Car Care Tips for the Everyday Driver

Car Care tips for the Everyday Driver.

After a recent trip out to get some food, I witnessed a truck with SEVERELY worn tires. The outside of the tire looked completely fine, will the inside was torn to pieces with the actual bands sticking out. This could easily lead to a high speed blowout! Imagine losing all steering at 60 MPH.....

Now imagine how simple it could be to prevent this.

1. Tire Pressure. Most cars since the mid 2000's come with a tire pressure monitoring system aka TPMS, meaning your car will actually tell you once the tire pressure has become low. Now to simply add air should suffice. After miles of wear tread can wear down and can deteriorate the ability to channel water out of the tire to prevent hydroplaning. Low tire pressure causes the tire to actually heat up beyond what the pressure rating can hold, and can actually cause a blow out. Inspect your tire pressure at least once a month to keep them in top shape and keep them operating exactly as you need. A huge BENEFIT of proper tire maintenance is MORE money in your pocket! Now how can you beat that?
2. Suspension Alignment. As you drive your car you hit potholes, branches and all kinds of other things, this can eventually cause your car to come out of alignment and cause more/excessive wear on these expensive tires. Simple Alignments can cost anywhere from $60-100 and usually come with a one year "warranty".  

General Automotive Tips

1. Windshield/Wipers. Bottom line is that if you cannot see you do not know where you are going a simple glass cleaner and a clean Microfiber towel. Sounds simple but it helps tremendously and keeps you and your loved ones safe! 
2. Oil Changes. Every 5k miles is generally a good time to change your oil, some can go even longer to 7.5K miles. Modern engine oils are light years ahead of oils of 15-20 years ago, meaning they protect your engine in a very wide range of tips and longer than the old yard stick of oil changes every 3k miles. Generally change your oil more if you are harder on your car than most of if you operate your car in extreme conditions. 

Now some of you might think this is basic stuff but many people have never given these a second thought. I hope this simple post helps you drive safer and to keep a little more dough in your pocket!