Simple car maintenance Tips (Part 1)

Simple car tips is a must for every driver ..... so this might help any of us ... or atleast sort some matters .... that we usually have ....
i will be posting in parts as it is very long and thus make you bored reading .....
part one :
Simple car maintenance tips
Few basic car maintenance tips
� Regular oil changes are very important to keep your engine in a good shape.
� Wash your car regularly, wax it once in a while to keep the car body shiny and free from corrosion.
� Take care of any minor concerns as soon as you can, so it won't cause serious problems and an expensive repair later
� Use only original parts

How to check the engine oil
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Place your car at the level spot. Stop the engine. Wait for a while to let the engine oil to pour down to the oil pan. Pull the engine oil dipstick. If you don't know where is the engine oil dipstick, check your
, usually it has a bright handle saying "engine oil".

Wipe it off with a clean rag or tissue. Then insert it back all the way down into its place.


Now, pull the dipstick again and check the oil level. Normally it should be at "FULL" mark. For example, here you can see that it's a bit lower. It's not a big problem yet, but it's better to top it up. Check the oil condition: If it's way too black, it's definitely time to change it. If it's slightly-brown, it's O.K. If it's dark-brown, but still transparent, it's admissible but it's better to change it soon.
If it's white (coffee with milk color) it means the engine coolant mixes with the engine oil because of some internal engine problem, for example, blown head gasket - have your car inspected.
How to top up the engine oil:
It would be better to add the same type and brand of the engine oil as you already have in the engine. Add a little amount of the oil as it's shown in the image. Wait for a minute to let the oil to pour down. Check the oil level again with the dipstick. If it's still low, add some more. But don't overfill it. Don't forget to install the dipstick back and close the oil filler cap when you finished.


How to check automatic transmission fluid.
Place your car at a level surface and engage the parking brake. Start the engine. Set transmission shifter in "P" (Park) position, and let the engine idle (on some cars this procedure may be different, check the owners' manual for details). Pull the transmission dipstick. Check your owners manual to find where transmission dipstick is located in your car.


Wipe it off with a clean lint free rag. Then insert it back carefully all the way down into its place.
Pull again and check the fluid level. If the engine is cold, it should be within "COLD" marks. If the car was driven and is fully warmed up, the level should be at the upper end of the "HOT" mark. If it's just a little bit lower I wouldn't worry about it. Otherwise I'd top it up. Check the fluid condition also: If it's too black and dirty with burnt smell - your transmission is not going to last. Normally it should be clean and transparent, as in the image. The new fluid comes red. Over the time it becomes brownish. If it is brown, check your owner's manual, may be it's time to change it. Some manufacturers require to change the transmission fluid at 30,000 or 50,000 miles others specify that you never have to change it - check what's your car owner's manual says.



How to top up the transmission fluid:
It's very important to use only specified transmission fluid - check your owners manual or simply visit your local dealer, they alway have proper transmission fluid in stock. Incorrect transmission fluid can even destroy the transmission. Add a small amount of the fluid through the dipstick pipe as shown in the image. Wait for a few minutes - let the fluid to flow down. Recheck the level again. Do not overfill, it also may cause problems with your transmission.


Low coolant level will cause engine overheating, which may cause serious damage to the engine.


How to check the engine coolant level:
The coolant level should be between "LOW" and "FULL" marks in the coolant overflow tank as in the picture. If it's lower, top it up. If there is no coolant in overflow tank or you have to top it up quite often, have your car inspected in the garage, possibly there is a coolant leak.

Never open the radiator or coolant overflow tank when the engine is hot!




When engine temperature is reduced (few minutes after the engine has been turned off) , simply add a coolant into the overflow tank to "FULL" mark.
Check the tire pressure regularly - at least once a month. If you don't have tire pressure gauge it's really worth to buy it. You can find recommended tire pressure in the

or on the tire pressure placard. The maximum pressure listed on tires is NOT the proper pressure! Refer to the owner's manual
Rotate tires at every second oil change - it will insure all tires wear equally. Feel vibration at cruising speed? - have your tires balanced. There is a safe limit of the tread wear. If the tire is worn below this limit it's unsafe to drive. Refer to the result of mechanical inspection. Uneven tire wear indicates alignment problem.
Improper alignment causes increased tire and suspension components wear and poor handling. In worst case improper alignment may throw your car into a skid, especially on a wet road. If a car pulls aside, wanders or feels unstable on the road, have the alignment checked. Properly done alignment will make your car's ride a lot more enjoyable.
CV joint boot is OK
Most of modern vehicles are Front-Wheel-Drive, and they all have

CV-joints

(Constant Velocity joint) used to transfer the engine torque to the front wheels. The CV-joint is greased inside and sealed by a rubber boot that unfortunately, tend to break sometimes. If the CV-joint boot breaks, the grease comes out, the dirt and water comes in and the whole axle unit may become inoperative in a short period of time. CV-joint located on the internal side of each of the front wheels. You can check CV-joint boots visually looking inside the front wheel arch from the front of the car with the wheel turned outside. The boot should be dry. If it's broken you will see a grease splashed all over the area. If the boot is broken, it needs to be replaced. If not replaced in time, whole axle shaft will need to be replaced which will cost you few hundred bucks more than just replacing the boot.

