Simple Car Care Tips to Avoid Expensive Break Downs

I don't know how many times I've driven with people who either have a check engine light on or some other form of mechanical light on the dashboard. The surprising thing is that they really don't have any urge to go get it checked out before it turns into something much worse.

Most just feel its way too expensive and if the car is still drivable, then just drive it anyways. Until you're actually a certified mechanic, then you need to get it looked at. Sometimes just doing minor checkups you can prevent even the worse of problems. Here are some car care tips you can check on your own to avoid unnecessary mechanical issues and trips to the mechanic.

Always make sure your tires are at the right PSI. This is something that can be commonly overlooked by most people because unless the tire goes flat, then sometimes it's kind of hard to remember. Once a tire gets too low, you can cause unnecessary damage to your tires in return can force you to buying a new set of tires way before you should ever have to.

Also be sure to check your tire treads so you know whether or not you should have to buy new ones or not. The easiest way to do this is stick a penny in the tire treads, if part of Lincoln's head is showing, then your ok but if all of it's showing then it's time for new tires.

Always make sure your fluids are at the right levels and none of them are empty. Every single one of them has a very important purpose like the brake fluid, oil, coolant and so on. If you don't know how to check your fluids properly, you should just go to a local Valvoline or other oil change place and ask them to check your levels for you. Checking one fluid can be completely different from another.

The easiest one to check that everyone should know is the oil. Locate the oil dipstick and pull it out and then wipe it off and put it back in. Then take it out again and check the level at the other end of the dipstick. If it's about half full or close to empty, then it's time for another quart of oil.

Make sure you get your oil changed every 3,000 miles and it's very important you do so. Engine coolant is also very essential and you should make sure that it's always at the proper level to avoid your engine overheating. For some people this car care tip comes natural but for others it's recommended seeing a mechanic just to be sure.

Getting your brakes checked regularly is also very important for obvious reasons. The biggest reason being that at some point you're really going to lose your ability to slow down and stop. This is a major safety hazard for you and people around you. If you wear down your brakes too much then you can cause serious damage to your rotors, which will cost you even more money.

Even if it cost you money to get your brakes replaces, it's still cheaper then getting brakes, rotors, and all that jazz replaced. Bottom line when performing these car care tips, monitor your brake condition by either looking at the brake pads or just by judging how much harder it is to stop your car.

There are tons of other areas in which you should get your car examined once in a while but only if you're a certified mechanic or at least have some clue as to what your looking for. These car care tips are just some of the real basic areas you should always check from time to time because even the simplest areas can build up into something that will cost you thousands of dollars.

I haven't included items like windshield washer fluid since this isn't really a mechanical thing but it should be obvious for most people to check this. Always make sure to examine these areas from time to time to avoid unnecessary trips to your mechanic.