The ultimate guide to vehicle maintenance— Learn about proper service for your car on a monthly, quarterly, annual, and seasonal basis.
Getting your regular car service is a significant part of vehicle ownership. You want to stay updated on maintenance items, so your daily driver maintains the best value, performance, and driver safety. We created the ultimate guide for vehicle maintenance so that you can stay better informed about what and when certain maintenance items need replacements, changes, or servicing. Additionally, we recommend staying on a regular car servicing schedule with your dealership’s servicing department. Understanding proper car maintenance will help save you money by preventing major repairs. Therefore, helping to retain the value of your car over its lifetime. This checklist highlights every maintenance item you need to service monthly, quarterly, yearly, and seasonally. Our car servicing checklist will keep your vehicle in the best condition to take on the road.
We recommend finding your vehicle's manual 📖 to reference as you read through this guide:
The owner's manual is a fantastic tool every car owner should utilize. The owner's manual holds all the information for maintaining your vehicle. Every car should have an owner's manual, usually located in the glove box. If you do not have your owner's manual, you can search online for your vehicle's make, model, and year and access the manual virtually. The owner's manual highlights the best practices for servicing your vehicle. While this list contains general servicing time frames, we recommend you double-check with the servicing guidelines described in your owner's manual. It will have a suggested regular maintenance schedule for all the moving parts under the hood and inside the cabin.
Also, the owner's manual has valuable information such as safety tips. Studying our ultimate guide to vehicle maintenance and your owner's manual will help you maintain your vehicle and stay safe on the road.
Monthly is the most frequent of the quarterly, annual, and seasonal servicing items. You should do a quick walk-around and basic service check of your vehicle every month. There are a few critical servicing areas you should look out for every month.
Inspecting your tires is essential for your vehicle's performance and, most importantly, safety. Every month, walk around your car and examine tire tread and pressure. Driving with worn tire tread is a safety risk because the weaker the tread depth, the less traction you will have on the road. You could lose traction during wet or winter weather conditions and experience slippage. The tires need replacements once the tread depth is visibly smoother and more flat rubber patches show. You should check your tire pressure to the recommended pressure level denoted in your owner's manual. Tire pressure machines at your typical gas station are not recommended, as they are known for inaccuracies. It's a good idea to take your tires to a professional servicing shop or dealership for proper inspection. Lower than recommended tire pressure could result in a loss to handling, turning difficulties, and overall vehicle control.
During your monthly walk-around and inspection, you should ensure all your lights are functioning correctly. Light types include headlights, high beams, turn signals, brake lights, and cabin lights. Lights are crucial for indicating driving intentions on the road and visibility during the night. Burnt-out lights can be a significant hazard to yourself and other drivers. Enlisting the help of a friend is an excellent practice for thorough light inspections on your vehicle.
Make sure to check the engine oil every month. The oil that's left unchecked or changed for too long can cause engine overheating. When checking your oil, make sure the vehicle is off and the engine is cold.
Again, the owner's manual will be a helpful tool for measurement and oil type.
Cars have plenty of other fluids which need monthly checking. Washer fluid is easy to change by accessing the reserves under the hood. This fluid can deplete rather quickly in winter circumstances. The last thing you want is to be stuck on the road with a dirty windshield. Engine coolant, steering fluid, transmissions fluid, and antifreeze all come with respective dipsticks or gauges. The owner's manual will be your best friend to locate the measurement and refilling locations.
Engine lights are symbols that appear on your dashboard. Engine lights will alert you to any problems with the vehicle. Use the owner's manual to familiarize yourself with the meaning of each icon and the recommended response to their illumination.
Every three months, you need to do a few routine service checkups. These are less frequent than the monthly servicing but still very important.
