Preventative Maintenance on Your Car Saves You Money

Preventative maintenance on your vehicle is extremely important. As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. By spending small amounts of money today on maintenance, you can save yourself very high repair expenses in the future. Here are some of the most common preventative maintenance tasks.

Change your oil every 10,000 kiloeters or every three months. This will help increase the life of your engine. The engine is the most expensive part on a vehicle to have repaired, so spending R150 now for oil change is much better than spending R10,000 for an engine overhaul. Often when you take your car to an oil change shop, they will check many items including wiper blades, filters, and antifreeze mix. These are all things that should be checked regularly.

Have your tires rotated on a regular basis. Tires wear differently on each wheel. Having them rotated will help them to wear more evenly and to last longer. Also check your tire pressure every few weeks. Improper tire pressures can also make tires wear out faster.

Wash and wax your car on a regular basis. Doing this helps the paint to keep from getting damaged. Having your car painted can cost a couple of thousand dollars.

Have your mechanic perform a tune up on your vehicle at least once a year. Typically this includes changing spark plugs, filters, checking brakes, and flushing the radiator. These tasks will save you money in the future.