5 Routine Maintenance Checks Your Used Car Deserves
If you want to take good care of your used car, then regular maintenance is the key to keeping it running smoothly and effectively and helping to reduce the risk of problems and large repair bills. Keeping your car running effectively and having it well maintained all year round is a far better and cheaper strategy than facing costly repair bills, but it can be tricky to work out exactly what your car needs on an ongoing basis.
When it comes to car care the people behind Bigmotoringworld.co.uk are excellent resources of practical tips.
We spoke to them, and they gave us these five routine maintenance checks which your used car will thank you for:
1. Carry out your own car inspections regularly
One way to help keep your car running well is to give it the once over yourself regularly so that you can spot any potential issues before they turn into major or costly dramas and it will help to ensure your vehicle is running at its optimum. For example, you should check your tires regularly both for pressure and tread levels and make sure there are no issues.
You should aim to do this every month and remember keeping your tires at the right pressure will help to save you fuel. You should check your car’s fluid levels periodically and never ignore any signs that there might be a leak coming from your car at any time.
Having regular periodic assessments will allow you to take very swift action as soon as anything goes amiss with your car.
2. Get your car belts checked and changed regularly
Check your car’s manual to find out when your belts need replacing and make sure they are replaced as and when required – always ask your garage to inspect them during every service and MOT as well, so that you can be aware of any wear and tear issues in advance of the regular replacement requirements.
If your car suffers a failed belt, it can cause serious issues with your engine and can be a very costly issue so keeping an eye out for any problems with the belts, and changing them as required is definitely worth it.
3. Get your oil changed routinely
As well as checking your oil level yourself and keeping an eye on its color, you should also make sure you get it changed regularly. So every routine service should include an oil change, and you should also follow the guidelines in your manual.
Any change in colour in your oil could indicate a problem so if you notice anything in your routine checks make sure you raise it immediately with your garage so that action can be taken and engine issues further down the line can be avoided.
4. Replace your own wiper blades
Assess your wiper blades routinely and if you start to suffer from streaky windows make sure you replace them –they are very easy to replace yourself, and you don’t need to wait until a service to get them replaced if you are experiencing problems.
You should also keep your windscreen regularly clean, both inside and out – and always make sure your car is topped up with windscreen wash. This should be easy to check and top up yourself – check your manual to find out where the bottle is and how to check your levels.
Keeping a bottle of screen wash in the boot can make it easy to maintain on the move but always make sure the engine is cold first.
5. Change your spark plugs
Problems with your spark plugs can cause your engine to break down so make sure you get them checked regularly and changed whenever required. Check your manual for advice on when this needs to happen but also have them checked regularly for build – up and wear and tear which could have a negative impact.
It’s not too difficult a job to change them yourself but if you are not mechanically minded this might feel too daunting. However, if you think there might be a problem then make sure you raise it with your mechanic straight away, whether or not a service is due.
Conclusion
Looking after your car on a regular basis and making sure you are fully aware of how everything is running will put you well ahead when it comes to noticing any potential problems or issues which might occur further down the line.
If you are not confident about carrying out the actual maintenance yourself, like changing oil, or spark plugs, then make sure you keep your car regularly checked out by your mechanic and keep them updated and informed whenever you notice any issues.
Keeping your car routinely looked after is not just about preventing it from breaking down although of course, that’s a big bonus. It’s about keeping it running effectively including helping to improve your fuel efficiency and save money on your everyday vehicle costs.
The top 4 car manufacturers
Different people have different preferences when it comes to cars. These differences may range from cost, to maintenance, to performance, to handling, to fuel efficiency and size and so on. It’s always important to keep in mind that the auto industry is quite competitive with different manufacturers competing for market share.
In this article, I am going to highlight the top 4 car manufacturers in the world.
1 German based Volkswagen
Volkswagen recently toppled Toyota to become the number one car manufacturer in the world. Other than their leading brand Volkswagen, this company also owns other globally renowned brands namely Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Audi, SEAT and Skoda, as well as commercial vehicle brands such as Scania and MAN. The Volkswagen Company gained top spot after selling over 10 cars worldwide in 2016.
2 Japanese based Toyota
Prior to 2016, Toyota had held on to the top spot as leading vehicle manufacturer for over five years before losing this position to Volkswagen. This is an easily recognized brand with a significant number of models under the Toyota brand targeting different market segments. Toyota dropped to position two after registering sales of over 9 million cars globally in 2016.
