Category: Car Maintenance

One of the first provisions that a car owner should make is to read the car manual for the vehicle they own. This is critical. The vehicle manual will usually have a 30-60-90 schedule. This schedule is predicated on when certain items in the car need to be inspected, changed, or replaced at 30,000, 60,000, and 90,000 miles. While it is true that some parts of the vehicle, such as rubber gaskets, hoses, windshield wipers, and tires will wear out at irregular intervals, the 30-60-90 schedule is straightforward for the indicated items on your vehicle.

What is Included in Car Maintenance?

Not only is car maintenance the single most important way to lengthen the life of a car, but it can also save serious money on car repair. Car maintenance includes changing the oil, rotating the tires, checking the fluids, and more. Timing and serpentine belts are often overlooked by car owners, however, these belts need to be replaced periodically. Most mechanics agree that timing belts should be replaced every 60,000 miles or so. The owner’s manual will offer the manufacturers instructions for each component of the vehicle, taking the guesswork out of the equation.

How Do You Do Basic Maintenance on a Car?

The maintenance schedule section, located in the owner’s manual, has the basic intervals for critical engine components. Two of these components are the oil, and the oil filter. Oil is your engine’s lifeblood. When it comes time to change the oil, make sure you make an appropriate selection between synthetic and conventional oil, determined by your budget needs, and the needs of the vehicle. Next, make sure to check your tires monthly. Tires need to be properly inflated in order to perform well. Using a bicycle tire to inflate them is an excellent pro-tip.

How Do You Maintain a Car Engine?

In order for your car to perform at it’s best every time it hits the road, inspections are necessary. Through proper maintenance, future repair costs become limited and car performance is optimized. Regularly refreshing the oil in your vehicle, according to the parameters of the owner’s manual, will keep your engine in great shape. For car owners who tow a trailer or often drive in dusty conditions, your oil should be changed more frequently, and you should absolutely consider switching to the premium type of oil, synthetic. Other considerations include checking the PCV valve for proper operation and checking the spark plugs and the spark plug wires.

What Happens When a Car Hits 100k Miles?

After a car has passed one hundred thousand miles, it’s essential to routinely groom the car for any possible hiccups. Please read over the following list for essential maintenance tips:

• Fluids. The oil, transmission fluid, coolant, power steering fluid, and brake fluid all should be completely replaced after the one-hundred-thousand-mile mark.
• Belts. The serpentine belt in your car is made of a special type of rubber that is streamlined to work within a hot engine compartment. However, no one component is built to last forever. Ask your mechanic to look into signs of cracks, missing ribbing, marring, striping or general brittleness.
• Water pump and timing belt. Other than the oil, the timing belt is possibly the most important item that needs to be replaced at the 100,000-mile mark. This is because the damage caused by a broken timing belt on engines can be extravagantly expensive.
• Tires and brakes. Check your tire’s inflation level and tread depth. Any signs of uneven wear, cracking, and bulging should be addressed promptly.

Where to Get Car Maintenance

If you have noticed a slow engine crank or a low battery fluid level, it may be time to get a car battery replacement. For a car battery replacement and car maintenance, vehicle owners should find a reliable car mechanic or repair shop. Ask trusted friends where they get their vehicle serviced, and whether they would highly recommend those services. Another avenue for car owners is finding a local shop with excellent reviews. Because your vehicle is important, it will be critical to find a mechanic who has in-depth knowledge and respect for automobiles and will be able to translate that into good repairs.

Car Maintenance to Do Yourself

There are a number of things that car owners can do to improve the maintenance of their vehicle without going to the mechanic. One of the items that top the list is replacing the air filter. Car owners need a new air filter approximately once every year or twelve months. Air filters cost about ten dollars and don’t take a lot of time to install. Windshield wipers are another car maintenance item that can be replaced with relative ease. Windshield wiper blades should be replaced once every six months, and only cost about ten to twenty dollars. One of the reasons why windshield wipers are so important to manage is because old wipers can leave messy streaks on the windshield, which can lead to low visibility.

Car Maintenance vs Repair

There’s an appropriate and realistic difference between car maintenance and repair. With enough preventative car maintenance, car owners can expect a long car life with very few incidents or need for repairs. With enough knowledge and care, cars have been known to last well beyond the 100k mark. Car repairs are necessary when accidents happen and can be very expensive. It is important to note that excellent car maintenance can help relieve and even eliminate car repair, but that it is not entirely foolproof, as there are accidents that happen on the road.

Car Maintenance by Mileage

A routine car maintenance schedule is optimally based on engine mileage. While not all cars will need the same thing at the same time (see the owner’s manual), a good rule of thumb would be to follow certain parameters. Better safe than sorry, as the adage goes. Every 3,000 to 7,000 miles, the oil and oil filter should be replaced. Every 15,000 to 30,000 miles the air filter should be changed. For every 20,000 miles, the battery and coolant should be inspected. Every 30,000 miles, replace the power-steering fluid. As always, consult the owner’s manual of your vehicle to make sure that you’re on track for car maintenance success.

Do you have car maintenance on your agenda? Our friendly staff at Carotech Automotive and Tires are ready to take your phone call at (424) 283-4303. In Los Angeles, CA car maintenance is critical. Consult our experts to receive the best car advice.

