As the saying goes, “Early prevention is better than any cure.” Humans can live longer with the right preventive measures. Similarly, vehicles can last longer with effective auto preventive maintenance. What auto preventive maintenance can you do to prolong the life of your prized possession? Read on and find out.
Auto Preventive Maintenance Tips
1. Sanitizing Air Vents with Steam
Here’s an auto preventive maintenance for your precious possession – sanitizing the air vents with steam. Doing so can prolong the life of car filters and keep the interior air clean and smelling fresh. Doing air sanitation in winter also gets rid of air-borne germs and bacteria that can affect your health and well-being. Don’t wait for your car to smell. Sanitize your air vents once a week to enjoy the benefits clean vents can bring.
2. Conditioning Leather Seats
Your car’s leather seats are very expensive. They’re easy to clean, too. You just wipe them with a cleaner and everything’s okay. But don’t stop there. You should condition your leather to prevent it from drying and cracking prematurely. That’s a more economical way to preserve the beauty of those beautiful and classy seats!
3. Park in the Shade
Perhaps one of the best and low to zero auto preventive maintenance tips is to park your vehicle in a shaded area. This can avoid costly car paint problems like sun spots, hard water spots, and oxidation. If you can, try to park your car inside a garage.
4. Headlights Restoration
A snowy road coupled with cloudy headlights is a recipe for disaster. It’s because cloudy headlights can affect your nighttime vision and visibility to other drivers. Prevent accidents and costly body repairs by restoring your headlights.
5. Clean Windshield
A clean windshield helps prevent accidents and saves you a lot of money in the long run. Dirty windshields and faulty wipers can affect your vision, especially at night or in stormy weather. Cleaning windshields should be done often. You can use your favorite glass cleaner or create your own.
6. Replace Wiper Blades
Replacing wiper blades is an auto preventive maintenance idea that can help prolong the life of your windshield and keep you safe on the road. Old wiper blades no longer make good contact with the windshield. When this happens, the wipers tend to smear the windshield, consequently affecting your vision. Also, old wiper blades can harbor dust, sand, and similar contaminants that can scratch your windshield. It is recommended to replace wiper blades once every six months.
7. Cleaning Engine with Steam
There’s a common misconception that steam cleaning an engine can damage it. On the contrary, doing this can prolong the life of your engine and keep you and your passengers safe. It’s because steam effectively removes all that gunk, grime, and mud from your engine and engine bay, allowing it to function properly. The conditions in your area will determine how often you should clean your car’s engine.
8. Waxing and Sealing
Did you know that four of the most common car paint problems today can be prevented by waxing and sealing? Waxes and sealants add a protective barrier onto the car paint, thus preventing paint scratches, bird droppings and paint etching, sun damage, and water damage. That’s car paint protection done right, so make sure you include this auto preventive maintenance tip in your car care schedule.
9. Stain Removal
Stains on your car upholstery or seats lessen the beauty of your interior. Not to mention that the longer the stains sit on your upholstery, the harder they are to remove. Why spend a lot of money on new upholstery when you can do something about it?
Stains are easier to remove when they’re still fresh. Here are the proper ways to remove stains from chocolate, coffee, and ink.
10. Hand Car Wash
Taking your car to an express car wash might seem cheaper and more convenient. However, due to the volume of cars cleaned inside these premises, the risk of car paint scratches and paint swirls cannot be avoided. Sand, dirt, and other contaminants from previously washed cars can get trapped in the giant brushes and cleaning cloths and scratch your car’s paint. Hand car wash prevents these instances from happening because you can see sand or other contaminants and dislodge them from your brush or microfiber cloth by hand. And, if you decide to apply wax by hand, you can do a more even application than any express wash can.
11. Steam Cleaning the Exterior
Steam cleaning your car’s exterior is an auto preventive maintenance technique that enhances the beauty of your vehicle. It’s because steam cleaning doesn’t need harsh brushes for removing dirt, gunk, or grime. Properly done, steam alone can dislodge contaminants, so you can easily wipe them off. No harsh brushes translate to a scratch-free surface. Here’s how to steam clean your car’s exterior.
12. Tire Detailing
Your vehicle’s tires and wheels are always subjected to road contaminants. Small stones, nails, and similar contaminants can be embedded between the ridges of your tires. Undetected, they can puncture your tires, leading to flat tires. Regular tire detailing helps detect issues like this, thus preventing accidents brought about by flat tires from happening. Not to mention that you don’t have to spend for tire replacement.
13. Repairing Rust Spots
Unattended, those small rust spots can eat away at the metal parts of your car. And when the rust has spread, it can cause irreversible damage to your vehicle. You wouldn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a new car, would you? Repairing rust spots, however, is an auto preventive maintenance task that’s best done by professionals, unless you have the necessary skills and experience.
14. Preparing Your Car for Winter
During winter, your car is subject to a lot of stress from the environment. Road salt can damage the chassis, wheels, and tires. The cold can crack leather seats, and moisture can cause molds and mildew. A cold interior can also be a thriving ground for germs and bacteria. Preparing your car for the winter not only improves your car’s protection against the elements – it can also keep you and your loved ones safe from air-borne germs and contaminants.
15. Getting the Services of the Pros
Perhaps the best auto preventive maintenance tip is to get the services of professional detailers. This will save you time, money, and effort from trying to find out how to fix certain problems in your car. For example, there’s a blood stain on your car’s red carpet. Using bleach might remove the stain, but can also discolor surrounding areas. Technicians know of some techniques on how to remove those stains effectively.
These are just some auto preventive maintenance tips. Performing them on your vehicle can keep it beautiful and safe for a long time. If you want to get the most out of your car, schedule an appointment with DetailXPerts. We have the right tools, equipment and manpower to give your car the treatment it deserves.
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