Some Simple Auto Repair Tips to Keep Your Car Up and Running

 Some simple auto maintenance can help control the unexpected auto repair bills down the road. Changing your oil and radiator fluid can be simple but important things to do to keep your car running smoothly.

The best way to avoid unforeseen auto repair bills in the future is to do proper auto maintenance on your vehicle now. There are plenty of things that even the most unskilled mechanic can do to properly keep a car running starting with the basics- your oil. At the very minimum you should be able to check your fluid levels and you should know when it’s time to change your oil, even if you don’t have the tools or knowledge to do it yourself.
Checking your oil is easy. First make sure your engine is cool and that you’re parked on level ground. Take the dipstick out of your oil reserve and wipe it off with a rag and reinsert it into the reserve and pull it out again. Your dipstick is marked with lines to tell you if it’s low and if it is low it is marked to tell you how many quarts of oil you need to add. You should never risk running your vehicle low on oil because the most likely outcome will be your engine seizing up and that’s either a very expensive auto repair bill or a new engine to get your car running again.

If your oil is black when you check your dipstick, this is an indicator that you need to have your oil changed. “Black gold” may be what they call it in the oil fields, but when it’s in your car it should be a golden honey color. Black oil means your car is running with dirty oil, and dirty oil can bring contaminates into your engine that will only lead to expensive auto repair bills.

Change your oil according to your car manufacturers suggestion of mileage, and make sure you change your oil filter at the same time to get the most out of your oil change.

Another simple maintenance task that any novice can tackle is checking your radiator fluid. Again, make sure your engine is off and cool before you attempt to check any fluids, especially your radiator levels. A hot radiator can spew fluids out and cause very serious burns. Your radiator is an important part of your car’s cooling system, and if your radiator fluid is low you are probably driving a car that isn’t being properly cooled as it runs. To check your fluids simply unscrew the radiator cap, and you should be able to see the greenish yellow liquid inside. If you can’t see your fluids, your levels are dangerously low and you need to add some fluid. Make sure you add the proper mixture of radiator fluid. You can buy this as a 50/50 mixture so you don’t have to worry about diluting the straight fluid correctly with water; it will already be done for you.

With the proper maintenance, your auto repair problems may not disappear, but they can at least be diminished a great deal and future auto repair problems will be better controlled.

Article Tags: Auto Repair, Make Sure

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR