Do you feel bad about how much pollution your car contributes? If you do, you can do multiple things to reduce the pollution your car generates. Here are some of them.
Maintenance DIY
Your car air conditioning system is composed of hoses, receiver dryer, compressor, evaporator, and most importantly, the condenser. If your condenser breaks down or malfunctions, expect that your AC will not generate cool air. If left unattended, this might also cause burning smell, and ultimately, an overheated car.
It is true that modern or current cars are more reliable than before. However, it does not mean that we can just drive, leave them there in the garage, rinse, and repeat. We cannot. We still need to provide them with a bit of care and elbow grease.
Whenever you drive, it’s easy to encounter problems such engine noise, leaks, electrical problems, AC or heater malfunction, brake pulsation, transmission problems, and plenty of others. Nevertheless, there is no need to fret; lots of shop offering low-cost automobile repairs will be always around the corner (*cough* Eddystone *cough*).
Fixing a scratch on your car is a simple matter. Of course, that is, if the scratch is minor. For huge scars, then you should bring your car to us.
Frankly, tuning up your car can be a bit tricky and letting a shop do it for you can be confusing. For one, you might not know that the things that are tweaked and checked during a car tune-up might vary depending on the shop or mechanic. And due to that, the price of getting your car checked and maintained can wildly differ from shop to shop.
If you feel like doing it yourself, we will be happy to provide you with some tips below.
Battery Scrubbing
To ensure that your battery will not be too strained whenever you driver during a hot day or leaving it under the sun for quite some time, it is best that you clean your battery terminals from time to time.
An easy way to do that is to get some baking soda, and sprinkle a small amount on the terminals. Get some water, and spray it on the terminals, which are covered with baking soda. Leave it for an hour. After that, wipe the mixture with a wet sponge.
Fluid Levels
Of course, never forget to check the fluid levels in your car, especially its coolant or antifreeze. Make sure that your car has decent amount to avoid your engine from overheating. As a precaution, never check your coolant tank when the engine is still hot.
Tire Pressure
We are sure that you frequently check your tires’ pressure levels. You do not need to check it just before you drive to office. Check it when you will driving for a long time.
In this part, be meticulous. Always estimate the number of passengers you have and the weight of the items or cargo that you have in your car whenever you drive. Correct the tire pressure according to those considerations. Aside from helping you prevent an accident and prolong the lifespan of your car tires, making sure that your tire pressure is always optimal can help you save fuel and improve the fuel economy of your car.
Wiper Blade Check
One of the most ignored part of a car is the wiper blade. Always take into heart that you should replace your wiper’s blades every 6 to 12 months. However, if you find your wiper blades are dry or they are squeaking and providing you poor vision of the road, be sure to replace them immediately.
Want to avoid poor car performance or nasty expensive car repair? Well, you better perform these simple car checks and maintenance steps to ensure your car and engine are always healthy.
Change Oil
One should never forget to change oil. Without changing your oil, your engine will be prone to overheat due to the lack of lubrication that old and used oil provide. If you keep on using your car without changing your oil, the result will be a permanently damaged engine.
The frequency of changing oil primarily depends on the brand or make of your car (engine). Also, never forget to change your oil filter every now and then.
Maintaining Your Engine’s Cooling System
The oil is not the only thing that keeps your engine cool. Your engine has a dedicated cooling system to prevent it from overheating. The system is composed of the coolant, water pump, water, thermostat, and radiator.
Always check your engine’s temp whenever you drive around, especially during summer. If the engine’s temp rise faster than normal, you might want to get it check, or perform simple checks on your radiator and coolant.
Clean Your Air Filter
Aside from the cooling system, air flow keeps your engine from heating up too much. However, air does not easily flow inside your engine. It must go through an air filter first.
This air filter collects dust and dirt that may enter your engine. And it becomes too dirty, air will become more scarce in your engine. Consider cleaning it once and a while. However, if the dirt in it becomes too tough to remove, do not hesitate to replace it.
Check for Leaks
When you are doing your routine check in your engine, be sure to look for leakage. Two things that you do not want to leak in there are oil and antifreeze. Prioritize checking the tubes within your engine. Those tubes are the common hotspots for leakage.
Aside from using your eyes, you can use your nose to detect leakage. Both oil and antifreeze are pungent enough to easily catch your nose’s attention. If you smell something fuzzy or weird, make sure to be more meticulous in inspecting your engine.
