Celebrate vehicle care month by maintaining car

The Car Care Coun­cil rec­om­mends 10 basic main­te­nance pro­ce­dures to keep your car oper­at­ing at its best:

• Check the oil, fil­ters and flu­ids. Oil should be changed per the owner’s man­ual rec­om­mended inter­vals. Your car’s fil­ters need reg­u­lar inspec­tion and replace­ment, too.

• Inspect hoses at each oil change and have them replaced when leak­ing, brit­tle, cracked, rusted, swollen or restricted.

• Check the brake sys­tem every year and have the brake lin­ings, rotors and drums inspected at each oil change.

• Check that the bat­tery con­nec­tion is clean, tight and corrosion-free. If the bat­tery is three years old or more, it should be tested and replaced if necessary.

• Inspect the exhaust sys­tem for leaks, dam­age and bro­ken sup­ports or hang­ers if there is an unusual noise. Exhaust leaks can be dan­ger­ous and must be cor­rected with­out delay.

• Sched­ule a tuneup that will help the engine deliver the best bal­ance of power and fuel econ­omy and pro­duce the low­est level of emissions.

• Check your vehicle’s heat­ing, ven­ti­lat­ing and air con­di­tion­ing sys­tem as proper heat­ing and cool­ing per­for­mance is crit­i­cal for inte­rior com­fort and for safety rea­sons, such as defrosting.

• Inspect the steer­ing and sus­pen­sion sys­tem annu­ally, includ­ing shock absorbers and struts, and chas­sis parts, such as ball joints, tie-rod ends and other related components.

• Check the pres­sure of all tires, includ­ing the spare, at least once a month. Check the tread for uneven or irreg­u­lar wear and cuts and bruises along the side­walls. Have your car’s align­ment checked at least annu­ally to reduce tire wear and improve fuel econ­omy and handling.

• Test exte­rior and inte­rior lights and have bulbs that are not work­ing checked imme­di­ately. Replace wind­shield wiper blades every six months or when cracked, cut, torn, streak­ing or chat­ter­ing for opti­mum wip­ing per­for­mance and safety.

To help you drive smart and save money, visit www.carcare.org and check out the free dig­i­tal Car Care Guide.

Rich White
Exec­u­tive Direc­tor
Car Care Coun­cil
Bethesda, Md.