01 May 2018

5 Tips to Taking Care of Your First Car

Congratulations on getting your first car. As one can imagine, it must feel great to drive it around and show it off to your friends. But ownership comes with responsibility and you need to know how to take care of it for it to serve you better. Here are 5 tips to help you do this:

Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash

#1 - Keep Check of Your Car Tires
Your car’s motion depends highly on the state of your tires and as such, you need to keep track of their condition. It is important to check the tire pressure. Inappropriate tire pressure could result in the car being unstable, having less gas mileage, braking poorly, and eventually having the tires go flat. You can check the pressure of your tires using a tire pressure gauge.

Another important thing to do for your tires is to rotate them once in a while after covering a substantial driving distance to ensure that they evenly wear out so as to get maximum service from them before replacing them.

#2 - Park Your Car Under the Shade
Parking your car in an open place under the hot scorching sun can result in some ugly heat damage on the paint job and the interior. The sun’s UV rays are hot enough to crack your car’s dashboard, melt your interior plastic, make your car look faded, and completely ruin your paint job.

To avoid all this, ensure that you park your car under the shade, be it under a tree or a car port that will shield your car from the hot sun rays.

#3 - Keep Track of the Condition of Your Car’s Spark Plugs
Spark plugs are an essential component for the proper functioning of your vehicle. Damaged spark plugs can result in your car having poor gas mileage, an inability to accelerate, a damaged engine among other problems that will cost a lot of money to repair.

Ensure that you check your spark plugs after driving for about 30,000 miles to determine whether they are in good condition or whether they need to be replaced. Take care of your car by keeping your spark plugs in check.

#4 - Install Good Floor Mats in Your Car
Car mats are valuable to have in your car as they provide cushioning and safeguard your feet from heat, but more importantly, they keep water and dust from messing up your car. Allowing dust and water to fall on your car’s carpet will leave you spending too much time cleaning it.

A car mat will take less than 10 minutes to clean while the car carpet can take you hours. Get some good quality mats for your car. Let dust on your shoes and water be collected on the mat rather than on the car carpet. This is a simple yet effective way to take care of your car.

#5 - Keep the Interior and Exterior of Your Car Clean
Leaving your car dirty will attract grime which will damage and degrade its interior and exterior, making it look old and beat up. Get a good vacuum cleaner that can clean even the narrow crevices that are hard to access where dirt tends to accumulate most.

You can purchase your own vacuum cleaner and do the cleaning for yourself. Wondering which vacuum cleaner to go for? Here’s a link to a review of the best vacuum cleaners you can purchase for your car.  https://petallergyvacuum.guide/best-for-cars.