The Importance of Regular Vehicle Maintenance
As you might already know, your vehicle comes with factory-scheduled maintenance recommendations. These range from brake inspections to oil changes to timing belt replacements. Regular maintenance recommendations are generally made for a certain time or mileage intervals. For instance, every three to six months, or 30,000, 60,000, or 90,000 miles. But why is it so important to follow a regular car maintenance schedule?
The Importance of Regular Vehicle Maintenance
You’ve invested thousands of dollars in your car. Therefore, you need to ensure that you maintain it properly. Nevertheless, this isn’t the only reason why you should take regular vehicle maintenance seriously. Here are some other factors you need to consider.
1. Prevents Unwanted Vehicle Problems
If you don’t pay attention to vehicle maintenance, major faults can develop in your vehicle’s engine and other parts. These faults develop over time. Thus, if you perform regular vehicle maintenance, you can prevent a lot of these minor issues from turning into serious problems. For instance, if you keep the engine oil at the recommended level, the engine will run smoothly, and there won’t be any problems due to overheating.
Moreover, maintaining recommended levels for power transmission and brake fluids will keep these systems efficient and improve the driving experience. When your vehicle is well-maintained, you’re less likely to face problems such as brake failure, engine failure, or car breakdown.
2. Reduces Fuel Cost
Every vehicle owner can agree that fuel costs are rising expenses. However, the good news is that by paying attention to your vehicle maintenance, you can save some money spent on fuel.
If your car is in good condition, you will get more mileage per gallon. This means increased savings. In fact, a well-maintained vehicle can offer 4 to 40 percent higher gas mileage! Just think of the savings you can get by carrying out regular vehicle maintenance.
3. Improves Road Safety
Certain accidents occur due to poor vehicle maintenance. For instance, you can get into an accident if you fail to maintain your brake system and your brakes malfunction when you have to slow down or stop. In the same way, if you don’t check your tire pressure and tread wear regularly, you can experience a blowout while driving at high speed or find your vehicle skidding on wet pavement when you press the brakes.
Regular vehicle maintenance helps you stay safe from potentially life-threatening situations.
4. Increases Vehicle Resale Value
The value of a used car depends largely on its condition. Most dealerships and buyers weigh the model, make, and condition when coming up with a trade-in or purchase price. They might use a code reader and visual inspections to determine the vehicle’s condition.
Regular maintenance minimizes the wear and tear of a vehicle and ensures that a new buyer won’t have to worry about major and costly repairs. Thus, you can keep a record of the maintenance work to prove that you cared for your car.
5. Minimizes Roadside Emergencies
It’s beyond aggravation when your vehicle refuses to start on a cold winter morning or breaks down without warning on the side of the road. What’s worse is that you could get stuck in the middle of nowhere without a cell signal – having to walk to get help.
Regular vehicle maintenance lowers the chances of a car breakdown and ensures your vehicle stays in good condition to support your trip. Checking air pressure and treads of tires is crucial for your vehicle for a strong grip on the road. It also plays a major role in the comfort of the trip.
6. Keeps Your Car Running Longer
Have you ever seen a car that’s over ten years old but still appears brand new. This is how an older, well-maintained car can outshine a newer car that has not been cared for. Many times, it’s the small things such as regularly checking the tire pressure, brakes, battery, lights, and fluid levels that can make a considerable difference and keep your vehicle on the road for longer.
7. Lower Repair Costs
Regular maintenance doesn’t cost much. However, unexpected replacements and repairs can be very costly. Keep in mind that the engine and other parts don’t fail without reason. When you ignore maintenance, it can give way to minor problems that can become serious with continued neglect of car maintenance.
Maintaining your car regularly allows you to check for signs of minor issues such as leaks, cracks, as well as excessive wear and tear because of friction. If you pay attention to these problems and carry out regular repairs, you won’t need to repair parts for a long time. This expands the longevity of the vehicle and minimizes the need for an early replacement. Therefore, it also helps reduce repair costs.
8. Enhances Reliability and Performance
The performance of the engine is directly linked to regular and timely maintenance. If you drive any vehicle long enough without checking the transmission fluid, changing the oil, and undertaking regular tune-ups, you will surely notice a fall in performance.
Remember that if you depend on your vehicle, it depends on you too. Several vehicle parts have to be replaced or serviced regularly. Therefore, by doing so, you can eliminate the chances of dealing with emergency tows and costly repairs.
Last Few Words
Vehicle maintenance might cost you a couple hundred dollars, whereas emergency repairs and replacement can go up to thousands of dollars. This one factor is sufficient for everyone to understand the importance of vehicle maintenance.
At Kwik Kar of Denton, we offer complete auto-care services, including oil change, repair, and maintenance, state inspections, brakes, detailing/vehicle wash, and a lot more. We offer full-service oil changes that include a multi-point inspection to ensure your car runs in optimal condition.
Our vehicle maintenance repair services won’t void any dealership warranty. Contact us now to book an appointment for your car maintenance.