Monthly Archives: September 2020

Winter Car Care – Tips To Avoid Winter Damage

The wintertime can be troublesome for your car. It’s cold outside and your car gets exposed to winter elements that can damage its paint and parts. Here are some tips to help you protect your car during the cold seasons from winter damage.

Tips to avoid winter damage to your car

Use winter tires. These may add to your expenses, but they are surely well worth the money. Winter tires allow your car to get an exceptional grip on snow-covered ground, which gets you better steering and braking.

Avoid large puddles when driving. Driving through large puddles can cause significant damage to your car. Your car not only collects dirt and road salt when your car hit a pothole, but it may also damage the tire, bent rims, suspension, exhaust system, engine and knock the steering out of alignment. 

Avoid deep snow when driving. You may end stranded when you drive in deep snow. It can also damage your car in several ways. Snow containing road salt gets into places under your car which may cause corrosion. It can damage the exhaust system of your car. 

It may also affect the performance of your wheels as packed snow in your wheels can make the tires shaky. A good car wash will get rid of the shaking.

Do not park your car on the street. It is best not to park your car in the street especially during snowstorms. Save your car from getting buried with snow containing road salt. Not parking in the street also secures your car from accidental damage from other cars, from theft and parking tickets if your city employs winter parking ordinance.

Drive safely. Snow and ice make the road slippery so you have to increase your braking distances. Drive smart and maintain a safe speed.

Car Parts and Accessories – Should You Buy From Dealership or Online?

Whatever model of the car you have, you want it to be in good condition and efficient when running. Most owners feel that their car is unique and they always want to keep it that way. Whether you are just changing a fan belt or even with just the floor mats, you want it to be replaced with genuine car parts and accessories.

Car parts and accessories

Where will you get your genuine car accessories? Of course, you can just visit a dealer and pay the price for their offer. On the other hand, you can online auto supply for your car parts and accessories. You can Google almost anything today, and you can find a number of online stores and you will be filled with information about the type of accessories and the competitive prices each store offer for the parts you are looking for. You will be able to find online stores, which specializes in genuine, generic, new, and used accessories for your car model. The prices are so competitive that purchasing through a dealer would make you feel that you almost made a mistake.

But still, there are some advantages when purchasing your accessories through a dealer, such as precise information that they could give you when it comes to the car accessories in mind, the actual feel of the product and the confidence that they are selling you genuine parts. Whereas, if you purchase online, the only time you will see the product is after you bought them and delivered into your home. Some online stores may even lead you to buy generic instead of buying genuine car parts and accessories. You have to be meticulous on this aspect and do careful research on the site and on the product that you are going to buy before making a purchase.

Must-Have Auto Maintenance Checklist

Schedules can be pretty jam-packed especially if you are working. There are already so many things running in your head that keeping a tab of what to check in your car takes a backseat in your priorities. 

Caring and maintaining your car can be easy. We are here to help you remove the stress and have a more worry-free process of checking and inspecting your car. For that, we give you a maintenance checklist you can use to make sure everything in your car is working as it should be. Here it is:

Oil and Filter Change and Lube

  • Perform this for every 3,000 miles or every three months
  • Check if your car requires lube or it is one that is lubed for life
  • Lubricate steering and suspension components

Belt and Hoses

  • Check at every oil change
  • Change if worn, crack, leaking, rusted, brittle, or swollen 
  • Check tension and condition of V-belts and serpentine belts
  • Change if frayed, glazed, worn, or cracked

Engine Air Filter

  • Check at every oil change
  • Replace every year or when contaminations signs show

Cabin Filter

  • Change every year or if dirty or clogged

Differential, Manual Transmission and Transfer Case (if available)

  • Check at every oil change
  • Replace once in 4 years or after 50,000 miles

Windshield Washer Fluid

  • Check every month and use only washer fluid to fill it up

Fuel Filter

  • Change the filter once in 2 years or every after 24,000 miles

Automatic Transmission Fluid

  • Change after 2 years or every after 24,000 miles

Power Steering Fluid

  • Change after  2 years or every after 24,000 miles

Coolant

  • Change after  2 years or every after 24,000 miles
  • Maintain approved levels by checking mixture if low

Battery and Cables

  • Test and change battery every three years if needed
  • Inspect the connection of the better and check if mounted securely during change oil 

Timing Belt

  • Check when 60,00 and 90,000 miles is reached

Tune-Up

  • Check manufacturer’s recommended intervals for oxygen sensor replacement
  • Change spark plug between 30,000 and 100,000 miles

Brake Service

  • Annually inspect the whole brake system
  • Every 2 years or 24,000 miles, change the brake fluid

Bookmark this article or print this out for hassle-free auto maintenance. For more automotive information, check out iDriveSafely