Car maintenance tips for Valentine’s Day:
Your car does not want flowers, balloons, or even candy this Valentine’s Day.
It just wants a little love in the form of tender loving care, such as an oil change and tune-up.
There’s no debating the value of preventive maintenance to keep Old Breakdown from living up to its name, and to help you drive safely on your real Valentine’s Day date,
These care care tips from the Car Care Council are loving and caring year-round, not just on Valentine’s Day:
Change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles or three months, or whatever your owner’s manual recommends.
- That will help keep your engine clean on the inside.
Check the tire pressure at least monthly, including the spare.
- Your car’s tires affect its ride, handling, traction and safety.
- Always check tire pressure when the vehicle is cold, since driving even a short distance can affect the reading.
Schedule an annual tune-up to keep your vehicle at top performance. Think of it as the four-wheel version of the annual medical check-up you have for your own body.
- A well-tuned engine delivers the best balance of power and fuel economy and produces the lowest level of emissions.
Have the alignment checked at least annually. Normal wear and tear and especially potholes can take their toll on steering and suspension.
- A wheel alignment reduces tire wear, improves fuel economy and handling, and increases driving enjoyment and safety.
Inspect the windshield wipers and lights, since wipers and lights play a major role in safe driving.
- Replace blades and bulbs that need to be replaced, especially wiper blades.
- Don’t wait until you are driving in a blinding rainstorm or snowstorm to find out they don’t work properly.
- Clean headlights periodically, especially after a rainstorm or snowstorm.
The best tips for winter driving in snow and ice is to accelerate and brake gently and slow down.
Drive safely, on Valentine’s Day and every day.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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