Basic car maintenance tips

by Mark Lorenzana

Your car might be ranked first or second among your most prized possessions. And with good reason— you paid good money for it. Here are some maintenance tips on how to keep your car in tiptop condition so you can avoid unnecessary breakdowns and expensive repairs.

• Regularly changing your car's engine oil and filter is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car running well. Over time, engine oil breaks down and your filter becomes clogged with contaminants.
  
  
• Wash your car regularly (at least once a week) and wax it once in a while to keep it shiny and free from corrosion. However, the most important thing to remember when washing your car is to use products that will be able to gently lift away dirt and grime without damaging the underlying surfaces or strip away existing wax or sealant protection.
  
  
• Always try to use genuine spare parts as replacements. Sure, generic spare parts are a lot cheaper but it’s a better idea to stick to the more reliable originals.
  
  
• Take good care of your tires: check your tires’ pressure regularly - at least once a month; if your tires are worn, have them re-treaded right away or better yet, replace them; improper alignment causes increased tire wear, and in worst cases, may throw your car into a skid especially on a wet road. Have the alignment checked.
  
  
• Have your car checked by a mechanic at least once a year -- and not just a quick visual inspection by one of the fast lube places. Have a competent mechanic inspect major components of your car such as brakes, suspension, etc. while having your tires rotated. This is important because many vehicle components (ball joints, for example) cannot be inspected visually.
  

As soon as you feel there is something wrong with your car like any kind of irregular noise or vibration while driving, have it checked soonest. You don’t want a car that’s unsafe to drive.

For complete information on how to maintain your car, it’s a good idea to refer to your owner's manual or better yet, pay a visit to your local vehicle repair shop.

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Maintaining the peak performance of your car’s battery

by Jovir Amatong

For those of you who are first time DIYs, the battery is one of the integral components of your car; it is rechargeable and is the power source of the ignition system and other electrical devices in your car.

Initially there’s the maintenance free and low-maintenance types to choose from. A maintenance free battery is sealed and will not require replenishing the battery fluids over a long period of time while the low-maintenance type requires constant check up and replenishing once a drop in battery fluid levels can be seen. Battery fluid (Alkaline) can easily be bought at local gas stations and car yards or you can use distilled water as a substitute.

In layman’s terms the battery is the heart of your car but is often times the most neglected simply because nowadays it’s bought “maintenance free.”

Recent trends and technological advancements have made maintenance free batteries a standard on every vehicle out in the market today.

Don’t get the impression that since you’ve read on the label that it’s maintenance free, you will just simply put it in its place and forget about it. Your car’s battery is not entirely that. Just like any other sensitive equipment of your car, it also requires your constant care and attention for it to function well.

Here are the basic maintenance tips that will certainly save you a lot of trouble and will not leave you clueless by the roadside while on a very important trip.

As a rule before doing maintenance checks, always see to it to disconnect the clamps off the terminals to avoid untoward injuries from shock.

1. Check the cell casing and cover
Run an ocular inspection on the battery cell casing, box and cover for signs of moisture and pungent acidic smell. These are indicators that your battery is leaking and it needs to be fixed or replaced right away.

Maintain caution when handling leaking batteries for hazardous chemicals are present.

2. Clean terminals, clamps and cables
When you happened to see white powdery specks or see colorful substances around the terminals, they are signs of corrosion and needs to be cleaned right away. Make a baking soda solution (1 tablespoon baking soda immersed in 1 cup of water) and with an old toothbrush, clean the terminals, clamps and cables. Also clean the battery cover for accumulated grime and dust.

3. Make sure everything is dry
Make it a point to have everything dry before going further with your check up. With a dry rag, wipe off the remaining dew and moisture from the battery and terminals.

4. Check the wiring and connection
Run a check on the wires and clamps for strips or corrosion. If you have stripped cables, patch the affected part with a good electrical tape or have them replaced by a mechanic. Make sure that the battery is placed securely in its place. If your battery is equipped with a hold down bar, be sure to replace it.

5. Lubricate the terminals
With a lubricant (Petroleum jelly) place a small dab on the terminals. This will keep your cables clean and free of corrosion longer, while making it easier for you to put the cables back on the battery terminal.

6. Change your battery
Change your battery at the maximum of 3 to 3.5 years or after reaching the warranty period. For accidental battery drain (Such as leaving the lights on or stereo on) a lot of auto technicians would just recommend re-charging.

Car battery maintenance is that easy! Do it frequently to extend the life of your battery.

Safe driving.

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How to Detect Hidden Defects in a Used Car

by Edon Canada

Imagine yourself in the seller's shoes. You are trying to sell your old coupe for a bigger sedan. You gather the keys, rummage through your pile of junk for the owner's manual and old service records. You clean the engines, vacuum the interiors, rub out the stains on the cushions and put your coupe through a car wash.

When you get home to admire the sheen of the freshly polished wax, you notice some scratches and dents. Luckily, you have the cosmetics for such a contingency. And if your luck holds out, buyers wouldn’t even notice the dents and scratches. You are now ready to meet the buyers with a smile borne out of a clean conscience.

