When it comes to vehicle safety and reliability, there are a lot of factors to consider. When purchasing the vehicle, you should consider brand and ratings for safety and reliability. However, once the vehicle is purchased, you have to keep up with vehicle maintenance beyond driving safely.
Vehicle maintenance is not the occasional oil changes and tire pressure (though those are important). It cares for your vehicle to ensure it is as safe and reliable as possible for when you travel to work, on errands, or longer distances. Many people have experienced moments of frustration or fear due to a car breakdown while driving.
Even if the vehicle is not driven a lot, you need to be sure the vehicle is well maintained. A parked vehicle still needs to be started regularly and looked after. Whether you are driving the car extensively or your miles are limited, you should focus on keeping your car in shape. Here are five areas of maintenance you should focus on to ensure your vehicle’s safety and reliability.
Tires
Tires can wear out if driven regularly; therefore, you should regularly check them for balding or other wear and tear. Tires can also pick up nails, screws, or other puncturing debris when driving, causing the tire to go flat or dangerous.
Parked cars can still have some tire issues. Sitting in one place with all the vehicle’s weight on the tires can cause them to deflate slowly, so check your tires for flats before you get in your car. Most people don’t inspect taught in driving school. However, checking for flat tires is quick and easy to do and should be done every time you drive your vehicle.
Regularly checking the tire pressure is important. You need to ensure that your tires are at the optimum inflation level to make them safe and better on your gas mileage. Most tire shops will check your pressure for free and put some air in your tires in minutes.
If your tires are still in great shape, you should have them rotated and balanced on occasion. Tires are perhaps one of the biggest safety concerns on your vehicle, as anyone who has had a tire blow on the highway can attest to.
Brakes
Brakes are another safety and reliability concern when it comes to car maintenance. Your brakes need to stop the car and be in good enough shape to handle braking hard if the need arises. Most brakes come with squealers that will sound when your brakes are worn enough to be replaced but not worn enough to be in any danger.
There will be some occasions where you will need to have the rotors or drums turned. The turning generally occurs after someone has driven with worn down brake pads and metal is grinding on metal to stop your vehicle. If you get your brakes taken care of once the squealers sound off, you should not have to have your drums or rotors turned.
Battery
Batteries will generally last a long time and carry a long-term warranty. While batteries are generally not dangerous to your vehicle, they can leave you stranded if they are not properly maintained. Be sure not to leave any lights on in your vehicle and replace your battery if you see any corrosion on your battery terminals.
Fluids
Maintaining vehicle fluids generally does not have any safety concerns attached to it. However, you can cause irreparable damage if you don’t maintain certain fluids required to keep the engine going, keep the vehicle cool, or make the transmission or brakes work properly. Therefore, you must keep up with your vehicle’s fluid levels and change them out completely regularly.