Your Spring Car Maintenance Checklist

March 21, 2019

Despite the enduring winter chill, the spring season is upon us. As you start getting ready to put your vehicle back on the open road, you want to make sure that you’ve dotted all of your i’s and crossed your t’s to ensure smooth traveling.

Courtesy of Rob’s Automotive & Collision Center, your premier source for 24-hour towing service for Bucks County, PA, here is car maintenance checklist to keep in mind as the weather gets warmer.

1. Schedule a change for your oil and oil filter

Regular oil changes will help you maintain a healthy engine. As motor oil lubricates and cools down the engine, it naturally picks up impurities along the way. While this is good, the downside is that oil becomes gradually less effective as it ages, making regular oil and filter changes critical. Make sure to schedule an oil change this season to keep your engine healthy. In addition, todays vehicles also run hotter in general than years ago, which is harder on the oil.

2. Engine Coolant

This is the most overlooked type of service. Due to higher engine temperatures for fuel efficiency, all manufacturers recommend your anti freeze to be changed every two (2) years to protect the engine head gasket and radiator. This helps protect against corrosion which is the number one reason for radiator failure.

3. Check tire tread and pressure

Before hitting the road, make sure you check your tire pressure in the morning and adjust your tires based on the reading. Your tire pressure should match up with the tire pressure recommended in your vehicle manual.

Why should you check your tire pressure between winter and spring? Because fluctuations in the outside temperature can cause fluctuations in your tire pressure. Typically, tires lose or gain 1 pound per square inch for every 10°F change in temperature, and both over-inflated and under-inflated tires can cause issues on the road, including blowouts.

This is also the perfect time to check your tire’s tread depth. Without sufficient tread, your tires won’t grip the road as they are designed to do, compromising your car’s handling in wet weather and its ability to come to a quick stop.

We would be happy to check your tires for proper air pressure and depth, free of charge.

4. Replace your wiper blades and fluid

If your wipers are looking worse for wear, and a simple wiper cleaning isn’t doing the trick, it’s probably time to replace your wiper blades to prepare for seasonal rainstorms. Get ahead of the game by topping off your wiper fluid as well.

5. Headlights

You may need glasses if you find yourself squinting while driving at night — or, your lights may need a good cleaning! Just as our cars get dirty, so do the headlights and tail lights.

Over time the clear plastic lens covers for your vehicle’s headlights may become cloudy. This results in reduced visibility while driving at night. Replacing the lens can be a very expensive option. As an alternative, we use a special process of cleaning chemicals and very fine sandpaper to clear the imperfections and have your lenses looking new again, thus increasing visibility at night. You’ll be amazed at the difference this process makes.

To learn more about any of our services including 24-hour towing service for Burlington, NJ, call Rob’s Automotive & Collision Center today at 215-826-9200.