The New Year is upon us once more, and this is the period when people will be making long and impressive lists of the resolutions they’d like to adopt for the 12 months ahead. Some of this will include the classics: to lose weight, to join a gym, to spend less money and so on.

All of these resolutions are great, but the people who make them are all focused on only one thing: themselves. What about their beloved cars? The prized possessions that have served them so well by helping them get to wherever they need to be? Don’t cars deserve some attention as well during this time of the year?

Yes, yes they do! As you may already understand, cars are large investments that stay with us for many years, sometimes for 10 years or more! This makes it one of the most valuable possessions we have, and in addition to all our other resolutions, we should also resolve to take better care of it! Here are a few resolutions for car owners to get you started:

I will take better care of my car’s body

How many car owners truly take good care of their cars? Some might invest a lot in servicing and repairs for the internal parts of the car, sure, but what about the body itself? Sometimes, a small dent or scratch here and there seems insignificant when we need to spend money on changing more important spare parts in the car.

This year, why not resolve to take better care of your car’s body? That means making sure to take your car to get washed and polished from time to time, while also paying closer attention to smaller details like scratches or even paint chips. Dents are rare, but if they happen, you should get them fixed immediately instead of leaving it for ‘someday’.

Oh, and don’t forget to use glass cleaner on the windscreen and side windows as well to make sure your car looks spotless!

I will use less fuel this year

Fuel efficiency is a worthwhile goal to have for the year, especially since fuel prices can get quite burdensome. The ability to squeeze every possible mile out of a full gas tank isn’t magic, it's just the result of being a more fuel-efficient driver!

Being fuel-efficient not only means keeping your engine well-serviced, but it also means changing some of your driving habits. What we may not realise is that some of our driving habits may actually increase the wear on our car’s parts and over the long-term, use more fuel as well.

One example of a  fuel-efficient driving habit you could start off with is to drive at consistent speeds (instead of speeding and slowing down repeatedly), and not to push your engine too much while accelerating. Doing so will reduce the demand on your engine and ensure you’re using fuel in an efficient as possible manner.

I will be a more patient driver

Driving can be a stressful activity, especially if you’re driving in urban areas anywhere in Malaysia. One worthwhile resolution to have is to be a much more patient driver.

This means not cutting queues or breaking the speed limit, and this also means being patient with other drivers on the road. With many reckless drivers on the road, it is always easy and tempting to lose our tempers at them, but this exposes us to a lot of risks on the road.

Road rage, fights and even accidents can be caused when drivers lose their tempers while on the road. This not only puts ourselves in danger of being harmed, but it also risks our cars being damaged during an accident because we are driving on the road while distracted.

I will learn to do things myself

Some things are better left to the experts. Major servicing and repairs would probably be best done by the mechanics at your favourite workshop because they have the necessary tools, experience, and expertise to do a good job.

However, when it comes to the basic stuff, you should resolve to learn how to do them yourself instead of calling someone to help you. Despite how many mobile apps there are nowadays to call for help for anything from replacing your car battery to replacing a flat tyre, learning how to do these things yourself is easy these days with quick Google searches and by watching instructional videos on Youtube.

It’s not just good to learn how to fix things yourself, it's also great to learn how to inspect your own vehicle. By doing so, you’ll be able to communicate clearly with your mechanic about any problems your car may face. This will help them do a better job by understanding the problem accurately and then applying the right kind of repairs needed.

By learning how to do these basic repairs and inspections, you’ll gain a much deeper appreciation and love for your car which will also inspire you to take better care of it.

With all of these resolutions made, you’ll not only guarantee a great year ahead for yourself but you’ll also ensure your car has a great one too!