Winters are coming! It's time to get your snow chains and brace for black ice. Check out the essential car care tips you should know to keep your car ship-shape and avoid those 5 figure mechanic bills. 
The Ultimate Guide to Car Maintenance: Tips for Keeping Your Vehicle Running Smoothly

Table Of Contents

Wax on Wax Off

  • No one does this as often as they should be doing it. Dirt, mud, and dust are the #1 enemy of anything made out of rubber in your car. This includes rubber trims, radiator hoses, suspension bushings, and engine mounts.
  •  Now wet washing should only be done when there is a lot of visible mud caked on the underside and wheel wheels. In most cases wiping your car clean with a dry cloth is more than enough to get the dust out. After a complete wash don't forget to correct the minor paint scratches via waxes and creams to keep the paint looking factory-fresh.
  • You can also use or borrow a leaf blower to loosen up any dirt and grime in your engine bay. The same dirt can ruin your upholstery via micro-abrasion which becomes very visible over time. A dry vacuum every other week or so should get the job done. 

Pro-Tip: Get a Ceramic coat done on your car as soon as possible. Its outer layer repels water and can withstand a lot of scratches while preserving the paint for up to 5 years.

Bust The Rust

  • Some of the modern cars come with up to 12 years of rust warranty thanks to body dipping and better manufacturing techniques. But Rust is an inevitability that cannot be stopped, only slowed and prevented for a long enough time to call it a day. 
  • Enthusiast often rust-proof their car before every winter to mitigate the side effects caused by salt-caked roads. Washing is not possible in winter as the temps can get below 20 freezing the water in pipes. An oil spray or tar-based sealant can protect your undercarriage from any potential rust and corrosion.
  • Aside from the underbody, over time, the area near and around the radiator can catch rust due to leaky hoses and natural dampness.

Pro-Tip: A mixture of used engine oil and Turpentine sprayed on the underside of your car can prevent rust and corrosion until you can get a professional fix.

Better Battery

Try saying that three times. Even an EV has an additional battery for those “Just in Case” situations. It is one of the most critical components of a car. To keep the battery healthy in the green zone, avoid taking too many of those short trips that require frequent stop-starts. It eventually weakens the battery as repeated cranking drains a lot of juice.

  • A lot of cars today come with auto start-stop, while it does save quite a lot of fuel sometimes it kicks in way too early or late putting unnecessary laid on a battery. You as a driver are a judge of when to let the car idle if the stop is under a minute or turn of ignition case of longer stops.
  • In any case, if you are keen on saving fuel swap your regular battery with an AGM start-stop battery which is designed for additional loads and faster recharging, like the ones from Powersonic.
  • Modern cars have a lot of techs built in, perhaps too much, Stuff like Ambient lightning, Laser Lights, 20-speaker audio, night vision, massage seats, heated armrests, etc might look cool on the spec sheet but they degrade the car battery a lot faster which in case of some cars can cost as much as $250.
  •  If you have a voltmeter make sure the idle battery voltage is 12.6 volts. Anything below the battery is weak and may require a full charge or replacement.
  • Usually, car batteries are sealed for life, but some old-school cars and heavy-duty trucks may be using lead-acid stuff. They require a distilled water top-up after every thousand or so miles. Similarly, apply a bit of grease to the terminals to inhibit deposit formation and easy removal when required. 

Pro-Tip- Disconnect the negative terminal of your battery if you are planning to store it for longer than a couple of weeks. It can help preserve battery SOC. You can also get a trickle charger that maintains battery health during long-term storage

Also Read- 2025 Toyota RAV4 And Prius Are Here With a New Name

Stop On A Dime

Source:dr-brandt-gmbh-de
  • Brake fluid comes in many colors usually golden-green to red, but never black or brown, The lattermost means that you are long overdue for a circuit flush and fluid replacement. Most folk would never need to change or top up their brake fluid but the ones who have high-performance cars or track their cars often should keep a close eye. 
  • Also, wipe the container cap before opening the reservoir as even the smallest of particles can choke the brake line. Also, brake fluid is pretty corrosive and can easily eat through your paint, something to keep in mind.
  • As for the brake discs and pads, a stream of canned air is enough to lose the deposits that may form between the pad and the disc. 

Keep It Cool 

  • No explanation is needed here unless you are driving an air-cooled Porsche. High idling temps and sluggish high RPM performance are the most obvious signs of coolant problems. 
  • Every car maker has a particular type of coolant listen in the manual. Usually one of the following, IAT, OAT, HOAT, P-HOAT, and SiOAT. The names represent the type of corrosion inhibitor the coolant is mixed with. Do not mix and match. Using the wrong one will lead to ruined seals and gaskets. 
  • Also for the ones living near Alpine states, coolant with anti-freeze can be considered after consulting your mechanic. 

Pro-Tip- After refilling your coolant reservoir, let the car idle for a few minutes and then cool down. Re-open the reservoir and refill it again for a proper coolant top-up.

Bob Is Your Uncle and Oil Guy

Most mechanics will recommend you go with your manufacturer's set interval of oil change, but that is a huge misconception. Car makers conduct tests in a very controlled environment that seldom mimics real-world conditions. 

