Many people may not know this, but April is officially considered the National Car Care Month. April is usually the first month where you can finally focus on any car concerns or issues you have ostensibly ignored during winter. The month also opens the best seasons for long road trips: spring and summer. Lincoln car dealers around Covington, LA, have the perfect idea to celebrate car care month: perform routine maintenance and inspection on your beloved vehicles. Here are some necessary basic steps on how you can take care of your car:
1. Clean the interior and exterior of your car.
If you drove your car in winter, the chances of having caked mud, snow, sleet, and other foreign debris on your exterior are high. While you might think that it is no big deal, these materials can cause irreparable damage to your vehicle if left untended. Aside from ruining your vehicle’s paint, snow and road salts can cause corrosion to certain parts of your car. There’s also a high probability of accumulating trash and clutter inside your vehicle, so it is better to perform spring cleaning on your vehicle.
Conversely, even if you just left your vehicle locked inside your garage during winter, it is still recommended to do a bit of cleaning. No one enjoys driving a dusty, musty car, especially during warm weather.
2. Check your tire pressure (or change your winter tires).
Those who live in areas where the winter is bitterly harsh should invest in a set of winter tires to guarantee road safety. However, as April rolls, it is time to swap those tires with performance or touring tires. Similarly, you should consider switching your tires with summer tires if you live in arid, hot weather areas.
Ideally, car owners should check their tire pressure at least once a month since it is entirely possible for the wheels to deflate with everyday use. For this reason, car owners should invest in a tire pressure gauge to check the tire pressure themselves. A tire pressure gauge typically costs around $10 to $20. It might seem a lot, but to think that a flat tire replacement can cost you more than $300, indeed $20 is a pretty good investment.
3. Check (and change) your fluids.
You can either do this yourself or go to a trusted auto service to do it for you. Don’t wait for the warning lights on your dashboard to light up like Christmas before you consider checking your fluids, especially your oil. All vehicles need fresh oil to lubricate their engines, stop dirt from building up, and eventually send your engine into an irreparable state. Changing your fluids costs far less than having to completely overhaul your engine. Unless you have thousands of dollars you are willing to spend on engine repair, it is more sensible to pay an auto professional to change your fluids.
According to Lincoln dealerships near Covington, LA, while April is the official Car Care Month, you should repeat the process in October since you also need to prepare your car for the hazards of the upcoming winter. If you want to know more car care tips, check out Baldwin Lincoln car dealer in the New Orleans, LA, area.