Taking care of your vehicle is something that you will need to do in order for it to continue to run properly. There is nothing worse than having car troubles when you need to be somewhere…like work. There are many things that you can do at home to take care of your car, but if you want to have someone else do it, you can always take it into a car shop and have mechanics look at it to be sure. It doesn’t matter if you need exhaust maintenance in New Jersey or an oil change in LA, car maintenance is so important to keep up with. With so many resources to use, you can look up your tires normal psi online or check your oil using the dipstick to make sure that those things are always looking good.

4 Regular Maintenance Tips To Always Do

Oil Change – An oil change is essential for you to have a running car. If you do not get an oil change done regularly, the engine in your vehicle could lock up and be useless.

Tire Rotation – Rotating your tires will keep them from wearing too much on one side rather than wearing the same all over like it should be.

Coolant – Having your coolant checked is important so that your vehicle does not overheat.

Brakes – Brakes are so important and should be checked at every appointment so that you are always safe on the road.

Making sure that you do your car maintenance in Los Angeles, Ca is so important, especially driving all over in traffic, you don’t want to break down on the side of the road. Give Carotech Automotive and Tires a call at (424) 283-4303 for proper care.

When you get a vehicle you have an obligation to take the best care of it possible while it is in your possession. This means that getting your vehicle’s oil changed comes with the territory. If you don’t know much about cars or when you need to get your oil changed, we can help you with that. Often times when you get your oil changed, the company you went to will put a sticker in your drivers’ side window in the left-hand corner that will tell you when they recommend coming back and at how many miles. This is not the exact number you should come back on, but it is pretty close usually to when you should think about heading in again. During an oil change, you will have several things done. Every place is different with what they do, but one thing’s for sure, that they will always change your filter, oil, and top off the fluids that may be getting low. If something is wrong, they will usually tell you what it is and throw in a price for reference. This is a great way to also tell if you need something more or your car will live to see another day.

Do You Need an Oil Change?

First and foremost, the length of time and miles you have driven since your last one is a major factor. If 3 months have passed, but you hardly drive your car, you can probably afford to skip it this time. If you are a commuter, you probably need to have your oil changed more regularly than that. One thing you can do right at home is pop your hood and pull the oil stick out yourself. There, you can check to see if your oil is low and if it is, go get your oil changed right away. Without oil in your motor, your vehicle engine will lock up and no longer work; talk about expensive. This is not a problem you want to have. An easy solution is to run over to Carotech Automotive and Tires and have us change your oil. Give us a call at (424) 283-4303 to set an appointment or just stop by.

Last month, we discussed the the ins and outs of changing fluids for car maintenance. However, there are several other aspects of car maintenance that it is also important to remember. Today we will go over the car maintenance basics that you need to know if you want your car to last! If you need any help with vehicle maintenance services, you can always contact our professional team here at (424) 283-4303!

Scheduled Tune Ups

Just like we need regular checkups with the doctor to make sure we are healthy, your vehicle needs regular tuneups with a mechanic to make sure it is in good condition. Your owner’s manual will give you a good idea of how often you need to have your vehicle professionally taken care of.

Wiper Replacement
At the end of a hot summer, always remember to take a look at your wipers. Here in LA, rain isn’t very common, so it’s easy to forget that you even have windshield wipers, but they do become unusable with age and heat. By checking them at the end of summer every year, and replacing them when they become dry, cracked, or warped, you can make sure you’ll be prepared when it finally does rain!

Battery Checks
You should also check your vehicle’s battery at the end of summer. The heat can slowly corrode the battery, and the first cold snap could be the end of the line for it! Have it checked out before the first cold wind, just to make sure it won’t accidentally leave you stranded.

Tire Maintenance
Tire maintenance includes monitoring the tire pressure, as well as keeping an eye out for worn out tread. Proper tire pressure makes sure you are safe when driving, and that you aren’t putting too much wear and tear on your tires.

Headlight Checks
Last but not least, make sure your headlights are working properly. Check them every couple of months to make sure all of your headlights and brake lights work like they are supposed to. This can help you avoid accidents, as well as tickets!

Car maintenance is very important. You depend on your car to get you to work, get your kids to school, as well as drive you across the country for your annual road trip. If your car isn’t well maintained, any of these excursions could cause a serious malfunction in the engine, transmission or other systems in your car. Proper car maintenance can prevent a serious breakdown. Carotech Automotive and Tires offers a variety of car maintenance services.

Which Fluid Changes Are Part of Car Maintenance?

One of the biggest aspects of car maintenance is checking the fluids in your car. Here are three different types of fluid that lubricate different parts of your car. Here are the different fluids you should check and how often they need to be changed:

Oil
It is recommended that you checks the oil levels in your car once a month. This helps you to know when you should add oil. Usually, you will need to change your oil every 3,000 miles or every six months, whichever comes first.

Transmission Fluid
The fluid in your transmission keeps the gears lubricated, which prevents wear and tear. You should check your transmission fluid levels at least once a month and have it changed every 50,000 miles.

Brake Fluid
The brake fluid lubricates the components of the brakes system to make sure the car stops properly. You should check the brake fluid for cleanness every time you get the oil changed and have brake fluid changed every two years.

Other fluids that you can check in your car include the power steering fluid and radiator coolant. Keeping up with the levels of fluid in your car can greatly extend the life of your engine. If you need fluid checks or other car maintenance, contact Carotech Automotive and Tires at (424) 283-4303.