling point. A lowered boiling point can lead to a squishy brake pedal, which may provide more excitement than you want while descending out of the Rockies with a 24-foot camper in tow. If your car is newer, it may be running DOT5 fluid, which is silicon-based and not subject to water absorption. Still, you will want to flush this fluid per the recommendations in your owner’s manual.

• Battery: If the battery in your car is more than a couple years old, check that the terminals are corrosion-free and the positive and negative leads are tight. If your starter sounds sluggish, it’s either corrosion or a dying battery. Don’t wait to be stranded with a dead battery. If it’s not a sealed, maintenance-free battery, have a gas station test the electrolytes. If it is sealed, they can check the output voltage. If there is corrosion – white chalky stuff on the terminals – clean it off with a wire cable-brush available at your local parts store. Secure the leads tightly. If one falls off while you are driving, it can cause a harmful “voltage dump” that can kill the alternator, so make sure everything is tight.

• Test the car: Do a quick run up the local freeway to listen for noises, feel for shakes, and watch for trouble signs in the gauges. Don’t assume everything is fine just because you drive your car every day. This is a test, not a commute, so focus on your car. Do you hear grinding or moaning from the wheels? That could be a bad wheel bearing or a worn CV joint. Does the car pull? Check for alignment problems or worn tires. Does it shimmy or squeal under braking? Might be warped rotors or worn pads. Does the brake pedal feel soft? Might mean worn pads or bad fluid. Do the headlights flicker at idle? It’s probably a loose alternator belt, a dying alternator or corroded battery terminals.

Consider checking off car maintenance items before you leave, because if Old Nellie acts up later, she could ruin your whole vacation. Family photos of America’s purple mountains’ majesty won’t put your relatives to sleep quite as quickly as those taken inside a grimy service station in Panguitch, Utah, while you’re waiting for a mechanic to get your new radiator hose drop-shipped from Fukuoka. Take time, take care, drive safely and we’ll see you out there.

Any Group1 Renault dealership can also assist you in doing a routine check of your vehicle before heading on a roadtrip. Contact a Renault dealership in your area for more information about the Renault Sandero - a great option for road tripping and everything in between.

Article source: https://bonjourrenault.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/car-maintenance-checklist-for-road-trips/