Car maintenance is important as it helps prolong the life of your car and makes it safer for you in the long run. Keeping up with regular maintenance is better for you and your family. In New Brunswick the average costs for annual car maintenance is around 800$, this includes things such as oil changes, typical service, brakes and tires etc. Putting off your regular maintenance can cost you a lot in the long run. The saying “save you a buck now but spend ten later” – this applies to car maintenance, as there is no point avoiding or skipping maintenance as it will be bad down the road.
Oil Changes
Oil changes are an important aspect of your car, depending on what car you drive, how much you drive and what kind of oil you use will depend on how often you should get an oil change, typically you should get an oil change every 5,000km to 6,000km! They are important because eventually the oil loses it’s ability to lubricate the engine and protect from wear. You might think skipping an oil change might save you some money but down the road your engine might need a rebuild or replacement. Which you wouldn’t want that cost when an oil change can cost anywhere from 40-70$.
Tire Rotation
Tire rotations are important as it prolongs the life of your tires (and tires aren’t cheap)! Front and back tires are rotated differently as each tire experiences different stresses from the road. Tires only last so long so why not get the most out of them and get a rotation apposed to a brand new set of tires.
Timing Belt
Timing belt should be changed roughly every 90,000 – 100,000km. Although newer cars have changed the way timing belts work so don’t need to be changed but older cars still need to get them changed. It may seem like a lot of money to get it changed but if it fails you might be stuck with a towing charge and a significant engine repair.
Brake Pads and Shoes
Brake pads or shoes should be replaced before they wear to within 1mm thick, Any more wear can cause more damage to the rotors (which means a bigger cost in the end). If you wear through the whole pad you could be looking at doubling or tripling the costs and also making it unsafe for you to be driving.
Spark Plugs
Spark plugs should last around 100,000 km. They make sure engine run smooth and they take as much energy from every molecule of fuel – if you have worn spark plugs it can lead to increased fuel consumption. Neglecting to change the spark plugs can cost a lot down the road.
Car Washing
Corrosion is bad for your car – it can cause you a lot of problems in the long run even though it seems like such a small thing! Washing your car is key to preventing the corrosion. To prevent rust from taking hold of your vehicle is to wash and wax your vehicle regularly and repair any chips and dings as soon as they happen. Repairing rust can take anything from 50$ to 2500$ so better to get it fixed as soon as possible.
Maintenance Reports
Whenever you get any maintenance done make sure you keep a record of it. When it comes to trading or selling your vehicle it will tell a story and it will show things that you might not be able to see or might not be obvious. This can increase the value of your vehicle!
