My 5 weekly car maintenance tips

If I check these five areas in my car, I can avoid my car breaking down. Maintenance of my car is the only way to keep it on the road and not be stranded. Let's start from the beginning. Before I take off into the sunset, I let my car run for at least ten minutes or when the gauge moves from C (Cold) to the line before the half. If it is winter, it may take longer than 10 minutes. Even in a warm climate, you must still warm your car up. The weather has nothing to do with the temperature of your vehicle's engine.

Every week I always check a few areas in my car. Even if I have a new car and the light does not come on the dashboard I still check the following:

(1) My oil. I make sure the car is off when I am checking the oil. I pull out the dipstick and whip it off with some paper towel. At the tip of the dipstick, there are grooves that lets me know the your oil is supposed to be. The color of the oil tells me if the oil needs to change as well. Here is a great sample of what I am looking for when I check my oil. Under the hood of the engine will have a tag or label that tells me what type of oil I will need. The newer model car uses 5W-20 and older model cars with high mileage uses5W-30.

(2) I then check to see if I have enough water in the water reservoir and double-check my windshield wiper blades. I don't want to be caught in a storm with worn-out blades. The water reservoir should always be full. I usually buy windshield wiper fluid but regular water is fine too.

I also use RainX Water Repellant on my windshield. This helps with visibility when it is raining or snowing very hard. I really love to see the water bead up on the glass as it crawls up toward the roof. The key to putting the repellent on the windshield is the windshield has to be dry. Simply pour the liquid on the windshield and wipe it with a paper towel over the entire glass until you can see through it clearly. This last for at least about 3 weeks. Trust me on this when you do it you will love it too.

(3) I add coolant to the reservoir. It does not matter the brand, it just has to be 50/50 pre-diluted antifreeze coolant. When I'm adding the coolant to the reservoir my car is turned on. There is a MAX line that I fill it to. This can be scary sometimes especially if the car is very hot so I open the cap slowly.

(4) I check my tires. I make sure I have enough air in all four tires and that the threading on the tires are still good. If you are not sure stop at any tire shop and they will check your tires as well as check to see if they have enough air in them. I also check that my spare tire is good and make sure air pump is still in the trunk of my car.

(5) I make sure all my lights are working. Especially the one over my license plate. A police officer would pull me over quicker with that light out than any other light.

I have an older model SUV and the lights are dull. I tried this hack one of my cousins told me. He said buy the green can of Off Repellant but make sure it says Deep Woods, get a dry rag, spray it with the Off and wipe. I couldn’t believe how white my lights looked. They were brand new, well almost brand new. This hack only last for a few weeks then I re-apply it again.

I do these 5 things once a week to ensure my car last longer. I also suggest that you have jumper cables in your car just in case. I believe anyone that drives a car should know these simple things to maintain their car. Don't wait, check your car today.

One more thing, whichever insurance you do have (full coverage or limited-liability) please add road assist to your premium. It will cost a little bit more but it is so worth it if your car ever stopped on you. If you enjoyed my blog on how I maintain my car please leave a comment and share with someone who needs to read it.

Until Next Time...

Simply Jaynae

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