How to Save Money on Car Servicing

Though you cannot predict about the breakdown of your car but you can ensure its proper running by focusing on certain signs of warning, even if you do not have much knowledge of mechanical devices. The tips provided here under can help you in reducing car servicing bill to a considerable level.

Lights
Lights are an integral part of your car as they can cause accidents if not working properly. You should occasionally check the working of all the lights on your car including reverse lights, brake lights, fog lights, headlights, and indicators by walking around it with the help of a friend. You should also check the hazard lights of your car so that you can use them instantly whenever required.

Wipers and windscreen
The second important thing that can reduce your car servicing bill is its windscreen and wipers as they ensure you to drive your car safely by having an unobstructed and clear view of the road. The windscreen can obstruct the view if it is cracked or chipped. Your chipped windscreen will soon get a large crack if not repaired as soon as possible. A damaged car windscreen can also damage the structure of the car by allowing the water to leak in it. Similarly, the wipers of your car can get damaged with time due to consistent exposure to the contaminants and extreme weather conditions. They can also obstruct the view of the road by creating scratches on the windscreen. So you should paste a sticker on the chipped windscreen to avoid enlargement into a bigger crack and replace the wiper blades to avoid serious damages on the windscreen.

Tires
You should regularly check the tread of your tires as they are responsible to hold the road properly while running on it. A tire with at least 1.5mm tread is considered a defect-free tire. If the tread of the tire is less than 1.6mm, if the pattern of the tread matches with the design of wear indicators then you should think of replacing your car tire. Uneven wear on your car tires indicates that there is some fault in the balance or alignment of the wheel. You should also check the air pressure in the tires when they are cold as it changes after a long journey. So to ensure a safe journey you should check the wearing of tires and pressure of air in the tires now and then.

Leaks in fluids
If black stains occur where you park your car regularly then it is a clear sign that some fluids of your car are leaking. These fluids may include the engine oil and other fluids like water discharged by the air conditioning unit of your car. So you need not panic if the stain is due to leakage of clear water but if it is not due to leaking water then you should note the size of stain and color of the fluid so that you can discuss in this regard with your mechanic to amend the problem at first opportunity.

Consumption of fuel
You can also reduce your car servicing bill by checking the consumption of fuel regularly. If you are buying more fuel than ever then there must be something wrong in your car. The consumption of fuel increases either due to dirty fuel injectors, leakage of fuel, worn-out leads, spark plug, distributor or coils, improper timing, incorrect pressure in tires, fuel low in octane, defective oxygen sensor, defect in thermostat, dirty air filter, worn-out valves and rings, incorrect clearance of valves, clogged exhaust, defective sensor or worn out timing belt. You should immediately tell you mechanic in this regard to detect the problem and fix it as soon as possible.

Missing engine
If the engine of your car starts improperly and jerks/skips while accelerating it or shudders when idle then there must be seething wrong in its engine. If you cannot pull the brakes to stop at the signals or find it hard to go up-hills or allow other to overtake you to avoid any untoward situation then your car might be losing power or the engine is missing. It may be due to obstruction in airflow, timing is incorrect, fuel is poor quality, fouled or worn spark plug, faulty ignition, faulty sensors, faulty electrical installation and fault in the transmission of the car. You can avoid further damage to the engine by fixing the problem as and when noticed.