Whether you just got a new car or have been driving one for long, it’s always helpful to follow certain car maintenance tips to keep your car running at its best. However, while you may remember to do some of the more commonly known car maintenance tips like changing your air filters and keeping your car covered, we’re going down a different route.

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Today, we’re looking at some of the uncommon car maintenance tips that every car owner should know about to keep your car in peak and optimal condition.

Remember to bookmark this page for whenever you need to refer back to a checklist.

Let’s start!

1. Change your spark plugs

Image from: Holt Llyod (10 Uncommon Car Maintenance Tips Every Car Owner Should Know) — Image from: Holt Llyod *(10 Uncommon Car Maintenance Tips Every Car Owner Should Know)*

Spark plugs are responsible for igniting the gas and air mixture that ultimately powers your vehicle. So, when your spark plugs aren’t working well, it could affect the efficiency of your car’s engine. This means that the engine might just lose power and not function properly or run at its optimal capacity. Always replace your faulty spark plugs for better peace of mind.

2. Get your tyres rotated and balanced

Tyre rotation is an important part of maintaining the safety and performance of your vehicle. Not only does it give your car a quicker steering response, it also gives you a chance to even out their wear and extend the life of the tyres. You should also ensure that your tyre pressure is good before going on long trips, or when carrying a full load of passengers in the car.

3. Check all your lights

It’s good to turn on your headlights to check if both are in good working order. To do this, you should park in front of a flat surface and make sure that both lights are properly positioned. You can also use this chance to check that your signal lights are working, and get a friend to check whether your brake lights are functional as well.

4. Ensure your cooling system works

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A normal car’s radiator builds up a deposit with normal wear and tear, which can disrupt the cooling system. This isn’t good as your car’s cooling system and radiator need to be clean to work efficiently and effectively. Thankfully, you can keep your cooling system working well with a simple radiator flush. It’s good to do this once a year or after every two years.

5. Know the meaning of different warning light indicators

Like your body, your car is able to tell you about the issues it is facing through a series of sensors and warning lights. Simply look out for the lights and sensors that tell you everything; from the fact that you forgot to replace your gas cap, or that your tyres are low on air. It’s good to learn what each of your car’s warning lights means and how to fix it. If any light flashes and you can’t immediately pinpoint and fix the problem, take your vehicle to a trusted mechanic right away.

6. Clean the brake dust off your wheels

When you apply the brake, a mix of materials come in contact from the brake rotor and brake pad which is the brake dust. While it doesn’t affect the full functioning of your brakes, it does make wheels a little unpleasant to look at. 92% of the dust is iron. The remaining 8% will be grime, dirt, carbon content and other particles. If these are exposed to the sun along with your wheels, they can leave severe stains on your wheel. So it’s always good to clean it up as soon as possible.

7. Protect your car interiors

Avoid eating food inside your car as much as possible. A good way is to cover surfaces as much as possible. Keep floor mats, which will keep you from tracking in mud or dirt and grinding it into the carpets with your feet. Add seat covers, which can protect your car seat’s upholstery. Cover can also help aid your posture and even help customize the look of your car. Make it a point to vacuum the car regularly.

8. Check drive belts

Your engine produces power so that other parts and accessories run including the power that your vehicle requires to run. The drive belts shift the power from your cram or crankshaft to the car’s alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, air pump, water pump and any other device that relies on mechanical power. Modern cars use a single belt which is also called a serpentine belt to connect and rotate from the crank pulley. As these belts are typically made of rubber or other polymers, they wear a lot even with normal use. So it’s important to check these belts regularly to inspect for visible hairline cracks or any change in their integrity. You’ll need to look at the integrity of both your serpentine belt or V-belt and your timing belt unless your engine is chain driven.

9. Check your AC’s refrigerant level

Before starting any A/C related task, it’s important to know what refrigerant you need. It’s important for the air conditioner to have a proper level of refrigerant which is the cooling agent that keeps your vehicle running efficiently. If your car’s air conditioner isn’t blowing cold air or there’s a clicking noise coming from the engine then most likely the unit needs to be recharged. A properly working AC will not only make a vehicle’s occupants more comfortable and it’s also a good maintenance tip to follow.

10. Don’t touch the glass bulbs when repairing

Make sure you only touch the metal bulb holder located at the bottom of the lighting fixture whenever you have to replace the bulb on your headlight. If you have to touch the glass, you can wear clean mechanic’s gloves or use sterile surgical gloves. These gloves will help prevent the transfer of oils, grime, dust and dirt from your fingertips to the specialized coating that’s there on the bulb’s exterior surface. The dust particles, grease or oil can affect the special coating present in the bulb’s surface. So when you turn your headlights on, the part of the bulb with dust will heat up a lot faster than the rest of the bulb and cause the bulb to crack.

So there you have it. These are some of the lesser mentioned car maintenance repairs that you will have to make sure to follow so that your car can maintain its high quality and functioning. If you think we should know more uncommon car maintenance tips, leave a comment below!

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10 Uncommon Car Maintenance Tips Every Car Owner Should Know