The Ultimate Car Maintenance Checklist | Dayton OH

Cars are complicated vehicles with lots of moving parts. Over time, these parts will be subjected to wear-and-tear and might need to be cleaned or replaced. This comes on top of routine maintenance issues, like needing to change your oil regularly. Dayton, OH area drivers can check out the list below to see what they ought to do to keep their car in good condition.

Routine Maintenance

There are a number of things that pretty much every car will need done regularly. The list of car parts and systems that needs to be checked frequently includes:

• Tire wear and tread
• Oil and coolant levels
• Air filter
• Lights (headlights, turn signals, etc.)

If you find that your tires are a bit worn then it is probably time to rotate them, but if they're balding you may need to replace the set. Oil and coolant are fairly simple in that their levels need to be maintained. Your owner's manual will have detailed information about how to check these two fluid levels, and when they have to be entirely changed out.

The air filter is similar. Depending on where and how often you drive, the air filter will need to be changed out more or less often. It's possible to clean and change out your air filter yourself, if you check the manual, or find an instructional vehicle online. Make sure to search for your specific car!

Infrequent maintenance

There are other car parts and systems that only need to be checked up on once in a while. These are:

• transmission fluid
• shocks and struts
• spark plugs
• differentials
• windshield wipers
• battery
• serpentine belt

This list includes a number of things that might be too complicated for most Dayton, OH area drivers to maintain on their own. Your vehicles shocks and struts, for example, should be checked every 50,000 miles by a professional mechanic. If you happen to notice that your car doesn't handle as well as it used to, it would be a good idea to get these checked out, even if you haven't hit 50,000 miles yet.

You can usually tell if your windshield wipers need to be replaced - no one likes that horrible squeaking sound. Some drivers will also be comfortable checking their spark plugs and serpentine belt, but you can also ask your mechanic to look at these. A good time to bring this up would be when you bring the vehicle in to have the differentials and battery checked out. These items need to be serviced regularly by a mechanic - check your owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule.

Conclusion

Car maintenance is an important part of vehicle ownership. Keeping up with it will help you protect what may be one of the biggest investments in your life - your motor vehicle.

Here at Evans Volkswagen our service extends Beyond the Showroom. That's why we have a full-service auto shop, and why we offer At-Home Test Drives. We care about our community here in Dayton, OH, and we hope to see you at the dealership soon.