CAR MAINTENANCE BASIC by @AlfredoSahagun

BASIC CAR MAINTENANCE IN 10 STEPS TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY AND YOUR CAR LONGEVITY. First we recommend reading through your car owner's manual; it has all the information on your specific car maintenance as well as the best safety precautions. Follow all these Basic Can Maintenance Instructions on schedule for optimal safety and drivability, longevity and avoiding Car failure. Be quick to deal with any problems as soon as possible, they will become more expensive and serious if not. We strongly recommend taking your Vehicle to your most trustworthy Mechanic at least once a year, even better every 6 months for a thorough Car Inspection and Maintenance. It all adds up to your own safety and comfort. The Basics are to keep all Car fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, brakes, and water) clean and full to the top. Basics: 1) Checking your Engine Oil: Check as often as you can, make a habit of it! Park flat, stop engine, open the hood and look on top of the engine, wait a few second for the oil to settle to oil pan, pull the Oil Measuring Dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert it and pull to measure. Check the oil condition, Yellow is clean and good, Dark Black and Dry is old and bad. Engines get damaged for lack of Oil! Don´t mix distinct types. Watch out! Keeping your oil level and quality is the most vital Car Maintenance. This is the cleanliness of your car´s “blood”, replace when dirty, when dried up to a paste (happens often when you mix different oil brands and degrees. OIL CHECK 2) Change your Filters (Oil, Fuel, Aire replace when servicing the car as your manual instructs). There´re 3 basic filters to replace every 5000 km and every 10000 km after the first 50.000 km, These are: 2.1) The Oil Filter: Perhaps the most important of the three, since with dirty oil or dense oily clogs the car´s engine can get damaged quickly. You´ll need Oil Filter Wrench to twist the filter off. And pour some oil in the new one before you screw it in. OIL WRENCH TOOL 2.2) For the Air Filters, You´ll usually find big plastic square cover, which you´ll take off after taking off the 4 corner screws, then just replace the Filter. The engine air filter keeps the air entering the engine clean, but over time the filter gets dirty and restricts the air flow. The engine air filter is usually recommended to be replaced every 20,000 to 25,000 km. To replace it yourself is easy. AIR FILTER COVER . 2.3) The Fuel or Gas Filter. You must unplug from both ends top and bottom to disconnect it and then replace it, sometimes they are elements only meaning that the case doesn´t get changed but just the filter on the inside. FUEL FILTER 3) Tires check (pressure and wear) and Wheels (Alignment, Balancing and Rotation to balance wear): Make a habit of checking visually the tire level and air pressure, minimum every two weeks and maximum up to a month check your tire pressure with a portable gauge or a line gauge, don´t wait until a small belly appears on it!. Check tire pressure indicated for your vehicle (28 to 34 psi usually 30 to 32 psi). Alignment, balancing and Rotation are important. Alignment and Balancing when you realize the car cannot go straight for long, or when there´s heavy vibration at cruising speed or it cannot simply go straight ahead anymore. You must have then your tires balanced and align to make driving more comfortable and avoid further parts damage. Watch out for uneven tire wear which indicates alignment problem. These must be done at a Wheel Shop by an expert since heavy machinery is necessary. Check always visually for tire wear; remember these are the shoes and the wheels the feet of your car! If you don't have the tire pressure gauge, it's worth to buy a good one. You can find the recommended tire pressure in the owner's manual or on the tire pressure placard (see photo), which might be located on the driver's door jamb, inside the gas tank lid or inside the glove box. Measure tire pressure when the tires are still cold. Pump or deflate to the recommended pressure. The maximum pressure listed on tires is not the ideal pressure. And there is a safe limit of the tread wear. If the tire is worn below this limit, it's unsafe to drive. And a high speed pinch can be fatal. Beware. Rotation can be done by you to balance the tire wear. Front and rear tires wear at different rate and have different wear patterns. On a typical front-wheel drive vehicle, for instance, the front tires would wear out a lot faster than the rear ones if not rotated regularly. By rotating your tires regularly, you are making sure that your tires wear more evenly and last longer. Tire rotation patterns are also different for different tires. Look for cuts on sidewalls of the tire. Check for thread-depth. If any tire needs regular filling or top-ups, it may have a slow puncture and very important, don't forget to check your spare tire