For this reason, we have brought you this article with some preventive maintenance that is essential for cars, presenting actions that you can take today to preserve and extend the useful life of the engine.

Why is preventive maintenance important?

Suppose you are on your way to a very important meeting, where being late would be disastrous. Halfway through the journey, your car starts to have problems. When you go to check it, you realize that the part you were putting off replacing has stopped working once and for all. In this case, preventive maintenance could have saved you from being late for that important meeting. In other scenarios, there are components that need to be replaced, or at least overhauled, even if they are not showing any previous problems.

This is what preventative maintenance involves: frequently checking components that may soon give rise to problems and replacing them with new ones, to prevent future problems while you are not prepared for them.

However, preventative maintenance can do much more than just prevent problems with a single part. When performed correctly, it can also increase the lifespan of your car’s engine, make it safer for those who drive the vehicle, provide better efficiency and prevent high costs at mechanic shops.

Some components that should be regularly checked

Contrary to what one might expect, preventative maintenance does not only concern major maintenance and part replacements; it also involves small actions that can prevent major problems in the future.

Correct Tire Pressure

Starting with small actions, one of the preventive actions that many drivers do not give much importance to, but which is essential for safety and economy, is correct tire pressure. An under-inflated tire can be very dangerous in several situations, such as curves, wet roads and moments when a faster movement with the steering wheel is necessary. In general, the car loses stability, and situations such as overturning or skidding become much more likely to occur. In addition, poorly inflated tires will wear out more easily and save more fuel. Read more about fuel economy by clicking here.

With this in mind, always try to drive with the tires at the correct pressure, as this will certainly make your journey safer.

*Check the correct tire pressure in your car’s manual.

Engine Oil

Engine oil is the main component of any car’s lubrication system, as without it, friction between parts would be continuous, which would certainly cause problems. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently check the condition of the engine oil, as it must be clean and in the right quantity to properly perform its role. On average, it is recommended that the engine oil be changed between 5,000km and 10,000km of the car’s mileage, however this number may vary from model to model and from car to car. The best way to ensure this is by checking your car manual, which will clearly state the ideal time to change it.

Cooling System

Another essential component when performing preventive maintenance is the vehicle’s cooling system. This is responsible for cooling the engine, which operates at high temperatures. Without the cooling system, or if it is not working properly, the engine is not properly cooled, which can cause serious problems.

Maintenance on the cooling system ranges from the simplest to the most complex. Something that must be constantly monitored is the water in the system, also called radiator water. This water is easily accessible next to the engine, and its reservoir generally shows the correct water level.

Preventive maintenance would be, for example, (in addition to checking the water level) adding additives to this water so that its boiling temperature becomes higher, preventing the water from evaporating easily and the engine from being without this essential element.

The items listed above are just some of the components that require frequent inspection, in order to be considered good preventive maintenance. However, these are the most common and easiest to check whether they can cause a problem or not. For this reason, we recommend that you check these components every time before putting the vehicle in motion, as a short period of time can bring a lot of safety and keep the driver out of dangerous situations.

Here are some other components that are also worth checking from time to time:

Steering alignment
Timing belt
Tire quality
Brake fluid
Air filter
Fuel filter
Light bulbs
Spark plugs
Exhaust
Clutch
Seat belts
Spare tire
Windshield washer fluid
Brakes

How do you know when it’s time to change them?

Solving problems when they happen is much easier than trying to predict when they will happen. However, with preventive maintenance, that’s exactly what we want to do. To make this process simpler, it is recommended that the items be checked periodically by specialized personnel (preferably someone you trust).

However, there are estimates for the replacement of some components, which are interesting to know.

See the list below:

Spark plugs → Range from 15,000 to 100,000 km

Timing belt → Average of 60,000 km

Oil filter → Every time you change the oil

Tire alignment → Approximately 10,000 to 20,000 km

Cooling system cleaning → Recommended when changing the coolant

Air filter Usually changed at the same time as the oil change

Lubricating oil → From 5,000 to 10,000 km

Tires → Usually valid for 5 years

Brake fluid (brake oil) → Approximately six months to a year

However, having estimates does not mean that you only need to change it when you reach the mileage in question. Ideally, for your safety, your vehicle should be serviced frequently by specialized mechanics, who can tell you when it is time to replace a particular component.

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