Are you looking for some tips to maintain your car in top condition? Well, you have landed in the right place. In this blog, you will learn essential Car maintenance tips to uphold your beloved car through different Australian seasons, allowing you to drive without the fear of possible breakdown!

I. Spring Car Maintenance Tips

As winter makes way for spring to set in, here are some vital car care tips that you need to consider:

Inspect Under the Bonnet

• Check belts and hoses to make sure the cold climate hasn’t made them delicate or heavily used up.
• Check the car’s coolant to ensure it still has the freshness. If it doesn’t look fresh, then you should change it. It is a vital consideration for averting overheating issues when temperatures slowly rise.

It’s best to contact us for local mechanic near you in case you’re not comfortable carrying out these checks yourself.

Inspect Alignment & Suspension

• In case you find yourself often getting across roads with large rocks or potholes that have come up from the asphalt, then it could damage your car’s alignment or suspension parts.
• If you’re taking your car to a professional mechanic for under the bonnet inspection, then also ask him to check the car’s suspension and alignment.

Check Your Car’s Wiper Blades

When spring sets in and the temperature start to rise, you need to inspect your car’s wiper blades for any wear or cracking signs. In most regions of Australia, you’ll require wipers for spring rains; thus, it is vital they are in excellent condition and working correctly once winter exits.

Check Your Car’s Tyre Pressures

When seasons change, it is vital to check your car’s tyre pressure and ensure it remains within the manufacturer specifications. To be safe on the road, get your car tyres checked after every three weeks. If your car tyres are older than three years, then you should have it checked after every two weeks.

Wash & Wax

Complete washing and waxing is the most vital thing that you should do to your car once winter exits. Clean your car interiors with antibacterial cleaner or wipes. Use an antibacterial cleaner to clean frequently touched car parts such as door handles, steering wheel, seat belts, gear selector, radio controls, garage opener etc.

II. Summer Car Maintenance Tips

Maintain a Clean Car at All Times

• Give your car a weekly wash, start scrubbing from the top and to the bottom and rinsing well. It eliminates any road dirt, tree sap, and tar that pile up on the paint and glass.
• Likewise, give your car interiors a monthly clean up, which should include thorough vacuum and an interior wipe-down with a moist cloth and window cleaning.

Unclean car interior can add to the wear and dust can make electrical components to stick or fail.

Engine Oil, Transmission Fluid & Engine Coolant

• You should get your car’s engine oil inspected and have it changed as per your manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, and summer is the ideal time to do it.
• Besides, get your car’s transmission fluid, engine coolant and other fluids inspected and get it replaced as needed.

Repair the Check Engine Light Warning

Never neglect or postpone to repair the Check Engine Light Warning that your car signals. The problem could be a small one like a loose fuel cap. However, it could also be a significant one that could cost you thousands of dollars to repair it if not fixed immediately, or it could make things worse for you, by leaving you stranded.

Thorough Vehicle Inspection

• Take your car to a licensed auto-mechanic for a complete vehicle check-up so that he can inspect all the electrical and mechanical systems to ensure they are operating in the right manner.
• Tell him to check all the fluid levels, lubrication points, brakes, battery and the charging system, as well as, the suspension parts and the steering wheel.

During the thorough vehicle inspection, if any issues detected, then get it solved immediately, as it can avert higher repairing costs and an awkward situation of a breakdown.

Check Your Car Tyres

Get your car tyres checked and also make sure your car’s spare tyre is in good condition and properly inflated at all times.

III. Autumn Car Maintenance Tips

Headlights & Tail Lights

Check your car lights for any cracks in the lenses and blown out bulbs. In case you detect any, it’s easy to replace car lights without tools by following your vehicle’s owner instruction manual. Using one of several off-the-shelf cleaning kits, you can clean cloudy lenses yourself like a pro.

Wiper Blades

Inspect your car’s wiper blades and if need be replace it, as you can use your vehicle’s wipers more during the autumn and winter.

Air Filters

Replace your car’s air filters every six months before they can reach the point where inadequate oxygen reaches your car’s engine reducing performance and fuel efficiency.

Check Your Car’s Battery

Check the battery and if you find a white fungus-like growth on the battery posts or cable terminals, then take baking soda two tablespoons and mix it in a cup of lukewarm water. Apply the mixture to the terminals using a scrub and wire brush gently. After cleaning, try to move the terminals and if you detect any movement, then loosen the terminal bolts with a spanner and repeat the cleaning process. Replace the terminals and fasten till secure.

Vehicle Tyres

Replace your car tyres when the tread has exhausted to 1.6mm, and you can detect it easily by inspecting the wear bars. These signs are thin strips of smooth rubber moving across the tyre width. Until the tyre has accomplished the end of its life, the wear bars don’t reveal.

IV. Winter Car Maintenance Tips

Battery care

Would you prefer to get stranded somewhere when it’s chilling cold out? No, you would not want to – Right! Many automotive and mechanical stores out there provide free battery check-ups, so avail the benefit by getting your car’s battery inspected, especially if your car has been experiencing starting problems of late.

Invest in Car’s Headlights

When headlight of one side fails, remember, the other side headlight is nearing the end soon. It occurs because the life of the halogen bulb estimated in hours, and most of the people change car’s both headlights at the same time. It is a good thing to do! Investing in a good set of LED headlights will cruise you through the dark conditions effortlessly. It is an advance investment – for approx. $199 per pair, they last around 35 times longer than halogens and will provide you with better, clearer vision. Accordingly, ensure all the other vehicle lights are working well.

Wiper Blades

• Ensure wiper blades of your vehicle is in top condition. That means, it has fresh rubber to wipe away rain droplets.
• Besides, anti-fog treatments for your vehicle interior are another excellent winter investment.

Vehicle Servicing

It is imperative to keep your car serviced at regular intervals. Nonetheless, if the vehicle service is not nearing anytime soon and you have to go on a long trip in winter. In such a scenario, you need to get the basics inspected, which includes brake fluid, coolant level, engine oil, windscreen washer fluid etc.

Check Tyre Pressure

Along with checking the wear and tread levels of the tyre, you also have to check tyre pressure. It is paramount that tyres need to fill with the right pressure at regular intervals mentioned on the vehicle placard, which commonly situated inside the driver door). Ensure replacing your car tyres when required.

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