Your vehicle should have an oil change every three months. However, oil change frequency will depend on your driving habits. The owner's manual should have the suggested routine maintenance schedule for your specific vehicle. Depending on the type of oil and the frequency of vehicle use, this may need to be changed out more or less regularly. Professional services will leave a recommended servicing sticker with kilometres or time frame for your following oil change on the left-hand side of your windshield; this is usually within 5,000 to 15,000km. Fresh oil is crucial to your vehicle running and performing at its best. Dirty oil can have lasting effects on the health and longevity of your car.
In contrast with regular oil changes, you must replace the oil filter every quarter for optimal car health. Oil and oil filter changes should happen at the same time. Doing both at once will save you the hassle of having to return to the servicing shop. An unchanged oil filter will cause build-up, leading to burning oil and even engine failure.
Belts and hoses can develop holes and cracks over time if left unchanged. Old belts and hoses will cause squealing noises, power steering issues, and engine overheating. You can avoid these issues by popping your head under the head and inspecting for damages.
During the quarterly checks, you should open the battery compartment to inspect the health of your battery. The battery and accompanying cables can develop corrosion and residue over time. The wires should be connected well and not loose. Old batteries can cause your car to die or cause difficulties turning over the ignition. You can do a battery swap at home; make sure the + and - cables go to the correct location, or you'll have even worse problems. Alternatively, you can take your car to a professional servicing shop and they can change the battery.
The following service items need to happen at least once a year to ensure your vehicle is running smoothly. Though less frequent than the previous regular maintenance items, your car could have significant issues if these yearly service items get ignored.
Unchanged air filters can cause you and your engine to breathe more dust than you'd ideally want. You need to replace the cabin air filter and the engine air filter every year. Additionally, clean air filters reduce the strain on your air conditioner and improve engine performance.
Tire rotations are a great way to save money on tire replacements. Tires wear out over time; this wear can be uneven without rotating the tires. Rotating the tires ensures that their wear is happening evenly across the tires. Tire rotations increase your tires' longevity and reduce damage to the tire.
While driving, you should perform various braking tests to check for any screeching noises or lack of responsiveness. Brakes are the most critical safety feature you want to have in near perfect condition. Once you notice screeching or lack of responsiveness while braking, it's likely time to get them checked by a professional.
With all the moving hinges in your car, it's essential to keep them properly lubricated. Squeaking is a good sign that your car doors or trunk need lubrication. Untreated hinges will cause your car to age faster. Hinge lubrication is a vital servicing area to keep in mind during your annual checkup.
You have to prepare your vehicle to tackle varying weather elements depending on the season. Depending on where you live, the seasons will be different, and so will the demand changes to certain parts of your car. The difference between cold and warm weather will cause strain on your vehicle if not adjusted properly. Furthermore, we recommend creating an emergency kit for your car to stay safe in any situation or location.
Tires need to be swapped out depending on the season. You should have all-season and winter tires. Despite being called all-season, they actually shouldn't be relied on in the winter, especially if your area gets snow. Winter tires are the best option for cold weather and allow you the best traction and performance experience. Swap out your all-season tires when the temperature drops below 7°C. Getting your winter tires on in the late fall will help you prepare for upcoming winter conditions. In the early spring, you should change winter tires for all-season tires. You can equip all-season tires once temperatures are above 7°C.
Windshield wipers get abused during the winter with all the extra dirt and mud splashing on your windshield. If your wipers aren't perfectly removing all the grime and leaving streaks on your windshield, then it's probably time for a new pair. Adding additional windshield wiper fluid at the start of every season is a fantastic way to maintain windshield visibility at all times.
New cars and some certified pre-owned vehicles will come with manufacturers or extended warranties. Usually, repairs and major mechanical and electrical issues are covered under these warranties, while routine maintenance is left for the owner to handle individually.
Are you finding that routine maintenance is becoming more regular for your vehicle? Then, it might be time for a new car or even a switch to an electric vehicle. Luckily, the vehicle experts at VINN can help you find your next ride!
At VINN, we work directly with you to guide you through the process of finding a new car. Our vehicle experts will work with you to ensure that you get the best value for the right car, and you can also browse our inventory.
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