Although we’re well and truly into the new year, it’s not too late to commit to a few resolutions to help drive you through the coming months. Here, at Nationwide Cars, we believe that one of the best New Year promises you can make is not only to take better care of yourself, but also your car.
As a result, we’ve compiled together some of the best car care resolutions to help maintain your car, keeping it in great condition throughout 2019 and beyond.
Related: The Essential Car Maintenance Guide
1. Check Your Tyres
One of the most important aspects of car care maintenance you can keep on top of is the condition of your tyres. Keeping a close eye on them means you are able to effectively control and maintain great performance. Recognising any warning signs during their early stages will mean that you can quickly change them when necessary to avoid any accidents.
It is also important to make sure they remain at the correct tyre pressure. No matter how often you use your vehicle, it’s recommended to check your tyre pressure every month, or after long journeys and cold weather to ensure maximum performance.
2. Change the Oil
A common habit that can often be overlooked and forgotten about is to regularly check your car’s oil. Depending on the model, each car has different frequencies as to when their oil will need changing but we recommend changing it every six months or after every 5,000 miles in order to keep your car running in a healthy condition.
3. Test Your Battery
Another important resolution to adopt in order to make sure your car is running to the best of its ability is to check up on the battery, especially before during and after the cold winter months. These freezing temperatures can often take a toll on your car’s battery, leading to a drop in power and efficiency. It is especially important to check upon your battery if it is considered more than five years old. Whether you choose to take it to a mechanic or check it yourself, keeping a close eye will allow you to determine if it needs charging or changing without any nasty surprises.
4. Drive Efficiently
Driving more efficiently can help improve the condition of your car more than you think. Depending on how you drive, you can help increase the efficiency immensely by adopting certain habits such as making sure you’re not braking or accelerating too harshly; by doing this it will result in lower fuel costs and elongated engine life.
To achieve optimal conditions, and drive more economically it also helps to obey speed limits. Not only will you save fuel but it will also decrease any further damages to your car such as potholes or other road faults. Avoiding these conditions and making sure you’re not driving at a fast or aggressive rate will avoid any unnecessary premature wear and tear to your car.
Another and final way you can improve the efficiency of your car is to take out any unwanted baggage that may be weighing down your car more than necessary. The lighter your vehicle is, the more fuel friendly it will run.
5. Keep it Clean
Depending on your lifestyle, it can often be hard to set aside time to clean your car to the standard it deserves. We recommend making sure you set aside some time this year to keep your car clean and tidy, inside and out at a regular rate. Keeping on top of any cleaning maintenance will help keep your vehicle looking to the best of its ability. By simply removing any items that don’t belong in your car on a daily basis, including garbage, will speed up the cleaning process and allow you to stay on top of your car care a lot easier.
Related: What Should You Always Keep in Your Car?
To check out our extensive range of new cars and vans that are on offer this new year, get in touch with one of our team at Nationwide Cars to find out how we can help you.