3 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is a partnership between three major manufacturers that is France based Renault, and Japanese based Nissan and Mitsubishi. This alliance helped elevate these companies as they attained position three in the list of global car manufacturers with sales of over 8 million cars in 2016.
4 South-Korean based Hyundai-Kia Company
The Hyundai Company story is an amazing one in terms of business success in that this company has only been in operation for 16 years yet has managed to leapfrog other much older brands and secure fourth spot in the list of global car manufacturers. The combined sales of the Hyundai-Kia Company in 2016 were just over 8.1million cars globally.
I trust that this has been a helpful piece that will influence your next vehicle purchase.
5 most expensive supercars
These amazing cars go by the name supercars because they promise amazing performance which combines great speed, power and stability, and to crown it all up a great design. Drivers of supercars will definitely turn heads when they roll through.
Have you ever wondered how much these supercars cost? In this article, I am going to look at the 5 most expensive supercars.
1 CCXR Trevita at a cost of $4.8 million
The Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita supercar tops the list as the most expensive supercar. For your information, only two of them were manufactured. This superfast car will easily do 0 to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds and maxes out at just over 245 mph. The car runs on a 4.8L V8 engine and weighs a total of 2,800 pounds.
2 Lamborghini Veneno at a cost of $4.5 million
The Lamborghini Veneno supercar is second on the list of most expensive supercars, with only 3 of these cars set to hit production. This superfast car will easily do 0 to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds and is set to max out at just over 221 mph. The car runs on a 6.5L V12 engine and weighs a total of 3,278 pounds.
3 LaFerrari Aperta at a cost of $3.4 million
LaFerrari Aperta from Ferrari is the third joint most expensive supercar. This superfast car will easily do 0 to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds and is set to max out at just over 217 mph. The car runs on a 6.3L V12 engine.
4 Lykan Hypersport at a cost of $3.4 million
Lykan Hypersport from W Motors is joint third most expensive supercar. If you are a fan of the Fast and the Furious then you will remember this car featured in Furious 7. This superfast car will easily do 0 to 62 mph in just under 2.8 seconds and maxes out at 240 mph. The car runs on a 3.7L twin turbo flat 6.
5 Bugatti Veyron at a cost of $3.4 million.
The Bugatti Veyron is joint third most expensive supercar. This limited edition car will do 0 to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds and is set to max out at 254 mph. This car has an amazing horsepower of 1,200.
It’s worth noting that the production cost of these super cars is usually pretty high and that is why they are produced in limited editions.
5 Best aftermarket headlights for trucks
If you are an enthusiast of night driving then this is an article that I believe will benefit you greatly. Many motorists struggle with driving at night because they can never get the right headlights that enable them see very clearly during dark nights especially when it rains. Before we get into the top 5, we wanted to thank The Retrofit Source for helping provide us with the research and information to create this list. TRS sells aftermarket headlights for a variety of autos, including some of the coolest ford f150 headhlights we have seen. Check them out when you get a chance.
In this article, I am going to briefly look at 5 headlights which I believe are the best especially for trucks.
1 Kensun headlights
I personally recommend the Kensun headlights if you are looking for headlights that offer really good brightness. Not only do these headlights come affordably at about $59, they come with a 2 year warranty and a guaranteed lifespan of up to 5,000 hours. What else would you ask for?
2 Innovited headlights
If you are looking for a much cheaper option and good alternative for the Kensun headlights then you could check out the innovated headlights. Going for around $39, these headlights are also super bright and also come with a 2 year warranty and a guaranteed lifespan of up to 5,500 hours. It’s quite a good alternative.
3 JDM Astar headlights
The JDM Astar headlights are LED based lights that come highly recommended. These lights cost about $49 and come with a one year warranty. To crown it up, these lights come with a lifespan guarantee of up to 20,000 hours. It’s truly awesome.
4 Opt7 headlights
The Opt7 headlights come highly recommended though more costly than the other three headlights we have looked at. These super bright LED based headlights cost just under $100 but with the extra cost comes a 2 year warranty and a lifespan guarantee of up to 50,000 hours.
5 Philips X-Treme Vision headlights
The Philips X-Treme Vision headlights are super bright halogen based lighting. These headlights come recommended primarily because they are quite affordable at about $37 though the downside is that they come with a lifespan guarantee of just 320 hours. Still worth a mention though.
It’s however worth pointing out that the ability for your lights to guarantee you visibility at night is not entirely down to the brightness of the headlights but rather how well oriented to the road they are.