7 Tips to keep your car on the road and away from the auto mechanic

Car repair is a mysterious playground. Most people have no clue about car repair, but with a little maintenance, you can skip those costly repairs. Follow these tips to keep your car out of the shop and your money in your pocket.

    Avoid Hard Starts: No matter where you live, there is traffic. Accept it. How many times have you seen cars race from one light to the next, only to stop at the next light, and repeat the process again? A hard start is taking your car from a stopped position to a "floored" position. Your transmission can not handle the abuse. The best advice is to drive like Grand mom. Have you ever noticed that Grand mom's car is never in the shop? It's because she drives it gently. She doesn't abuse the car by racing from light to light. At least my Grand mom doesn't.

    Brake Earlier: This goes hand in hand with the first point. When approaching a red light, slow down, then stop. Don't wait until the last minute. By applying the brakes hard, it heats up the break pads and rotors. Nothing kills break pads faster than heat! Replacing brake pads may not sound like a big deal, until you have to replace the rotors because of your heavy, wait-till-the-last-minute, foot. The best advice is to brake like Grand mom.

    Warm Up The Car: No matter what climate you live in, you must let the car warm-up. When you turn your key to start your car, oil is pushed around the engine to lubricate the moving parts. This may take a few seconds. Do you remember going down a slide in a park in the summer and having your legs scrape along the surface? People from a block away could hear the squeal. That is what it is like in your engine if you try to make your car go without being warmed-up first. The best advice is to slide like Grand mom. Just seeing if you were paying attention. Let the car warm-up.

    Proper Tire Pressure: How would you have any idea about that? Well on the tire, there are numbers written followed by the letters psi (pounds per square inch). You can obtain a little thermometer shape gauge that will test the psi in your tires. Simply take off the cap and press the gauge onto the nozzle of the tire.  If the reading is below the numbers written on the tire, then add some air. If it is higher, then press the nozzle to let some air out.  The best advice is to check it once a month when you stop for gas.

    Change The Fluids:  The fluids in the car are much more important than you may think.

•                     Antifreeze and Transmission Fluid: Flush the systems, don't just top them off. Your antifreeze becomes acidic over time and damages the motor and a main cause in warping a head gasket, causing internal engine failure. The transmission fluid builds up contaminants and dirt and reduces the effectiveness of the transmission (the thing that makes your car go). Did that scare you enough?

•                     Oil: If you use conventional (non-synthetic) oil it is cheaper and you have to change it every 3000 miles regardless how long or short the time frame is. Synthetic oil should be changed every 7-9000 miles.

•                     Brake Fluid and Power Steering Fluid: Should be flushed and cleaned like the first two on the list. This only should be done every 30,000 miles or so.

•                     For all the fluids in the car, follow your Manufacturer's Scheduled Maintenance handbook.

       Allow The Car To Shift By Itself: The car shifts gears from first to second around 17-20 mph. It shifts from 2nd to 3rd , 30-35 mph, and 3rd to 4th, 50-55 mph. When you are driving and hear the vroom of the engine, see if you can notice the vroom change at the above mph ranges. It is best to ease off the gas, let the car shift, then apply the gas again. This will let the car shift like it is supposed to without banging into the next gear.

       Battery Life: A battery usually lasts 3-4 years. A low battery charge or one that cycles on and off and gets hot, overheats the regulator and damages the alternator. Replacing an alternator can cost $400 or more. It is just better to replace a $30 battery every 3-4 years.

This stuff may sound too technical at first. But with a little thought, and a little maintenance, you can save yourself from constantly being at the repair shop.

I am so grateful that there are people like That's My New Car. Working with them was so satisfying. I would never buy another car from anybody else - Michael Goldberg -