Imagine and remember this because this is exactly how a private seller with an ounce of business sense would prep his or her vehicle before a sale. Dealers could do it a lot better when they try. So, how do you see past the haphazard paint job? There is a way to detect hidden defects on the vehicle.

Body

• Check if the paint on the outside of the car matches the paint inside the door frame. Check for gritty surfaces and paint overspray on chrome – possible signs of a new paint job or masking body dents and scratches.
• Check if the panels line up evenly. Also check if there are any scuffs, scratches, dents or irregular protrusions in the wings and bumper – these could be warning signs of past accidents.
  

Doors and Trunk Lid

• Make sure that doors and lid open without any creaks and close smoothly without being slammed. A door or lid that doesn’t fit evenly could indicate that the vehicle was involved in a collision or was regularly driven in rough roads.
• Check that the locks work properly.
• Look for rips and stains on the interior panel of the door and scrapes on the bottom edges.
  

Windows

• See if there are any hairline cracks or tiny holes in the glass.
• Make sure that they move up and down smoothly and if they fit snugly when fully rolled up or down.
  

Tailpipe

• Check if the tailpipe is damaged from poor reversing.
• Examine the rear bumper for excessive soot from the exhaust. If the tailpipe has black gummy soot, this may indicate that the engine has worn rings or bad valves, which could mean expensive repairs.
  

Tires and Shock Absorbers

• Check the tires (don’t forget the spare) if they are unevenly worn as this may indicate either bad alignment or worse – damaged suspension.
• Put your full weight on a corner of the car and release – if the car keeps rocking up and down, be wary about the condition of the shock absorbers.
  

Interiors

• Check if the steering wheel points straight when the wheels are aligned ahead.
• Check the upholstery for cigarette burns, rips, stains or scuffs. Low mileage readings but worn out driver’s seat and brake and accelerator pedals could mean that the odometer has been tampered.
• Musty smell, dirt under the mat, moisture inside the trunk and watermarks on the interior panels of doors are likely indicators of flood damage.
  

Lights and Mechanical Devices

• Make sure the lights, air conditioner, heater, windshield wipers, radio and other accessories work properly.

Already sounds like too much work? This doesn’t include checking out the engine and gauging the vehicle’s driving performance yet. That’s a long topic that needs to be addressed in a separate article. Nevertheless, what we’ve discussed could help you unmask any hastily dressed up lemon to reveal its true colors, so to speak.

If you want convenience, buy from a reputable dealer who sells the vehicle “as is.” The dealer does the checking for you, documents all the dents, scratches and damages worth noting and includes the information in the vehicle description. Then all you need to do is negotiate the price.

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Don't Tread Lightly: A closer look at your vehicle's tires

by Mark Lorenzana

What is the least appreciated part of a vehicle? A good answer would be the tires.

Most people don’t give much thought to their tires until it’s too late-- until they fail. And when tires fail, it could mean just two things: either you get a minor inconvenience that might involve getting stuck in traffic, missing work, while putting on your spare, or a scenario that could be much worse – a life-threatening accident.

If you own a vehicle, perhaps it’s a good idea to give more importance to your tires. Be sure to check the condition of the tires you are currently using and look out for any defects or faults. Check the spare, too.

Or better yet, continue reading this article. It will delve more deeply on safety issues concerning vehicle tires.


Looking out for serious defects in your car tires.

This should serve as a warning for the driving public. There might be hidden defects in tires that could cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles on the road.

It is not enough for tires to look good, be properly inflated, and have a good amount of tread. It’s a good idea to check the age of your tires.

Because tires are the most under appreciated part of a vehicle, drivers often neglect how old their tires are as long as they still look good. This might be true especially for spare tires—some could be up to a decade old or more. A very old spare tire, believe it or not, could deteriorate to the point of having its interior rotted. One can just imagine the disastrous effects this could lead to when driving at extremely high speeds.

In tires, the rubber materials that hold the belts together will eventually degrade and lose its elasticity. It will get to the point where the tire can no longer hold together. Research shows that tires six years or older tend to break down. And it’s not just the spare tire in your trunk that can be dangerous. Even tires bought from the shop or the showroom can be just as dangerous – who knows, these might have been sitting in a shelf for more than a decade waiting to be sold.


Avoiding accidents brought about by old, faulty tires.

Many vehicle makers now put warnings in their car manuals against using tires that are more than six years old. Some experts, however, advocate for expiration dates to be stamped on the tires not unlike other consumer products like milk.

The tire industry disagrees, stating that expiration dates will only give consumers a false sense of security. They stress that this might lead consumers to use the tires and wear them down to the nub as long as the products are still within the expiration date.

Tire makers say proper maintenance is the key to safe tires and that there is no reliable data that tires become dangerous after six years.

How to make sense of all these contradictory views by the experts? Here is an important tip for the consumer: on the outer wall of the tire, the side that faces away from the car, are a series of digits and letters. The last series of four numbers actually shows the tire’s date of manufacture. For instance, if it shows 1202, this means that the 12th week of 2002 is the tire’s date of manufacture. By checking the date of manufacture, you can determine on your own the age of the tire. You can then decide if it’s time to buy new ones.

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