as well. The best is to check your owner's manual or call your car repair shop, wheel shop or local dealer for the best recommendation on how to rotate them. 3.1) Changing a Tire: To jack up your car, park flat, block the wheels (hand break, or if manual gear it, put some block or the curb behind a wheel). Familiarize yourself with the jacking points used to lift the car safely. Never go under the car with just the Jack without placing a brick, wooden wedge or a Jack stand. Always follow safety precautions, use the warning triangle and never change a tire on a highway. Once the car is lifted wiggle the vehicle a little to make sure it´s stable. And carry on loosening the knots and bolts. If locking wheel nuts are fitted make sure that the toolkit includes the key or removal tool. Take down the flat tire and replace with the new one. Lock again. Lower the vehicle. 4) Brakes check: Visually check your Brake Pads, especially when they are noisy. To change the brake pads you´ll need to jack up the vehicle, take off the tire, and uninstall the system mechanism around the brake pads area. Usually a latch and 2 small rods hold it together. Once you removed these the pads are easily removed. To check and level the brake fluid, go under the hood you´ll find a container towards the windshield, open and fill to the indicated level with Brake Fluid DOT 4. To flush and purge possible air within the brake system you´ll need to look near the braking systems behind the wheels for a miniature opening valve. BRAKE FLUID 5) Battery maintenance. Nowadays batteries are self-maintenance mostly, meaning there isn’t much need to open and check the 4 x Battery Water Containers. Battery should send anywhere between 12 volts to 14 volts when the alternator is working. Clean, make sure terminals are not corroded and tighten the positive and negative heads or terminals often. Check the battery condition visually. If you see any leaks, cracks or other damage, the battery needs to be replaced. Batteries can last anywhere from 1 year to a couple of years, usually batteries warranty doesn´t last more than 12 to 24 months. You may find the tips how to clean the battery terminals in your vehicle's owner's manual or online. Just search the internet for How to clean car battery terminals, there are some video instructions available. Be careful, that white flaky corrosion stuff is very acidic. CAR BATTERY 6)Radiator Fluid level and Coolant check. These run through of the engine´s cooling system. It´s advised to use demineralized water or Coolant to avoid rusting. Fill through the plastic water container usually to the far right of the engine. Watch out for the heat when opening the radiator´s metal lid. Don´t open it when hot, only when engine and system are cool. And use only the recommended coolant especially in cold temperatures to avoid freezing. Make all the filling between the “low” and “full” marks. If the coolant level drops quickly there may be a leak. Lack of coolant may cause the engine to overheat which may result in serious damage. COOLANT TANK 7)Replace Windshield wipers when they don’t clean the windshield well, and check and refill often the washer fluid with water and soap. This tank is small and usually hidden look for this symbol on its lid. If you still have the original wipers installed, you can just replace the rubber refills; they cost less. Check if the windshield washer jets are working properly. Have the antifreeze concentration ready before winter starts. Antifreeze prevents the build-up of corrosion within the cooling system as well as stopping the coolant freezing. WINDSHIELD WASHED TANK Clean with Soap and Water and Check regularly for stone damage in the Windscreen as this can impair vision or distract attention. Minor chips can grow and crack the glass quickly and Front Windshield accidents are often fatally dangerous. Check all the Lights with frequency. Check all lights every other week. Don't forget indicators, brake and fog lights. And also, clean the lights regularly. When washing the Car it´s a good opportunity to do so. 8) Check your Automatic Transmission fluid and The Power Steering fluid. On it depends the transferring of engine power to the wheels, shifting gears, lubricating moving parts and cooling down the transmission. Usually find the dipstick of the Automatic Transmission Fluid (owner´s manual) and measure it with the Car running, with heated (expanded) oil and in Parking gear. Wiper the dipstick off with a clean rag. Reinsert completely. And measure between the two tick marks. A clean Transmission Oil should be clean and transparent. Always drain and flush dirty and old fluids before refilling. Different manufacturers require changing the transmission fluid at different mileage between 50.000 and 75.000 km while others specify that you never have to change it. To level up use a thin funnel, and add small amounts through the dipstick pipe. Let the fluid drain down and recheck the level again. Don't overfill. When the fluids level are low, you can top them up, but be careful not to overfill them. Overfilling the Oil, Brake, Water and/or Transmission Fluids can cause problems. It's very important to use only specified fluid type by checking your owner´s manual. 