Cars are the most important commodity nowadays. You need them in this fast-paced world where you need to be fast or you will be left behind. You need to reach places at the right time. Public transport is not always feasible. They have a particular time-table they follow. And that does not always coincide with the unexpected timetable we get presented with. But cars also break down. In that case you might need to call towing truck service.
Cars break down for a variety of reasons but most of them can be avoided with regular maintenance tasks. Most common causes of breakdown are low or dead battery, flat tire, overheating engine, transmission problems, engine lubrication problems, etc.
People think that they don’t need to perform regular repairs on their automobiles. It is a waste of money. But when they have to pull over and call for towing truck service and call in work to inform you that you are going to be late due to car trouble. They regret not getting their car repaired on time.
It is especially regrettable when you can also perform many of these maintenance tasks yourself. We all know the saying ‘Preventions is better than cure’. These small steps towards looking after your cars will also increase the quality life of the cars.
Here Are A Few Things You Can Do To Prevent Your Car From Breaking Down
Check Tires
Flat tires can happen to anyone and anywhere. If that takes place you either need to call a towing truck service or change it yourself. If you know how to change it yourself then you are not in too much trouble. You are still going to be late for whenever you are going. But you will be able to reach there with relatively low cost.
However, if you had checked your tires and had it changed on the right time, you won’t be in trouble. Tire threads need to be at least 1/8 inch thick. If threads are worn change them straight away. While checking for threads inspect the sign of impairment. Tires also need to be inspected on the basis of alignment issues. This is possible to observe if tires have uneven pressure.
Tires should be regularly inflated. If there is not enough pressure tires will be damaged quickly. These can lead to flat tires or blowouts at unexpected times.
Change Oil
Oil is a very important part of any automobile. Car manufacturers always recommend frequent change of oil. Oil is essential to your car engine’s life. Oil keeps all moving parts of the car lubricated. So they don’t get rusted.
Oil also keeps dust and unwanted sediments from damaging other parts. What type oil should be used are subject to automobile and their manufacturers recommendations. Oil filter is also essential to smooth sailing of car. They filter out junk from the oil to prevent them from going back into the circulation. So you should keep an eye on it as well.
You can have oil changed by the mechanic or do it yourself. But you need to change it every 10,000 KMs. You can also schedule regular oil change appointments with your mechanic.
Check Your Coolant Level
Engine overheating is a very common cause of unexpected car breakdown. Common cause of engine break is coolant leak. It can be easily checked. So you should keep an eye out for coolant levels. Leak can also be observed by the fluid present in the garage floor.
Car’s heart is the engine. We have developed it since it was first developed 200 years ago. But energy is still being lost in the form of heat during combustion reaction. Parts of the car are made up of metal and other alloys that are affected by heat. Coolant is required to dissipate this heat.
An ideal coolant and distillation is 1:1 ratio. It is ideal to keep your eye on the temperature gauge on hot sunny days. In this case you need to shut off your car for a few minutes. If your car does over heat and is not moving ahead you might want to call your local towing truck service provider.
Check Your Other Fluid Levels
There are many types of fluids in the car. Transmission fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and many more. These are all important parts of the car. If their levels drop it can affect the performance of your car.
Coolant keeps your car cool in the summer and antifreeze keeps your car from freezing in the winter. Power steering fluid needed for the manoeuvrability of steering. Brake fluid connects the brake pedal to the breaks.
Transmission fluid is used for lubrication and cooling transmission components such as gears, clutches, valves, etc. Even windshield fluid is needed for safe driving.
It is smart to just check and make repairs when you check for oil in your regular schedule. These fluids are not as high maintenance as oil in the car. They just need little care once in a while.
Check Battery
Has your car battery died at any point in your life? 90% people would reply yes to this question. It is not something that happens to only few people. Your car battery is susceptible to corrosion, broken wires. It is also possible that the battery is unable to hold charge and many more reasons that makes you stranded on the side (or middle) of the road with an immovable car. You will need to call for towing truck service if you are stuck like this.
There are many more reasons as to why your car is not working properly. But what you need to know is how to prevent that. Regularly check for corrosion on battery terminals. Poor electrical connection due to rust will leave you stranded.
You can solve this simple problem with simple baking soda. Baking soda will clean the rust. It also neutralizes the battery acids. You will get shiny terminals and fully-functional connections with regular cleaning of the battery.
Check the Air Filter
Air filter lets your car engine breath properly. It needs to be cleaned regularly. If this is not cleaned regularly, it can constrict the air flow. This will lead to incomplete combustion of fuel. This in turn increases fuel emissions and reduces gas mileage of the car.
Get your air filters clear of debris, dirt and anything else stuck to it. Engines like human beings need good circulation of air.
Don’t Drive on Reserve Fuel
Cars are sensitive and intricate. They have multiple functions occurring at the same time. But they can only run when there is fuel. Fuels are filtered multiple times but even then some short of dirt or sediments can find its way to the tank. These sink to the bottom of the tank. So when you drive your automobile on reserve they reach to the engine and damage the engine.
This is not something for you to check on but you need to keep this in mind. There is a fuel filter in your car that filters out most of these junks. So have them checked and replaced if they are unable to do their job properly.
Don’t Ignore check Engine Light
Manufacturers put a lot of thought into designing the car. Everything they are providing has been important enough to be there. So when your check engine light is on, you need to check it if you have mechanical dexterity to solve the problem. If you can’t do that, have a mechanic look at it.
It is possible that it is just a small malfunction but it can lead to major problems. Many people had to call towing truck service when their vehicles shut down due to engine failure. This is not some random and unexpected issue.
Ignoring this light can endanger your life as well as your car’s life.
Check Spark Plugs
Spark plugs are a small but very significant part of your car. They provide a spark to the fuel for the combustion in the engine. This combustion produces power in the engine.
These plugs are separated by a small distance. Electricity jumps between these two plugs and creates an arc of electricity. Problems in spark plugs lead to slow acceleration, misfiring engine, poor fuel mileage, difficulty starting the vehicle.
The small but important part needs to be checked regularly. When you get it checked make sure to check the wires as well. Poor connection or corroded wires will lead to all of the above problems of spark plugs.
This may seem like a lot of work but it is not. Once a month an hour of your time is least you can do for a car. They are a constitutional part of our lifestyle now. A day without your car will make your life difficult. We have suffered such days when we have to have it towed by towing truck service. It is only after it has completely shut down.
Regular maintenance of the car should be your top priority. As these are the things that can you’re your car from breakdown. You will need to call towing truck service to have it towed to a mechanic and spend hundreds of dollars there.