Essential maintenance tips: The Bare Minimum

Being a responsible driver and car owner means getting the necessary maintenance done on your vehicle. With more and more people depending on cars to get to work and drive kids to after-school activities, it's important to keep up with the occasional tune-up or oil change.

Even if you're not currently feeling any issues with your car, it's good to be proactive and get regular maintenance done before you do.

For car owners, there is no worse feeling than increasing the cost of car repairs. While repairs and regular maintenance are part of vehicle ownership, we can help keep costs down by following the manufacturer's recommendations and performing maintenance ourselves. Here are some tips on do-it-yourself maintenance from automotive experts. If you don't feel comfortable, have a trusted mechanic do it for you. It is important not to neglect regular maintenance, which saves money in the long run. 
1-Change the engine oil in the car constantly. Engine oil is the lifeblood of your engine. Regular oil change lubricates important parts of the engine. Driving too long between oil changes can cause permanent engine damage. The recommended period of time between oil changes varies. Contact the vehicle manufacturer for best practices.
 
2-The oil protects the engine of the car, the oil filter protects the oil. Even the best engine oil will not work completely without using a high-quality, high-efficiency oil filter. There are some oil filters that use a mixture of cellulose and synthetic microscopic fibers to achieve the right balance between dirt capture efficiency and dirt holding capacity.
 
3-Do not ignore the warning lights in your car. It can be frustrating to see the engine check light come on, but it's important not to neglect these warnings. They don't always point to a serious problem, but a small problem that doesn't get verified can lead to a bigger problem and generate big dollars later. 

4-Change the air filter of your car's engine. The service life and life of the engine are directly related to keeping the incoming air clean. A clogged air filter can reduce acceleration and performance. The function of the air filter is to remove pollutants from the air before the engine is damaged.  

5-Don't forget the air filter in your car. The air in your car's cabin can be up to six times more polluted than the outside. Contaminants enter your vehicle through the ventilation system and expose passengers to a large amount of dust, dirt, and allergens. A clogged or dirty cabin filter can restrict air entry into the vehicle's HVAC system. This will block performance and potentially reduce the effectiveness of the defroster, heater, and air conditioner.