Car Maintenance And Cleaning: What Tasks Can You Carry Out At Home And How Often?

Good car maintenance will go a long way in keeping your car in top-notch condition. Someone who isn’t an avid car enthusiast will be lost in good car maintenance techniques. It is a simple guide to good car maintenance, where you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to maintain your car.

Car Maintenance Techniques

Great car maintenance begins at home. Below we will discuss some at-home car maintenance tips that you can perform to keep your car in good condition.

Battery

A car’s battery is the lifeline of the car. Without a functioning battery, you won’t even be able to start the car. To get the battery functioning at its top level, you need to ensure the battery fluid is at the right level.

To check the battery fluid, you need to remove the cap on the top and look inside. If the battery fluid is below the internal plates, you need to top up. The way to top up the battery fluid is by keeping the fluid level ½ – ¾ inches above the internal plates.

Secondly, check the terminals whether they are corroded or not. Corroded terminals will keep the connectors of the car and the terminals from connecting properly. You can make an anti-corrosion mixture at home for corroded terminals and clean them.

For the at-home anti-corrosion solution, use baking soda and water in equal parts, then use a brush dipped in the solution and scrub the terminals. Once cleaned, apply a store-bought anti-corrosion spray on the terminals to prevent further corrosion.

Tires

Regularly check your tires at least once a month for any damage, and check tread levels. If you have a tire gauge at home, you can check your air pressure at home. And if the pressure is low, then take the car to the service station.

The way to check whether your tires are balding is by inserting a quarter in between the tread. Make sure that Washington’s head is inserted first. If the head is not completely inserted and visible, your tires are balding, and you should purchase new tires.

The tires’ tread should be checked every month. Check the tread on all the tires and at different locations on each tire. Balding tires can cause an accident, so replace your tires immediately if you have balding tires.

Engine

The engine is the part of the car that keeps it moving. Fuel and air are combusted, and the engine uses this power to make the wheels move. You need good engine oil to lubricate the engine and keep the parts moving smoothly.

Engine oil needs to be changed after some time. The recommended change time is 5000-7500 miles. But this varies for the kind of oil you put into the engine.

Changing the engine oil is not difficult. You first need to drain the previous oil and replace it with new engine oil.

Start by placing a container to drain the oil under the car. Then using a flashlight, get under the car and loosen the drain plug. The oil will start to pour out; let it completely pour out in the container you’ve placed there.

Once all the oil is drained, place the drain plug in its place and tighten it. While you’re under the car, you’ll see the oil filter. It is important to change the oil filter as well.

The oil filter is responsible for ensuring the engine receives clean and debris-free oil. So eventually, all the dirt and debris caught in the filter make it ineffective, which is why it needs to be changed.

Once you’ve replaced the oil filter, it’s time to move back up to the car’s hood, open the cap to the oil reservoir, and pour your new oil into the engine.

Cleaning Your Car

Car maintenance isn’t just about changing fluids and checking the tires. Car maintenance also includes cleaning the car properly and regularly. Let’s look at how you can clean your car in the best way possible.

Cleaning The Outside

– The first step in cleaning your car is to wash it. When washing your car, use a car soap and not dishwashing detergent. The detergent will ruin the paint on your car. First, wash the car with water to remove dirt from the surface. Then start washing with car soap.

– Once the car is washed with car soap, use drying towels to wipe the entire car.

– Once the surface is clean, you need to wash the tires. You will need special wheel cleaners instead of household cleaners.

– You will need a brush to scrub the dirt off the tires. When washing your tires, first spray the tire cleaner on the tires and let it sit for a couple of minutes. After that, start scrubbing and then wash with water.

– Once the tires are cleaned, you need to polish the surface. The way to polish the surface is by using top-quality polish.

– To polish your car, you can use a polisher, or if you’re trying to be budget-friendly, you can apply the polish yourself.

Cleaning The Inside

Cleaning the inside of the car is just as important as cleaning the outside. Let’s take a look at how you can clean the inside.

– The first step is to use an all-purpose cleaner and clean the car’s upholstery. The seats and the side door if it has upholstery.

– Then use a good car dashboard polish to wipe the dashboard and the steering wheel. This will give it a nice shine.

– Please take out the car’s floor mats and give them a good washing with detergent, don’t place them back in the car till they are completely dried.

Conclusion

Cleaning and maintaining your car is simple; it just requires a little bit of effort. But this small effort will give big returns. You will spend less on car repair work only because you’ve taken good care of your car.