  • If you encounter traffic jams and snail-paced speeds on a daily basis you should change the oil more frequently than usual. The blow-by gases can contaminate the engine oil with various exhaust particles and unburnt fuel. Engine oils need to properly warm up and go through a high load duty cycle to completely vaporize these contaminants which is unlikely to happen during short trips and low load conditions. 
  • Engine oil comes in grades like 0W50. The part before “W” means how thick the oil will be at a cold start and the number after “W” means how thin it will get once the engine gets warmed up.
  •  If the number after W is too high, the oil will be a lot thinner after warm-up and might not stay in contact with the metal surfaces long enough to lubricate them and remove some of the heat. 
  • If the number before the W is too low, then the oil during cold start might be too thick to move around freely and lubricate the high-friction parts like piston rings and cylinder liners in time.
  • To check the engine oil simply remove the dipstick(has a yellow-colored grab handle in most cases) and make sure the oil level is near the top-level marker. Do not overfill the pan as oil needs some space to move around. The color should not be pitch black, which means that a lube change is ln order.
  • For those suffering from engine oil heebie-jeebies, there are companies out there that can test your engine oil and give you a full report regarding its various parameters.

TL;DR- Stick with the manufacturer's recommended engine oil grade.

You have Lost Your Spark!

  • Plugs can tell a lot about the condition your car is in. A whitish deposit could mean the car is running too lean and a pitch-black soot would indicate that the air-fuel mixture is too rich. Both scenarios are not ideal and could indicate a failing sensor or in the case of carburetors, mixture screw misalignment.
  • Plugs should be cleaned and replaced as per your car makers' guidelines. Usually, it's about 25,000 miles. Always pick the plug that falls in your particular heat index.
  •  If the plug is cool the air/fuel charge won’t burn properly and if it is too hot the mixture will lead to knocking etc.

Pro-Tip- Most folks also replace their plugs with Iridium-tipped ones that can last over 100,000 miles on occasion

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Transmission/Differential Oils 

For automatics, the interval for an oil change is around 60 miles. If you think your clutch is slipping or the response time during upshift or downshift is a bit boggy, a transmission fluid change shouldn’t hurt. But some transmissions are sealed for life and as such need to be replaced entirely. The same goes for Differentials.

The Suspension Is A Real Shocker

kia seltos strut
Dirt stuck on the strut of my Kia Seltos after driving through a puddle

The suspension consists of everything from struts, shocks, control arms, and wishbones to your entire steering assembly and tires. There isn’t much you can do when it comes to the suspension as it is all hardware with nothing much to inspect apart from a bit here and there-

  • Modern struts are pretty resilient but there are potholes in Fresno that look like they were made by asteroid impact. Inspect the top seal for any oil marks or a black residue trailing the strut.
  • As for the wheel alignment test, there are a lot of variables involved and a professional should be hired. It involves letting the steering go in a controlled environment on a perfectly straight road and visually confirming if the wheel abruptly swerves left or right, a little is fine, but too much indicates the wheels are out of alignment. 
  •  Fine dust particles are incredibly abrasive and can dry out rubber components leading to premature cracking. The cracking is especially common in ribbed hoses where dust can easily pile up(look at the picture above) For ultimate protection use a bit of car wax on the hoses to keep the rubber moist. 

Pro-Tip- Similarly, you can lift the car on jacks and rotate the wheel, if any clicking noise is present, it likely means that your wheel bearings are about to go off.

Tread Carefully 

The rubber on the tarmac pretty much decides if you are going to reach your destination in one piece or not. The entire physics of your vehicle like braking, acceleration, and handling depends on your tire pressure and tread depth. Here is what you need to keep in mind

  • Oftentimes in after rain, I have seen dry mud layered on the tires rendering them useless, especially when cold. You should always wipe the tires off after driving in the rain to get rid of that grip-robbing topmost layer.
  • Every tire comes with an inbuilt tread indicator, if you can't find one, try the Penny test. Get a penny and position it in such a way that Lincoln's head points into the tread. if the top of his head disappears between the ribs your tread is still above 2/32”, If you can see his entire head, consider getting new tires as there is little to no tread left.
  • As for the inflation follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and always inflate tires when they are cold for an accurate reading. Do fill a psi or two more to compensate for losses during the removal of the nozzle.
  • If the tires are overinflated breaking will be compromised due to the shorter contact patch and th steering feel a bit too eager or wobbly. An under-inflated tire would make the car feel as if it's turning one-half at a time during turns and will greatly increase fuel consumption.

Pro-Tip - Flick off those pesky little pebbles stuck in between treads before they get embedded in your tread belt and cause a puncture. 

All of the above pointers are meant to be followed religiously to avoid or catch any problem in time before it turns your car into a money pit. Here are some pointers based on my personal experience that might come in handy.

  • Avoid working the rev range too hard for at least a couple of miles after you start the car. Let the engine oil temperature and pressure build up gradually. Invest in some aftermarket gauges for an even better understanding of engine temps.
  • Get the best oil you can for your money, a fully synthetic one is preferable, but do follow the grade listed on your manual. Keep some oil handy in the boot and inspect th dipstick after every month if possible.
  • After every 10,000 miles or so get your oil/brake/coolant circuit flushed. Even if not required. Safe is better than sorry.
  • Folks running carbs should invest in a PEA-based gas additive. It cleans all the grime and unburnt carbon deposited on plug tips, valves, fuel lines, and piston rings. 
  • Chassis lubrication is often overlooked resulting in unrepairable squeaks and creeks from corners you cannot even pinpoint. 
  • Do not keep the car under a constant load for a long duration, vary the load on the engine for maximum reliability and correct break-in of components when new.