Advanced Tips to Protect Your Car
We’ve covered the basics in our previous articles but you may be looking for a more advanced set of maintenance tips. These tips are more advanced but they will help with the longevity of your car as well as help you detect and prevent more issues. As always if you are unsure – we always recommend that you visit a fully qualified car garage if you have concerns.
At Autocentres Ltd, we are one of the leading providers of Tyres in Newport. If you are looking for the best tyres possible – we highly recommend that you visit our 5-star garage today!
1. Take Care When Driving – Change Driving Habits
It’s very true that habits can be extremely hard to get out of. This can be highly frustrating in terms of bad habits as you may find that you are damaging your car in the long run. There are a number of aspects in terms of driving that you may have not even thought about when driving but could be damaging your car.
- Accelerate slowly when starting the engine. The first 10-20 seconds of the engine running is the period in which you can do the most damage.
- Warming the engine is generally not a good idea as the engine will not be running efficiently and can lead to issues such as oil contamination.
- Turning your steering wheel at extreme rotations can damage the wheel as well as the axle system. Careful movement with your steering wheel can protect your car later down the line.
- Short trips are by far the leading cause of wear and tear to vehicles as they are less efficient (especially during recent global events.) We’ve found we are simply using our cars less and may find additional issues when we are back on the road fully.
2. Keep Your Eyes Peeled at the Petrol Station
We have combined two tips in one here but it’s very important to keep your eyes peeled when you are at the petrol station. You will want to find out about pump filters as well as if pump filters are updated regularly. There’s more to petrol and diesel than differences in price – you may likely want to avoid petrol stations that do not use pump filters.
Also, keep on the lookout for the tanker. If you see the tanker at your local petrol station – it’s better just to find somewhere else or come back on a different day. If the tanker is topping up the underground fuel reserves which fuel the pumps, this can push sediment into the fuel which in turn can damage your vehicle.
3. Heavy Keychains Can Damage Your Ignition System!
Looking for a simple yet easy way to prolong your ignition switch for years to come? If you’ve got a very heavy keychain then you should definitely consider switching for a lighter chain or taking your car key off of your keychain. The weight and eventual wear and tear can cause ignition switch failure later down the line and is one of the leading causes of ignition failure that can be easily prevented.
4. Clean Your Car Regularly, Both Inside & Out
Cleaning the exterior of your car is very important as it protects paint as well as protect the body of your car. If impurities or other issues start to build up or the paint becomes damaged – this will likely cost an arm and a leg for a repair. Cleaning your car or taking your car to the car wash regularly is a fraction of this cost.
Inside, bacteria can grow on all surfaces that are regularly touched such as your steering wheel and your A/C over time. The importance of keeping surfaces and hands clean is widely known especially because of the pandemic but it’s very important to realise that the inside of your car can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other nasties. Staying on top of keeping your car clean will pay dividends in the long run and getting into a routine for car care can get things under control and take the chore out of looking after your car.
5. Approach Slight Damage or Headlight Damage Head On
Areas such as your door or other parts of your car such as your headlights may encounter damage from time to time. This may vary from slight nicks from slamming the door to damage from another motorist or issues that you could not avoid when on the road. Headlight damage needs to be covered with tape as soon as possible as water can get into the headlights and cause permanent damage. You can purchase specific tape online or from car accessory shops to keep your headlights taped up until they need a repair. If you are proactive and act early with damage to paint – you can prevent rust which will ensure that you can hide any damage before it becomes a bigger problem.
6. Repair Chips in the Windscreen Before They Become Cracks
It can become easy to ignore small chips in your windscreen but these can become worse and worse until they become large cracks in the windscreen. Heat damage, dust and dirt can all weaken the point of the chip to the point where the entire windscreen can break and this will then require a complete replacement. If chips become a certain diameter (over 3 inch of cracks or 1 inch of chips) they cannot be repaired and you will likely be looking at a replacement windscreen. The risk of a windscreen breaking when on the road is a very serious issue so you will want to arrange for a chip or crack repair.
7. Think About Your Spark Plugs
Modern innovations have changed the way spark plugs are maintained and they now do not need to be tuned because of electronic ignition and onboard computer systems. However – it’s recommended to change your spark plugs once every 10,000 miles after you reach the 40,000-mile mark. You will see increased fuel performance as well as this keeping you safe from your engine not suddenly running. Combine this with our tip on removing heavy keys from your keychain and you will be able to maintain your ignition system for larger periods of time.
Last but not least, don’t forget to check your vehicle’s tyres to ensure that they are not cracked. For more help on tyres and how to identify whether they need replacing or not, check out our blog.
Was there an advanced tip that didn’t make the list that you swear by? Do you have any additional tips that can be used to keep your car running for longer and that can be used to keep your car in good working order for years to come? Let us know in the comments!
At Autocentres Ltd, we are one of the leading providers of Tyres in Newport. If you are looking for the best tyres possible as well as high-quality tyres in Cwmbran – we highly recommend that you visit our 5-star garage today!