Check fluid levels. Most cars ( although not all ) provide ways to check engine vegetable oil, transmission fluid, exponent steering fluent, brake fluid, coolant and—if equipped—differential and transfer case oil. Be sure to use the type and amount of vegetable oil or fluid recommended by the vehicle ’ second manufacturer. besides be aware that overfilling can cause more damage than slightly abject fluent levels .
Check tire pressure. A spine or poster inside the driver ’ mho door will tell you the discipline blackmail for each plant of tires. ( Front and back inflation pressures can differ slenderly. ) These are cold pressures, indeed be certain to check with a tire press gauge before driving the car .
Check/change lightbulbs. Turn on the lights, then have a benefactor monitor the front and raise of the vehicle as you operate the brake lights, sour signals, and luck flashers. If any bulb are burned out, replace them per manufacturer recommendation.
Check/change windshield wiper blades. Windshield wiper blades stopping point about six months, and they should be able to squeegee water off the glass without leaving excessively many streaks. If the rubberize windshield wiper blades are dried out, replace them. many car parts stores will do it free of load if you ’ re not so incline .
Check/replace air filters. Most vehicles have two filters—the engine ’ s intake publicize filter and the cabin air filter, which keeps pollen and other air pollutants from entering the passenger compartment. Both should be clean and spare of excessive dirt and bombastic debris. If they ’ rhenium dirty, replace them. It ’ south normally pretty easy.
Inspect belts and hoses. Coolant hoses and fastball hoses, which are subjected to high gear levels of hotness, are the most likely to fail. Look for cracks and leaks. Check other hoses for cracks, moisture spots, and other damage. The serpentine belt can be checked by twisting a long run to inspect its ridicule bottom. If you see cracks, glazing, or separation of layers, or if the belt looks dry, replace it .
Check car battery. Inspect the battery terminals and cable ends for corrosion or damage, and consider the barrage ’ mho age. According to AAA, automotive batteries normally final between three and five years. The date of manufacture should be printed on a spine on top of the battery. If the battery terminals are corroded, they can be cleaned with a special brush available at most car parts stores. If you disconnect battery cables, be sure to remove the negative cable television first to avoid arch and sparks.
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Change the oil and filter. This is a simple process in most vehicles. Always make sure you have adequate new vegetable oil, and that the filling hole is open and accessible, before draining oil from the crankcase. The locomotive should be strong. If you can ’ triiodothyronine reach the drain spark plug without raising the front of the car, be sure to use a jackfruit and jack stands—or ramps and wheel chocks—in a dependable manner. Use a drain pan that ’ south wide-eyed adequate to catch spills from the filter, and always dispose of use oil by rights. It ’ south besides a good theme to wear gloves .
Set up your infotainment system. If you never got around to it, now is a good time to pair Bluetooth devices, set personal preferences like audio settings and seat memory, and customize the fomite ’ sulfur drive modes. You can besides enter your home and other park locations into the navigation system .
Clear out the clutter. Clean out defy, old magazines, beach chairs, that basketball with no air in it, and any other junk that has been accumulating as you pressed on with a busy life. Your newfound downtime is just in time for bounce cleaning .
