Preventative Maintenance

As a car owner, regular and proper auto maintenance is necessary to avoid accidents, ensure your car functions optimally, and enhance longevity. However, care and maintenance extend beyond regular servicing, oil changes, and tire rotation. Daily care includes good driving habits. Bad driving habits can significantly reduce your car’s average lifespan. Keep reading to discover common driving habits that could potentially damage your vehicle.

1. Running on Fumes

Allowing your car to get to down to low fuel levels can be detrimental to the fuel system in your car. The fuel usually acts as a coolant in the system to prevent parts from overheating. If you run out of fuel, the car’s fuel pump, fuel system, and catalytic converter could be damaged. Also, starting your car when low on fuel can damage your ignition.

2. Revving a Cold Engine

Revving a cold engine introduces unnecessary stress on the engine compartment, increasing wear and tear, because the engine parts haven’t had time to be lubricated with thorough oil circulation.

Cold winter mornings can be harsh on your vehicle. Learning how to properly warm up your car can help you save money, stay comfortable, and keep your car in good repair all winter long. Keep reading to discover how to properly warm up your car this winter season.

1. Make Sure Your Vehicle is in a Safe Spot

The first step to properly warming up your car is to ensure your vehicle is in a safe spot. If you are parked inside a garage, ensure the garage door is open before turning on and warming up your car.

2. Turn On the Vehicle and Defroster

The air conditioner engages automatically when you select the defrost mode to dehumidify the air. The defroster blows air from the heating and ventilation unit to the windshield for maximum deforesting and clears the window while the engine warms up. During the winter, consider using the defroster turned-on high temperature settings to melt ice and snow and defog the windshield, thus, keeping the car warm.

Driving in snow can pose a challenge, even for the most experienced drivers. For one, snow makes the roads extremely slippery, leading to loss of traction, which increases the risk of accidents. You may also experience limited visibility when driving in snow. Additionally, the cold weather can lead to fluid freeze, which can cause your car to malfunction.

Fortunately, there are measures you can take to overcome such challenges. Keep reading to discover five safety tips you should adhere to when driving in snow.

1. Prepare with the Right Tires

During the winter, it can be a great idea to equip your vehicle with tires that have better traction to help when driving in snow. If you intend to drive on snowy roads for an extended period, you should replace your all-season tires with winter tires. The latter have a tread design that delivers a better grip on snow, providing traction and reducing your chances of getting stuck in the snow.

2. Accelerate and Decelerate Slowly

Accelerating and

While skipping a car maintenance appointment in an effort to save money may seem like the best choice, keeping up with regular maintenance can actually save you money in the long run. Regular car maintenance helps you avoid digging deep into your pockets at the most inconvenient and unsuspecting times. Keep reading to discover how routine car maintenance can save you money.

1. Prevent Large Repairs

Regular maintenance allows you to identify and take care of smaller problems that could potentially lead to larger and more critical issues with your vehicle. One maintenance process that is a great example of this is regularly changing your engine oil.

If you don’t change your engine oil regularly, it turns into sludge and can eventually cause your engine to seize up. The cost of repairing a seized engine goes as high as $5,000, or even more. In contrast, the cost of an oil change in Missouri is typically between just $20 to $85, depending on the oil your car

Driving at night often presents more hazards than driving during the day. Thus, being familiar with the regulations and recommended practices for nighttime driving is crucial. Keep reading to discover six safety tips for driving at night.

1. Clean Your Windshield

It is important to keep your windshield and windows clean on a regular basis. While many impurities such as dirt, oils, fingerprints, and smudges may go unnoticed during the day, the glare of lights at night can highlight these and make it difficult to see at night.

2. Check Your Headlights

Maintaining fully functional and properly angled headlights is crucial for safe nighttime driving. It’s common to see brand-new vehicles with lopsided or improperly angled headlights. Due of this, it’s essential to take the time to aim them properly.

3. Increase Distance and Reduce Speed

Nighttime drivers have less vision and a correspondingly longer response time. Putting some distance between yourself and the car in front is crucial to improving your response time in case of an emergency. One