Vehicle Care : Common Mistakes
Make sure you avoid these common mistakes
Always remember that an easy way to avoid mistakes in caring for your vehicle is to trust Foreign Accents with your vehicle’s scheduled maintenance because our Bosch certified mechanics can handle any auto service you need. Our mechanics are well versed with both modern and classic cars and they are fully trained in the latest automotive technologies. You can have confidence we’ll be able to provide you with quality and affordable vehicle repair.
You can trust the service at Foreign Accents. We pride ourselves on our honest dealings with our customers. Many repairs can be completed in one day, others require more extensive work or parts not readily available. Whatever the case, our focus is getting the job done right in the least amount of time possible.
Not checking tire pressure
Tire pressure is not just about avoiding flat tires—although that should be reason enough to check regularly—it is also about fuel economy. If your tires are under-inflated, it could be causing your car to eat far more gas than it should. Check every few months with a fuel gauge, and make sure that your tires are what they should be according to your owner’s manual. Another common problem is neglecting other tire maintenance, such as regular tire rotation—something that will make them last longer.
Neglecting oil changes
If you decide to wait until a warning light tells you that the oil level in your car is low, you could be causing permanent damage to your car’s engine. The oil in your car loses its effectiveness over time, and just waiting longer than the manufacturer’s recommended interval between oil changes can lead to damaging engine wear. Paying for an oil service not only accomplishes this crucial maintenance but also gives you a relatively cheap price to have a mechanic look under your car and possibly notice other issues needing attention.
Not inspecting your brakes
Getting your brake pads changed can be expensive, but if you leave it too long, your brakes can wear down completely, and start to work away at the rotators, which will cost you much more money. When you first start to hear that tell-tale squeaking noise, make sure that you get your brakes checked out.
Using old wipers
Windshield wipers are an incredibly cheap and easy thing to replace, and yet plenty of people are still driving in adverse weather conditions, unable to see properly as a result of having old ones. Look for streaks on the windshield and cracks in the blades, and if in doubt, change them every six months or so. It is also worth splashing out on the better quality wiper blades.
Using old filters
Air and fuel filters are also inexpensive to replace, but failing to do so can cause you big problems. It is something that you can do yourself, but keep in mind that changing these filters will already be included if you regularly ask a repair shop to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule for your vehicle.
Failing to check your fluids
Just as you need to change your oil regularly, other fluids are equally important in making sure that your engine runs smoothly. Coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and more are all essential, and costly if you ignore them.
Ignoring your check engine light
It can be easy to ignore the Check Engine light. The light comes on and your car seems to be operating as it normally would and you might figure, “Well, everything seems fine, I’ll take care of it soon.” But other things come up, it gets put off, and one day your car could breakdown. As difficult as it might be to find the time to have your vehicle seen by a mechanic when that dashboard light first comes on, it really is best to have it seen as soon as possible because the longer you wait, the higher the costs could be for repairs. In other words, a little time spent having it fixed right away could save you a lot of money in the long run.
