Common Automotive Repairs and Maintenance
How to properly maintain your vehicle to prevent breakdown and repair costs.
Properly maintaining your vehicle can help prevent mechanical breakdown and repair costs, as well as help keep your car in peak condition. You can also benefit from maintaining your car when the time comes to sell it or trade it in.
From minor maintenance to major repairs, find out what you can expect to maintain, repair and replace over the lifetime of your vehicle:
From minor maintenance to major repairs, find out what you can expect to maintain, repair and replace over the lifetime of your vehicle:
- Oil change and fluid refill - Motor oil lubricates the important and intricate parts of your engine. If your engine oil is depleted or dirty, you run the risk of serious complications and costly auto repairs. To keep your car in good condition and help extend the life of your engine, follow the guidelines for oil changes in your owner’s manual. During your oil change, most facilities will check and replenish other fluids, such as your transmission fluid, wiper fluid and coolant.
- Tune-ups - A tune-up consists of replacing simple parts, such as spark plugs, fuel filters and air filters. It can prevent a snowball effect of mechanical problems in the long run. Ask for a comprehensive list of what was done in the tune-up, for your records. This can come in handy if you experience major repairs in the future, as it can provide your mechanic with some insight into what has been replaced on your vehicle.
- Brakes - You will need to replace the pads or discs at least once during the lifespan of your car. How quickly your brakes wear depends on your driving style. City driving (stop and go) can result in premature wear. To prevent replacing your brakes often, avoid sudden braking by maintaining a safe distance behind vehicles. Your mechanic can estimate how much wear your brake pads have (i.e., they are 80 percent worn down). Ask for an estimate so you can budget for brake auto repairs accordingly.
- Suspension - Your suspension system – including shocks or struts, ball joints and bushings – absorbs the impact of the tires moving across the surface of the road. The gradual wear on shocks or struts may not be noticeable to all drivers. However, most auto experts agree shocks and struts should be replaced around 50,000 miles. You may need to have your suspension components replaced sooner depending on the terrain on which you drive and your vehicle’s history. According to auto experts reporting for CNN.com, tell-tale signs that your vehicle’s suspension components are experiencing stress include:
- Front end "diving" forward when you brake
- Rear end "bucking" when you accelerate
- Swaying when you turn
- Excessive shaking when you go over bumps
- General instability
- Miscellaneous automotive repairs - Other common parts that need replaced over a vehicle’s lifetime include the battery, alternator, exhaust and components of the electrical system. Fortunately, these parts are widely available, so they’re considered minor replacements.