Broken CV joint boot

Taking care of small concerns in time may save you a lot more

As soon as you feel there is something wrong with your car like any kind of irregular noise, vibration, shimmer, or you note some leak or any warning light comes on while driving or anything that seems to be irregular - have your car inspected at a dealer or a garage as soon as you can - it might be unsafe to drive. It's definitely better to check any small problem before it will cause something serious.

Regular mechanical inspection

For your safety, I recommend to have your car inspected regularly, at least once a year, by a mechanic. I mean not just visual inspection by one of the fast lube places, but a mechanic that can lift your car and check major components such as brakes, suspension, etc., while having your tires rotated, for example. This is because many components (e.g ball joints), can not be inspected visually.

Car body care tips

Why do we need to take care of car body?
How old, do you think, is this vehicle in the upper image? Looks nice, isn't it?
This Mercedes-Benz is 15 years old, with almost 300,000 km (186,000 miles) behind! More than that, it has never been repainted - this is its original paint. And there is no even a tiny spot of corrosion! Now look at the lower image, this three years old car is already corroded through. Big difference, eh? So, how to keep your car shiny and protect it from corrosion? Read below

Wash your car
Wash your car regularly - I'd recommend to do this at least once a month. Things like bugs, bird's dropping, or limestone dripping damage the paint leaving permanent stains if not washed off in time. When the car is clean, all the moisture dries up quickly, but when it's dirty, the moisture accumulates in dirty areas causing corrosion. At least once in a while use pressure wash (pressure wash can be found at coin car wash stations) - it removes the dirt from difficult to reach areas. Don't hold the pressure wash jet too close to the painted surfaces, it can peel off the loose paint. Wash off all the places where the dirt and salt could be accumulated; for example, behind moldings, inside wheel arches, under the bumpers, etc. It's particularly helpful after winter season - to wash out all the salt accumulations that speed up the corrosion process. Don't forget to wash all the dirt from the windshield. The sand that left out on the windshield gets caught by the windshield wipers blades and scratches the windshield when the wipers are operating.

How to wax your car
Wax your car regularly. A car wax gives shiny look to your car and helps to shield the paint from harsh environment, protecting it from fading. It takes only about 30 minutes to wax a whole car and high-quality car wax stays on the car for three - four months. So far, I haven't seen a single product that stays for life time as you may have heard in some commercials - nothing lasts forever. In order to maintain protective coat any product needs to be reapplied periodically.
Undercoating and rustproofing your vehicle
Brake proportioning valve

If you live in an area with high humidity, or where the salt use is common in winter months, undercoating and rustproofing you car can be very helpful. Look at the picture, this is a part of the brake system located underneath the car, it's completely rusted as you can see. This is only five years old vehicle from a high humidity, coastal area. Sometimes later one of these brake lines can burst and the car will have no brakes.
Properly done undercoating and rustproofing can protect important components of the car from corrosion.
How to repair stone chips
The stone chips if not repaired in time will cause corrosion like in this photo. That's why it's good idea to repair stone chips as soon as they appear.
This one is not corroded yet, so we'll try to repair it. The car is clean and dry and we have all we need - the matching spray paint ordered from a dealer and a toothpick. If you have a touch-up paint with the brush you can use it instead, although I found that with a sharp toothpick you can do more accurate job.
After shaking the spray paint very well (for a few minutes) spray very small amount into the cap
Now, slightly deep the end of the toothpick into the paint in the cap. Very carefully, I'm trying to barely fill up the damage with the paint without letting it to come out.
Now it looks much better and it won't be corroded later.
How to remove deep scratches
Similarly the deep scratches can be repaired in a similar fashion.
Again, I got the matching paint and using a sharp toothpick I'm trying to barely fill up the scratch.
Now it looks better.

How to remove residue marks (paint) left by other objects
This mark on the bumper was made in the underground parking. If you look very closely it's actually white paint residue over original clearcoat. The clearcoat itself seems to be damaged only slightly. I'll try to remove this mark.
All I need for this is ultra-fine 1500-grit or 2000-grit waterproof sandpaper (the higher number stands for the finest abrasive), polishing compound containing mild abrasive (I used the Turtle Wax) and a car wax (I used Turtle Wax liquid car wax with Carnauba).
Very carefully (I don't want to remove the clearcoat) I sand the marks with wet sandpaper (use only ultra-fine waterproof sandpaper) until all marks are gone. If you have never done it before, try on some small spot to see how it works first.
Now there is no mark, but the clearcoat has lost its shine; I will use polishing compound to restore the shine.
I put small amount of the polishing compound onto the damp sponge and rub well until the clearcoat becomes shiny.
Last step, I buff the area with the car wax.
How to remove minor scratches
Look at the image, these scratches on the trunk were made by the bushes.
It's not a big problem, but...
I will remove these scratches in two steps:
First, I use polishing compound to polish the scratches. It contains mild abrasive and removes very thin coat of painting. When you will shop for this kind of product, there are few grades available. You need the one that contains the finest abrasive.
I put a little amount of polishing compound onto a damp sponge and buff the scratched area in a circular motion until scratches disappear. But don't overdo it. I'd suggest trying a small area first, to get used to the process. Then I wash off the area completely.
Now it's time to use a liquid wax. I squeeze a little amount of wax onto a sponge and spread evenly on the scratched area. I wait a little allowing product to haze, then, using a soft towel, I buff the wax.
Now you see the result.

Please Do reply freely if i miss something.... Constructive critics are also and always welcome