9) Check Spark plugs and replace when they appear over-burned, or worn down. Use a Spark Plug Wrench. SPARK PLUG WRENCH 10) Check the Belts. In the front of the engine there´s a unique rubber belt or a series of 2 or 3 rubber drive belts that loop around various pulleys, driving everything from the alternator to the a/c compressor. Rubber wears down easily, especially when getting wet often, and stained with oil or any other fluids. Get these accessory drive belt checked every 25,000 km. Every 50.000 km get your timing belt replaced. Be warned checking your timing belts is a necessity, not a luxury; they can lead to serious engine damage. Learn to read your Car´s Dash Board Panel Indicators (Picture symbols): They are mostly standardize, note that that higher end vehicles have more exotic systems and associated symbols. The symbol color indicates the condition of your system. Red indicates a potentially serious problem or safety issue. Attend to it! Red may also indicate an important reminder. When it isn´t red it is likely the car is still running fine and while there may be a problem to attend to when it´s Yellow/orange. This color means to proced the check something wrong in the systems which needs to be looked upon, serviced or repaired soon. Specially watch out if it is “flashing” it demands even a more immediate response. Symbols that are Green or blue are only informing you that a system is active and operational. Some light indicators have text on them, other we must refer to our Car´s Owner Manual for a description of the symbol. Let´s see some of the most pressing and serious symbols to recognize: Warning Symbols (Red) There´s a Brake Issue, stop, check Brake Fluid, if not take to repair´s shop. Engine Coolant Temperature Indicator Symbols, engine is overheating, stop the car, refill coolant, check system, if it persist take to repair´s shop. Engine Oil Level or Oil Pressure Warning Light Symbol, engine oil level too low, don´t risk engine damaging by running on low and poor quality oil. Charging System Warning Light Symbols, Battery depleted or electrical system not working properly. Check at a Battery shop. Other Common Symbol Indicators. The following symbols appear when a routine maintenance or fluid filling might be needed. Seat Belt Reminder Indicator Symbol, seats belts are unlocked. Door Ajar or Door Open Indicator Fuel or Low Fuel Indicator Symbol Windshield Washer Fluid Low Indicator Check Engine Light Symbols Service Reminder Indicators Lighting Symbol Indicators Lighting Symbol Indicators: The following are all related to the Car´s lighting system and most will be green or blue. Headlamp On. (If blinks or is crossed over it means Headlamp malfunction) High Beam or High lights Indicator Symbol Fog Lamp Indicator Symbol Turn signal Indicator for both Left (upwards) and Right (downward). Tail light indicator. There´re plenty more symbols, here we just summarized the most common ones. There´s Red light triangle which indicates the car is stopped and are named Emergency lights. The more expensive and modern the car is usually the more dash board indicators it has. And different yellow or crossed over symbols to indicate system malfunction or differentiated symbols can point out sub system malfunctions. Address dash board symbol indicators issues as soon as they arise to avoid car damage or unsafe driving. Finally, before we go here are some important tools for your Car´s Toolkit and Fluids to carry around with in the Car at all times: Most Common Wrenches and sockets. Phillips and Flathead Screwdrivers. Spare Oil. Brake Fluid DOT4. Coolant. T-wraps, Duct tape, Zip ties – Scissors Jack. Wheel removal tool. Cross wrench – Safety Warning Triangle. Must-have-tools at Home in your Garage for General Regular Car Maintenance: - All wrenches from 6mm to 24mm and sockets. Also Line wrenches for fittings, bolts and even for six-point nuts. - Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, long ones, and an old flathead to use around as pry bar if needed. - Pliers. - Drip pans for fluids as oil, fuel, coolant. - Oil filter wrench for oil changes helps you twist the filter off . – Ratchets - Socket and Wrenches Extensions and Bendable Fittings.- Metal tape, Duct Tape, Electrical Tape. - Spare oil, Transmission fluid, Dot 4 brake fluid, demineralized water or coolant. – Hydraulic Jack. Write down the dates in which you service your car, and plan ahead “schedule” your next checks and services. Attend to indicator warnings, noises or any other failed check as soon as possible. It pays off to have your maintenance up to date. It´s really not that hard to keep your car in good shape and always have a SAFE DRIVING !!! •