Preventative Maintenance is Required for Safety and Longevity

As the average age of the car on the road increases to 11.5 yrs. old, it seems that we are all keeping our cars longer, so preventative maintenance is needed in order to cope with safety with longevity.

A preventative maintenance plan for your vehicle may minimize the chances of a roadside breakdown and also assist with the efficiency, and reliability of the vehicle. The most common maintenance performed are checking the oil, filters, and fluids, belts, and hoses, timing,  brakes, tires, and air conditioning.

You should also browse through the Car Care Guide created by the Car Care Council to a fully customized maintenance plan, use Car Smart People to connect you with a highly-skilled, certified mechanic who will do a comprehensive review of your vehicle.

As a car owner, knowing the maintenance schedule for your specific vehicle can increase the longevity and resale value of your vehicle. Buying a new car can be expensive and very often, unnecessary. Get the most out of your vehicle for years to come by getting preventive maintenance at the recommended interval.

Spring Car Maintenance Tips

As the temperature rises and spring gets in full swing, it is a good idea to get prepared for road trips, more frequent driving, or even that epic summer vacation that’s only a few months away.

Do you want to save money and get a little exercise in the process?  Try some DIY maintenance – the best time to start is right now! After the winter months, your car needs a breath of fresh air, and with all this COVID-19 quarantine stuff you do too!

Wash and wax. Some winters may seem longer and colder than others, and may come with salt, slush, ice, and snow, Give the underside of your car some special attention. Check for rust or any loose parts.

               

Fluid checks. Bring in the spring season with fluid checks, missing this small step serves as an invite for bigger problems during hot summer months. Make sure your brake fluid, coolant, oil, and transmission fluid are all at maximum capacity.

Change your windshield wipers. Check your wiper blades for cracks and stiffness, you may need new wiper blades for springtime showers.

Battery voltage check.  Stop by part stores like AutoZone or see your local mechanic and get a battery load test to make sure the battery survived the winter, and is charged, and ready for spring.

Inspect air filter. A clogged air filter will impact engine performance. It is simple and in expensive to change your air filter (costs around $10 – $15). The most important part is a dirty air filter, which can reduce gas mileage up to 10%.

Tire maintenance. Use the recommended pressure range, typically 30-32 psi for your tires. Check your tires for specifics under different road and weather conditions also ensure your treads are not worn and, remove winter tires, use all-season tires for the spring through autumn.

Interior.  Clean your interior, vacuum the carpet thoroughly

If you stored your car throughout the winter, check for moisture, dead insects, rodent dropping, etc.

Hang a nice air freshener in your car, and make sure your car stereo works, it’s time to take your first springtime spin.

The Most Dependable Cars in 2021

When choosing a car, one of the important factors to consider is the dependability of such a car. Will this car stand the test of time? Will it serve me well for many years without major repairs except for basic maintenance? Or is it the kind of car that will subject me to a series of mechanical woes? These and many more are some of the questions that every buyer should ask before deciding on a car.

Nevertheless, this article will go a long way in helping buyers identify some of the most dependable cars in 2021. It would also enlighten readers on essential tips to maintaining a car.

Survey Company J.D Power & Co. is known for its annual survey of the most dependable cars. They do not just come up with these overnight; determining these requires a series of polls among owners of three-year-old cars in order to learn what they enjoyed about the car, and what problem they may have encountered in the course of its usage. This, in turn, will be helpful to buyers as the result of the survey will present them with the best choices for them, and at the same time, help them identify the cars that need to be avoided.

This year, the survey was on 33251 car owners with the 2018 model year, that is, those who had used their cars for three years. The idea was to determine the number of problems encountered in each vehicle. On average, there were 121 problems reported per 100 vehicles.

Lexus turned out to be the most dependable with 81 problems per 100 vehicles, and it was followed closely by Porsche with 86 problems.

Kia was third at 97, while the fourth was Toyota at 98.

There was a tie for the fifth dependable vehicle at 100 – Buick and Cadillac.

It would not surprise many that Lexus topped the list of the most dependable vehicles in 2021. It has retained the top spot in J.D Power’s Dependability Study for eight years in a row other than J.D Power’s; they have also topped the most dependable lists for quite some years now on the Auto Express Survey. If there is something it is known for, that would be consistency.

Other cars – Porsche, Kia, Toyota, Buick, and Cadillac that made the list of the top five most dependable cars in 2021 also have a reputation for quality and durability.

The Toyota Tundra ranked as the most dependable large light-duty pickup by J.D Power in its 2021 Vehicle Dependability Study.

Just as it is important to identify and purchase dependable cars, it is also essential to invest in car maintenance. Many think that it is just about purchasing a dependable car, but really it is not. Your car can stop being dependable if you ignore the aspect of car maintenance, so continue to maintain your car. Some of the benefits you enjoy from investing in your car maintenance are:

  •     Increased safety: If every car on the road were taken for regular maintenance, the rate of road accidents would have reduced considerably. You are safer when you drive a car that gets regular maintenance.
  •     Longer life span: When you invest in regular car maintenance, you automatically make sure that your car serves you for as many years as possible.
  •     Low repair costs: If you take your car for regular maintenance, you will reduce the repair cost. Small issues can be discovered early before they become big; this way, you save yourself some money.
  •     Increased reliability: A well-maintained car can be driven anywhere and anytime without unnecessary breakdowns.

. Shop online  for certified, reliable  and insured 0 repair shops in your area  at www.carsmartpeople.com