In your daily drives, it is natural to come across issues like engine noise, leaks, electrical issues, air conditioning or heater malfunction, brake pulsation, transmission problems, and plenty of others. However, there is no point in fretting in getting a technician to get your car fixed in a jiffy. If you are worried about the cost, do not. Many technicians and repair shops, such as Eddystone Auto Collision, that offer cheaper automotive repair fees.
But if you really dread to spend some money in getting your car fixed, below are some easy ideas that can let you save money and prevent your car from becoming a repair shop regular.
Act Early
Get your car patched up before it encounters a problem. With a little know-how in exploring within your car’s innards, you can immediately prevent engine troubles, transmission problems, and AC issues. And with heightened senses, you can immediately feel, see, hear, and even smell a car engine trouble or issue before you get stranded in the middle of traffic.
Be a Car Diagnostician
There is no use in acting early or detecting possible cause of problems if you have no idea what the problem is. Get to know your car more and learn some car science. Aside from helping you to easily fix your car before a serious problem happens, it can learn you identify what to fix when you bring your car to a tech.
Let’s face it. Some technicians and shops take advantage of a customer’s ignorance on what the problem is in his car. And it often leaves the customer to expensive car repair fee, which caused by misdiagnosis and unnecessary repairs.
Get to Know How Much Each Part of Your Costs and if They Are Fair Priced
The scariest thing that might happen during a car repair is a parts replacement. All is good if the car is still under warranty or it is a recent model. The biggest expense that might happen is that when the parts of the car have become as rare as an old Chinese coin. And people can take advantage of you if you have no idea if the parts you are getting is fair priced since some might claim that the part you need is already a rare occurrence in the parts market.
Recycle
You do not need to buy new parts for your car. You can actually get some spare parts from junk shops. They are cheaper, and might be reliable. Take note of the word might. Before you deal and work with recycled parts, especially if you are going to get them from eBay, make sure that they will actually work on your car.
DIY Repair for Minor Problems
You can easily fix minor scratches and dents. And most of the time, you do not need to perform a paint job. Car scratch gel and sprays are available, and you can use them to apply a fast fix on minor scratches.
Your car’s life does not always give you provide clean rides; humps and bumps are but natural occurrences along the way. And due to those, car issues or automotive accidents are generally inevitable.
And unfortunately, most of them will require major automotive repairs. Due to this fact, it pays to be knowledgeable about the cost of car repairs today. Just in case one will put in the spot, and your pocket is already in deep trouble.
Look for Inexpensive Mechanics and Shops
When asking for a car restoration, keep in mind these few things to ensure that you are in control of the repair negotiation against the mechanic you are going to hire.
- Know the specific defect of your car. Perform some research and ask different drivers. In the event you’re not so sure about the problems you found, you can inquire from an auto mechanic to confirm your suspected trouble. Just ask, don’t pay.
- Survey the prices of at least three mechanics or car shops to find the cheapest. It is a tiring task, but it’s worth the savings you will get.
- When you have finally chosen the one you will hire, ask about the details about the repairs and the amount it will cost. Be aware that some outlets impose fees for just checking out your car and giving you a quote. Find one that does not. Ask your friends or relatives if they know a place or someone that you can deal with.
- You can also surf the web to search for software that gives an ordinary estimate for numerous automobile repair works. However, know that these are solely guides. The prices will vary depending on your car’s make and model.
Cost management is crucial, particularly in case you’re coping with a serious restore or if the cost is considerably large. That is especially true if lots of your car’s parts aren’t stock parts or your car is customized.
Do It Yourself
To avoid wasting on the cost of automobile repairs, you can opt to do some car tinkering on your own. For easy or customary repairs, such as changing oil pump or alternator or altering oil, you can easily learn to do them by watching free online demos or asking your friends how to do them. Your car’s manual can also be helpful on teaching you how to do basic repair and maintenance.
On the other hand, be wary of potential issues within your car. If you sense, odor, or hear something uncommon or defective in your car when you are driving it, attend to it promptly to avoid a bigger problem.
Lastly, you can consider getting or extending your car’s warranty for you to save more, especially if you know that your car or you have a history of getting into accidents.
Lowering the cost of automobile repairs and upkeep is possible. Just follow the above-mentioned suggestions and you will certainly be saved not only from automotive restore and maintenance prices but as well as from stress. With all these, you can add miles to your everyday peaceful journey and enjoy your car more.