Maintaining a New Car

Just got a great new car lease? Well, the next step is to spend all that hard-earned money on maintaining your new car especially over the miles that you will be spending in it. Maintaining a new car isn't as difficult as you think; however, it does take hard work to do it, especially if you don't want to depend on garages that will more than likely give you sky-high prices on things you can do yourself.

After the First 1000 Miles
If your car dealer is competitive with others around town, you may expect something of a bonus in maintenance. A good car dealer will give you maintenance for free after your first thousand miles. This is a great opportunity to make your own checklist so that you can maintain your car by yourself and at a cheaper cost. Ask your car dealer (during the first oil change and miscellaneous maintenance) what things they look into after the first thousand miles your car goes through. Take down notes and try to ask them specifically what materials they use, such as oil brands, cleaning solutions, etc. This will be great information for maintaining a new car on its next thousand or five thousand miles, depending on how often you want to maintain it.

The Most Important Parts
If you want to do all the maintenance yourself (which is quite all right because there is nobody else to blame but yourself if maintaining your new car meets a few mistakes), then keep a list of the following things that you should check:

1. Engine Oil – Changing the oil in your car is difficult, but it’s not impossible.Research what oils your car needs and prepare for at least 2 hours of work just draining the old oil out of your vehicle.
2. Gear Oil – Noticed how soft your stick shift was when you first drove out of the dealership in your new car?You can maintain that fluid stick motion by making sure you replace the gear oil every 2000 miles. Might be a little pricey but you won’t have to be spending on labor costs if you’re doing it in your own garage.
3. Brake Fluid – Probably the most important fluid in your car, this is one of the first things you must check when maintaining your new car. Check the break discs as well and replace them if they are worn down even in the slightest.
4. Tires – Next most important item on your list is the tire tread. If you’re a city driver, then maintaining your new car’s wheels may not happen very often. But if your car happens to go off road more often than not, it’d be best to check that the tread still grips the road well. A test drive on smooth roads should tell you if you need to change them already.
5. Electronics – Now to test the electrical parts of your car. You can start with the computer (if it has one; check if it records correct mileage and that it still functions properly); move onto checking if all the lights work (every single one should be working and in excellent condition); lastly, test the wipers and other items in the car that require the use of the car battery.
6. Power Steering Fluid – If you want a smooth ride with smooth steering, then replace the power steering oils accordingly and regularly.
7. Coolant– Most cars have a temperature gauge.You may be surprised that some do not. And if you don’t have one, make sure to change the fluid in your coolant bay after the first 10,000 km and every 2000 to 5000 kilometers after that. Avoid overheating and causing damage on in other parts of your car engine.

That’s the magic seven list of things to look at when maintaining your new car. Got anything else to add? Then feel free to do so because it won’t harm you a bit to keep your car in top condition.