Don’t Let Car Trouble Haunt You This Halloween; Follow These Car Maintenance Tips
Orange was chosen as the color of the check engine light, not because it’s the color most associated with caution, but rather because of its association with Jack-o-lanterns and all things scary. Ok, so maybe that last part isn’t entirely true, but let’s face it, nothing is quite as scary as the glow from a check engine light. So, why not dive into some of our favorite car maintenance tips that are guaranteed to keep the scary warning at bay and keep you moving through every “spooky” scene.
Regular Inspections
An inspection isn’t necessarily a vehicle maintenance item, but it is one of the best ways to get the jump on any issues that may try to sneak up on you. Best of all, an inspection is something you can do at home. Checking your lights, tire tread depth, and for any signs of a leak will give you an early indicator of something going wrong, and can be done at whatever interval suits you best. You may choose to provide your Lamborghini a once-over after every drive, but your daily driven Audi might only get a one every other month.
While inspecting your car yourself is a good habit, nothing quite taking your car to a specialist mechanic, getting it up on a lift and taking a good look at the undercarriage. A specialist mechanic will be familiar with common early warning signs of developing issues and what can be done to prevent them occurring. They’ll know what to test, how to test it, and when it should be of concern.
Follow a Maintenance Schedule
The golden rule of keeping any car on the road and away from breakdowns is to follow a regular maintenance schedule. For most people, a manufacturer’s recommended service schedule will be sufficient, ensuring fluids are replaced before they fall out of spec and that wear parts are replaced before they fail.
That being said, car enthusiasts aren’t most people, and neither are their cars. If you drive a classic, something heavily modified, or a high-mileage hero, it may be time to think beyond your manufacturer’s recommended service schedule. Higher mileage vehicles often need more maintenance work, thicker oils with more additives, and generally a whole more love to keep going. High-performance and heavily modified often have shorter service intervals, requiring parts like brake pads and coolant to be replaced more often.
The best way to ensure your car is receiving adequate care is to find a reputable mechanic and build a relationship with them. Allow them to become familiar with your car, how you use it, and they’ll be able to help you settle on a maintenance schedule to suit your needs.
Consider Seasonal Maintenance
One of the major benefits of living in South Florida is that we don’t have to prepare our cars for the typical American winter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take some tips from our neighbors up north. Florida storms can be brutal for the unprepared, so we always recommend to our customers to start doing seasonal maintenance on their vehicles every spring.
Seasonal Car Maintenance Tips
These includes replacing windshield wipers, inspecting tires for tread depth or signs of cracking, and topping off coolant levels to prepare yourself for heatwaves and heavy downpours. We also recommend getting your car professionally detailed and having a protective, ceramic coating, applied to your car. This detail will ensure all the salt from the ocean air is removed from your car, and along with the ceramic coating will inhibit rust. The ceramic coating is also vital in protecting your car from the sun and its UV rays that would ruin your paint and interior.
Electrical Systems Test
Most people assume that if the car starts, everything is good to go. As cars become more and more reliant on technology, the health of your vehicle’s electrical system has become exponentially more important. A drop of 0.5V can be enough to cause havoc on your electrical system, causing false errors and warnings, or even forcing your vehicle into limp home mode or worse, immobilizing certain systems.
Electrical systems are dangerous, and we would never recommend that you do any electrical work on your vehicle yourself unless you’re qualified to do so. Rather, schedule an annual check-up for your vehicle, where a professional ASE mechanic tests your car’s battery for voltage and discharge rate, checks your alternator for current generation, and inspects connections for signs of corrosion. A surprising number of issues can be caused by a bad battery or alternator, and should be one of your first steps when diagnosing any issue.
Don’t Ignore Spooky Sounds
Does it sound like a pair of serpents battling it out under your hood? Is there a haunting thud coming from your trunk? Or perhaps a ghostly scream from a wheel? These are all signs that something is either in the process of failing or already has. We understand it might not always be possible to stop and get these noises investigated, but we strongly recommend you allow a trusted local auto mechanic to find the cause of the noises before more damage is caused, and trust us, it does always cause more damage.
A noise that you may fear, like a worn bearing, could be as simple as a stone getting stuck between the dust shield and brake disk. An easy job is to loosen the dust shield and free the stone, but leaving it for too long can cause that stone to wear into the disk. This then leads to the entire disk needing to be replaced. What’s worse, is that it could prevent your brakes from working properly when you need them the most.
Auto Service and Repair Center In Pompano Beach
Our advanced auto repair center in Pompano Beach serves the auto enthusiasts of South Florida with dedication and excellence for a host of foreign auto brands.
Since we first started in 1978, Foreign Affairs Motorsports has been servicing and repairing all kinds of foreign motor vehicles, including Audi, Porsche, BMW, Lexus, Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, and many others.
Let’s get you moving! For more car maintenance tips and all your auto repair needs, call us today at (954) 746-0488.