8 Things Your Mechanic Should Check During Car Servicing

Some car owners may only pay attention to the obvious aspects of car servicing, such as changing the engine oil and checking the tire pressure, when they take their vehicle for routine maintenance. However, many more components of the car need to be attended to on a less frequent schedule than the usual maintenance tasks. Read on and discover some of those infrequent maintenance tasks that you should ask your mechanic to perform when you take your car for its scheduled maintenance.

1. Windshield Wipers
The windshield wipers gradually wear out and must be replaced. Some people only remember to check the wipers once the windshield develops streaks. At such a time, the wipers may have become so worn that they are causing irreparable damage to the windshield. Don’t wait for your wipers to get to that magnitude of damage. Ask the car service technician to check them every time you take your car for its scheduled maintenance. That expert will advise you when it is time to replace those wipers before they start becoming ineffective.

2. Ratio of Coolant
Many car owners check the level of coolant and top it up each time they notice that the level has gone down. Eventually, the amount of coolant within the cooling system may exceed the recommended concentration in the water/coolant mixture.
Conversely, you may keep topping up with water each time you notice that the coolant level has reduced. This can eventually cause the mixture to have very little coolant in it. This can be risky because the vehicle may face the possibility of overheating in case there is insufficient coolant in the cooling system. It is therefore advisable for you to ask the service technician to test the coolant mixture in order to confirm that the two components (water and the coolant) are in the appropriate ratios. Any anomaly in the coolant concentration can be corrected before it causes other defects in the performance of your car.

3. Cabin Filters
Emphasis is usually placed on the fuel and air filters connected to the engine. Consequently, the cabin filters in your car may exceed the duration that they were designed to be used before being replaced or cleaned. This can expose you to several dangers, such as exposure to allergens that could not be removed by the clogged cabin filter. Use the time when your car is undergoing scheduled maintenance in order to check the condition of the cabin filters. Change them as soon as the mechanic tells you that they have become clogged.

4. Tire Rotation
Routine car servicing usually involves checking the pressure and the condition of all your tires. However, you also need to ensure that those tires are rotated at the recommended interval. The tire rotation interval that is recommended in the car manual may not coincide with the time when you are conducting scheduled maintenance. That is why you should take the initiative to ask the car service technician to rotate the tires at the earliest opportunity so that you can get longer service from that set of tires.

5. Belts
Your car has a timing belt and a serpentine belt. These usually have a schedule that should be followed in order to replace them when they have reached the end of their service life. However, several factors, such as severe driving conditions, can cause those belts to wear out or become damaged before they are due for replacement.  It is therefore prudent for you to ask the person performing scheduled car servicing to check the condition of those belts. That person will notice signs of wear, such as tiny cracks, that you may not be able to identify on your own. You will then be able to replace the damaged belt before it exposes you and other road users to the risk of an accident when the belt fails catastrophically.

6. Lights
It is also important to conduct a thorough inspection of the car lights during car servicing. For instance, do all the indicators on the car dashboard work as they were designed to work? Are all bulbs in the car of the recommended brightness? This inspection is especially important if you periodically perform DIY repairs and maintenance on your car. The service technician will be in position to identify any anomalies that may exist in the lighting system of your car. Do not take this aspect lightly because modern cars now have a huge array of lights that never existed in the older models of cars.

7. Door Latch Lubrication
It is normal for auto service technicians to lubricate the chassis and wheels of your car during routine car servicing. However, lubricating the door latch may be overlooked when you are in a hurry to leave the car service bay. A poorly lubricated door latch can develop several complications, such as squeaking as you open or close the car door. It is therefore helpful for you to ensure that the door latch is lubricated each time you take your car for its scheduled maintenance by a professional.

8. The PCV Valve
Your car engine has a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve that serves several functions. For instance, it prevents excess air from entering the engine. Excess air can cause the engine to sputter and stall. This valve also prevents engine oil from being sucked out of the engine as exhaust gases are expelled from the combustion chamber. Such and important valve needs to be checked frequently so that you are sure that it is functioning at its peak level. Several signs, such as decreased car performance and oil leaks can point to a defective PCV valve. These problems can be prevented if you ask your mechanic to check this valve when you take your car for routine maintenance. He or she will then advise you on the appropriate remedy to take in case the valve is found to have a problem. For example, he or she may ask you to buy a new valve in case cleaning the current one cannot give lasting results.

As you can see, you need to take an active role in the maintenance of your car. Your involvement will enable you to point out the inspections above so that you avoid incurring costly repairs to your car. That thorough car servicing session can only take place if you avail ample time for the technician to attend to the aspects that need infrequent maintenance.