Your car is one of your biggest financial investments so naturally you want to take care of it. Not only so it lasts as long as you need it to, but also so it will hold its resale value. While regular maintenance and responsible driving are both big ways to protect your investment, unfortunately you may be harming your car’s value – and possibly its lifespan – without even knowing it. Here are a few of the ways you may be harming your car without knowing it.
Waiting to Fix Minor Repairs
Often times car owners will put off minor repairs that aren’t serious enough to stop them on the side of the road. Unfortunately, ignoring those minor problems can often lead to bigger problems in the future. By leaving repairs undone you are risking damaging other parts of your car and decreasing its resale value. In addition, it is likely the cost of repair will also increase the longer you wait. Whether it’s due to lack of time, money issues or just plain laziness, don’t put off the fixing little things as soon as you have the chance.
Ignoring Check Enginge and Other Warning Lights
This one goes right along with waiting to fix minor repairs. Many people think that when the check engine light comes on, it isn’t serious so therefore it can be put off or completely ignored. That isn’t so. Sure, while the check engine light doesn’t always signal impending doom, it does mean that something isn’t right with your engine. That something could be minor, but if left untreated, it could snowball into something major – and a lot more costly.
The same thing goes for your other warning lights as well. So, if your check engine light, or any other dashboard warning light comes on (Check Oil, Water Temp), pull into a parking lot and turn the car off, then call for assistance ASAP.
Overloading Your Car’s Towing Capacity
Some vehicles are designed to haul big loads, but if you exceed the towing capacity of an ordinary passenger car, you could potentially cause some serious damage. First of all, you could cause the frame to bend or buckle which will affect the car’s performance and possibly its safety. You could also strain your car’s suspension causing the torsion bars and the bolts that hold them in place to wear out prematurely.
Oil Changing Issues
Your oil can either keep your car running better longer, or it can kill it quickly. Failing to change the oil on time, driving for long periods on low oil, adding the wrong weight of oil, adding too much or too little oil, or using synthetics when you shouldn’t can all cause damage to your car’s engine.
The solution? Following what is recommended in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, and having your oil checked and changed by someone who knows what they’re doing on a regular basis.
In Conclusion
While this post shares four of the ways you may be harming your car without even knowing it, unfortunately, there are plenty more. The best thing you can do to help protect your car and keep it running longer is to take it in for regular maintenance by certified mechanics like those at Rouen Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge. Look inside your owners manual for a list of the recommended service intervals and stick to it. Your car and your wallet will thank you!