Before you head out this summer, there are a few simple car care precautions you can take to keep your family safe and save money. Extreme heat and long journeys can take a toll on your car. Broken hoses, leaky radiators, under-inflated tires, and dirty filters can drastically reduce fuel efficiency or lead to complete failure in the worst cases.
Check Your Tires
Checking your tires is very important when it comes to your car care. Tire pressure changes as the temperature rises. Approximately 1 to 2 PSI (pounds per square inch) for every 10 degrees increase in outside temperature.
To determine how high your tire pressure should be, refer to your owner’s manual or tire sidewall, check with a pressure gauge you have on hand, or have the shop staff do it for you.
Low air pressure in a tire causes it to bulge outward, putting pressure on the tire’s sidewall. With enough heat and pressure, the tire will eventually burst. On the other hand, if the tire pressure is too high, it will have less contact with the road surface and can cause hydroplaning in wet conditions.
You can use a penny trick to see if your tires still have enough tread. Stick a penny in the tread, and if Lincoln’s head disappears, you’re good. Check for proper tire alignment and balance.
And don’t forget to prepare! There is no point in having a spare wheel if it is in worse condition than the others. Make sure the spare tire is properly inflated and has sufficient tread depth.
Change Oil and Oil Filter
Oil is the lifeline of your car. Keeps high-wear engine parts clean, smooth, and cool. Most owners’ manuals recommend changing the oil and oil filter every 7,500 miles (12,070 kilometers). Oil experts recommend changing the oil every 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) or every three months. In fact, most people drive heavily in the summer when the danger of overheating the engine increases. So at least check the oil level before taking a road trip with your family.
Check Hoses and Belts
The point of summer driving is to cool the engine. We’ll talk about radiators and coolant briefly, but first, you need to check the hoses and belts. The hoses connected to the radiator helps pump coolant to and from the engine block, while the belts run the fan that helps cool the system further. A cut hose or belt can quickly overheat a radiator and get stuck.
Change the Air Filter
In winter, car air filters can become clogged with salt and other thick deposits. A clogged air filter can significantly reduce fuel efficiency. Replacing dirty or clogged air filters can improve fuel economy by up to 10%.
But how do you know when to change your air filter? The recommended interval is every 19,312 kilometers (12,000 miles). However, this can be affected by the particular road and air conditions you are driving on. Frequent driving on dirt roads and gravel roads will clog the air filter much more quickly than the air filter of a vehicle dedicated to road traffic. The only real way to know if your air filter needs to be replaced is to remove it and do a quick check.
Check Your Brakes
Braking is the most important safety feature of a car. Don’t put yourself or your family at risk by driving with worn or failing brakes this summer. If the brake pad or brake shoe lining wears beyond the minimum thickness required by the vehicle manufacturer or state law, the brake should be replaced. A regular mechanic or brake specialist can check brake pads.
Check the Coolant and Radiator
Cars are designed to run hot, but there is a limit to how hot they can run. Internal combustion engines are most efficient around 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius). However, if the engine gets too hot, the moving metal parts can actually melt and fuse together, which can cause various internal problems with the engine.
Summer puts a lot of pressure on your cooling system. Sitting in traffic on a hot day is one of the quickest ways your car can overheat. This is because there is no airflow over the engine to cool it. A well-tuned cooling system can withstand long periods of idling in the hot sun, but low coolant levels or a failed V-belt can cause the engine to heat up quickly.
Kwikkar Lewisville can help you with your car care and prepare you for an amazing summer.
Kwikkar Lewisville, Passion For Excellence, contact us now:+1 (972) 318-0234