Make National Car Care Month the Time You Learn About Car Maintenance

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Car How to Find the Cheapest Gas How to Change Automatic Transmission Fluid and Filter How to Fix Rust

April is National Car Care Month, so what better time to learn the most important tasks for general car maintenance? Our car care checklist includes:

• Change the Oil
• Flush the Cooling System
• Change the Transmission Oil
• Wash the Exterior
• Keep it Lubricated
• Apply Wax
• Park in the Shade
• Inspect the Wheel Bearings
• Change the Brake Fluid

Let’s explore why each point is worth following.

Your Car Care Checklist

• Change the Oil: Your engine needs oil to prevent wear and avoid performance issues, so have your oil checked and changed every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or 3 to 5 months.
• Flush the Cooling System: Do this at least once a year to prevent corrosion and deposits building up inside the cooling system.
• Change the Transmission Oil: Your transmission is one your car’s most complex parts. Fluids need to be changed at regular service intervals to avoid expensive repairs.
• Wash the Exterior: Everything from mud to winter salt can damage the body and get stuck to the underside.
• Keep it Lubricated: Your car lives and dies by its moving parts, and they need plenty of grease to survive.
• Apply Wax: You want your vehicle to look good and run well, and a good coat of wax applied at least every six months is going to help it look sharp.
• Park in the Shade: UV rays dry out plastics and vinyl upholstery, so leaving your car in the sun can really make the interior feel old and look worn in no time flat.
• Inspect the Wheel Bearings: You probably don’t want to do this yourself — instead, arrange a trip to your local service center.
• Change the Brake Fluid: Brake fluid attracts moisture, which causes corrosion. That’s one reason you need to replace the fluid and bleed the system once a year.

Turn to CarHop for More Car Care Advice

At every CarHop location, we offer a tremendous variety of high-quality used cars that are available with convenient Buy Here Pay Here financing. If you need further advice on how to properly care for your car through summer, fall, and even winter, don’t hesitate to get in touch today or search our vehicles online.