If you have recently purchased a new, shiny automobile, you are probably excited to drive it every morning when you wake up. New cars are generally very healthy. They smell nice, they have no dings or dents, the fluids are clean and topped off, and everything is firing on all cylinders (no pun intended). Cars are like any inanimate object and if you don’t maintain their health, they will begin to deteriorate in both performance and aesthetics. Some parents go over the basics of automobile maintenance when their teenager gets their first car. Let’s discuss some of the basics.
Oil changes are something you might see advertised everywhere. Some prefer to change their oil on their own, but most drivers trust a local repair shop to handle it for them. Framerite Auto Repair in Baltimore, Maryland has performed thousands of oil changes over many years. It is as routine as eating breakfast for owner Bill Taylor and his remarkably experienced team of auto technicians. Clean oil is used to lubricate the engine’s parts. Engines and motor oils have improved dramatically over the years, and if your car or truck uses synthetic oil, you may not need it changed out for 5,000 miles. The rule of thumb with traditional motor oil used to be 3,000 miles. That may still be the case for older models.
A lot of times when you go to a shop for an oil change, they will recommend replacing the air filter as well. An air filter is used to reduce emissions and protect the engine. Even tiny particles can damage an engine if an old air filter is being used. You’ll generally get more miles per gallon if you change your filter regularly as well.
A tire rotation is something that should be performed around 5,000 miles. If you have a job where you travel a lot, 5,000 miles may be only a couple of months. Tire rotation allows each tire to share equal wear and tear. The car will handle the road more effectively and will keep you driving safely. Front wheel drive cars will obviously present more wear on the front two tires, thus rotating them with the back tires is very important.
Engines get very hot, due to a lot of moving parts. Extremely hot, to the point where parts can become damaged or broken. This is why your normal car maintenance should include topping off your coolant. Brake fluid, like motor oil, needs to be changed on a consistent basis. Over time, moisture enters brake fluid, deteriorating its efficiency and can damage your anti-lock brake system. Without mixing in distilled water, antifreeze will not cool, which provides many functions such as preventing rust, lubricating the water pump, and decreasing corrosion.
Going back to tires, the rotation is not the only important action. Checking and correcting the tire pressure on all tires is very important, not only for performance of the vehicle, but for the safety of all who ride in it. High tire pressure could cause a blowout. Low pressure could also be an indication of a puncture and could also cause the car or truck to pull to one side, causing a safety risk.
There is a reason why the police will issue a citation for a headlight or tail light being out. It obviously decreases the driver’s vision and could cause an accident. These should be checked on a regular basis as well.
We are not all car experts, nor do we have the time to perform regular maintenance on our cars and trucks. That is why you should trust a formidable auto repair shop to complete these tasks for you. Bill Taylor of Framerite Auto Repair in Baltimore knows this well, and his technicians take the safety and maintenance of automobiles extremely seriously. Framerite is located near the beltway, Northern Parkway, Harford Road, Parkville and Baltimore County, and have been maintaining the welfare of vehicles for decades.
