Local DJ Gets Car Maintainence Advice from His Teenage Daughter — Extremely Easy Tips

My daughter approached me the other day and told me one of her car tires looked low. I grabbed a tire pressure gauge, checked the tire and confirmed her suspicion. After filling that tire, I decided to check the tires on all our family vehicles and found some of them also needed air. This got me thinking, what else are we ignoring when it comes to taking care of our vehicles?After a bit of research, I came up with a list of the basic things many people forget or neglect when taking care of cars.

• Tires - Proper inflation not only gives you better gas mileage and makes the car easier to handle, but helps tires wear better. Rotating the tires will also extend the life of the tire.
• Oil Change - Every 3,000 miles if your car is an older, high mileage vehicle or you drive in extreme conditions. Otherwise, go with the manufacturer recommendation for your make and model.
• Air Filter - Check it every oil change and replace when dirty. One reason is, your car's oxygen sensor needs good airflow to work properly.
• Check other fluid levels. Coolant, brake, transmission and power steering fluids all need to be checked. These will stay full most of the time so if low, fill and check for a possible leak.
• Scheduled Maintenance - The owners manual tells you when these "check-ups" are needed. Typically every 10,000, 30,000, etc. miles.
• Don't Ignore The "Check Engine" Light - When it comes on it can mean a lot of things some simple others more complex. Ignoring it can turn an easy fix into a big and expensive problem. Have a mechanic check it out with their diagnostic tools.
• If Your Car Overheats - My son experienced this recently when the water pump went out. He did exactly what the experts say you should do, stop driving immediately, wait until it cools off and then open the hood to see if it's simple problem like a leaking hose or something more serious.