It is spring and time we've had a pretty mild winter this
year, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to do to get your car ready for
spring. Road grime, in all its forms, takes a pretty heavy toll on your poor
car. Here's our checklist of 8 things to do to help you and your car have a
pleasant spring.
1) Wash the undercarriage
Road grime, gravel, the snow and filth in the slush all contribute to problems
underneath your car. There's moving parts under there that are exposed to the
road, help keep them running smoothly by having it cleaned. Less grime means
less wear-and-tear.
2) Wash the carpets and inside of doors
That same grime gets in your car. Have the carpet cleaned and wash down your
car doors, especially the oft-neglected bottom of the door. The longer that
stuff stays on the inside of your car the better the chances of it permanently
leaving ugly stains.
3) Change your wiper blades
The more they're used, the faster they wear down. Road debris and other things
hitting your windshield contribute heavily to the wear-and-tear on your poor
windshield wipers. Despite any claims, they're really only there to remove
water, anything else contributes to their wearing out.
4) Change your air filter
All that dust, dirt, and grime go into your ventilation system, and your
engine's air intake system as well. Your air filter actually does a pretty good
job of stopping it, but as it clogs up, not only does your engine avoid the
debris, it gets deprived of vital air to help keep things running efficiently,
like your gas mileage for example.
5) Check your tire pressure
Tire pressure fluctuates depending on the temperature, and tires simply lose
tiny amounts of air over time. Low tire pressure affects both your gas mileage
and the smoothness of your ride, not to mention the extra contribution to
wearing down your tires. Get them pumped up to the manufacturer's
specifications.
6) Check the alignment
Winter contributes to the road conditions, like pot holes. As your tires get
banged around it can knock your alignment out a little, or a lot. This causes
uneven wear on your tires, much more than from simply not rotating your tires,
a bad alignment puts more wear on the thinner parts of your tires causing them
to wear out much faster, and there's few things more dangerous to drive in than
on worn out tires.
7) Check your fluid levels
Fluid checking is always a good idea, and it should be done on a regular basis,
not matter how "reliable" your dashboard indicators are. Get those
fluids topped off so your indicators don't have a reason to give you warning
signs.
8) Have the drive and A/C belts inspected
Worn, old, and cracked belts can mean anything from your air conditioning not
working to your car not driving. The cold contributes to the wear as does
having road grime on the belts, rubbing against moving parts. Belts that are no
longer tight can lead to poor gas mileage as well.
These simple, inexpensive checks can save you hundreds of dollars later on. We
here at Broadway Imports are dedicated to keeping your car running in tip-top
shape. Bring in your car today for its "Spring Checkup".
Please
contact us for
any auto service or repair you might have.
Call us anytime at 503.282.0817
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#8carchecksforspring
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