Introduction
Having car insurance is important as it keeps you financially protected in case your car gives rise to third-party liabilities or suffers from unforeseen damage. This may come about from accidents, fire, manmade disasters, theft, or natural calamities. It keeps you protected, even if anything happens to the car!
If you’re a first-time car owner, you can choose either comprehensive car insurance or third-party insurance. Comprehensive car insurance helps to cover any third-party liabilities, your own property damage and provides you with personal accident coverage. Alternatively, third-party insurance will help protect all legal liabilities that may arise from bodily injuries, the death of third parties, or property damage. For example, if you accidentally injure someone with your car, the insurance will help to pay compensation to the victim.
Regardless of the insurance policy that you decide to get, you should compare plans from various motor insurers like https://www.youi.com.au/car-insurance before choosing the best one. In the same vein, we’ve come up with a guide on how to keep your car safe and maintain it well.
Car Maintenance Tips
How well you drive your car determines how safe you, your passengers, and the other road pedestrians are. It’s equally as important to maintain it well and keep it in good condition to prolong its lifespan. No car insurer will take in a poorly maintained or serviced car, and you might face claim rejections in the future on the basis of negligence.
Here are ten of the most fundamental car maintenance tips that every new car owner should practice.
Car User Manual
The manufacturer’s user manual is the holy grail for every car –– you can’t do without it. It contains everything you need to know about your vehicles, such as your car’s safety features, specifications, engine, and qualities. Reading your car’s user manual can help you avoid and solve minor car problems on a daily basis.
Be sure to keep your manual in a safe place because you’ll need it. If you do misplace your car’s user manual, you can always get it from the website of your car’s manufacturer!
Tire Pressure
Car tires are the legs of your vehicle. Any hiccup with your tire and you may be left stranded on the road and potentially put in danger. Hence, it is always important to check your tire’s condition –– this includes the tire pressure and checking its wear and tear.
If the tire pressure has seemed to reduce significantly, you should refill the air immediately to keep it above the recommended limit. This will help to slow down the rate of wear and tear and keep them in tiptop condition. Also, you should check for any cracks or stuck objects time-to-time so that any mishap can be avoided. Additional tire add-ons can be bought with comprehensive car insurance to cover any damages to your car tires. We also recommend keeping a set of spare tires in your garage or your car.
Warning Lights
It is important to identify and familiarize yourself with the warning lights on your dashboard. Warning lights serve to alert you of any important problems occurring inside your car –– such as it running low on fuel, for example. These indicators let you know of problems early on, which helps you to maintain the car in good condition.
We recommend going through the user manual to learn the meaning of these lights and listening to them to avoid any larger problems.
Keep The Car Engine Clean
The engine is the heart of the car, without it, your car cannot function. Besides, repairing or replacing your car engine can be costly, and you don’t want to struggle with a large cost when your engine breaks down. One way to maintain your car engine is to regularly clean the fuel and engine to remove any gunk. Also, you should watch out for any oil leakage as it can damage the car engine severely.
We recommend preparing against unforeseen damages by purchasing add-ons for engine protector covers under comprehensive car insurance. This would reduce the costs of repairs in the event of engine failures!
Car Battery
Similar to the engine, the battery needs to be well maintained for the vehicle to be powered and operate smoothly. Hence, you should clean it frequently to prolong its lifespan. You can learn where to locate and clean it through the user manual! You must first disconnect it from the negative terminal before cleaning out the terminal contacts of the battery. This ensures that the electrical supply is cut off, which prevents any mishap from happening. Use a battery cleaning brush to clean the contacts carefully before reconnecting them to the battery. Remember to connect it using the positive terminal instead of the negative one!
Brake Fluid
The brake fluids in your car are vital for brakes to work well. Without enough brake fluid, the brakes can stop working altogether, which is guaranteed to cause a major mishap on the road. First, you need to check the required amount of brake fluids needed for your car in the user manual. You can also check the color of the fluid to determine if it needs a change –– the darker the fluid, the more it needs a change.
Lubricants And Oil Filter
If the engine is the car’s heart, lubricants are the car’s blood. Without proper lubrication, the car isn’t able to run smoothly and may even break down. The lubricants in the car help absorb heat caused by friction and prevent the car from overheating. However, it needs to be changed and re-filled as it can get contaminated easily.
Subsequently, the oil filter helps to prevent this contamination and keeps the oil running smoothly. Similar to the oil, you’ll need to replace this to get rid of the accumulated dirt and grime caught from the oil.
Spark Plug
The spark plug helps to jog the engine to life. If you have trouble starting your car, it may indicate a faulty spark plug. This is easy to spot, though! If your car only starts after putting the key in ignition several times, if it has uneven acceleration, a significant drop in mileage, or even making unnecessary vibrations and noise whilst being idle, your car may have a faulty spark plug.
Mileage
The more your car travels, the more vulnerable it is to wear and tear. You can regulate your mileage by driving in a consistent speed range, avoiding sudden fluctuations, and not practising rash driving. We recommend not carrying heavy items in your car, as the heavier the load, the more the mileage increases. It is good to go for servicing every few thousand kilometres in mileage to combat the wear and tear problem!
Cabin Air Filter
It is also important to regularly maintain or replace your air filter as it controls the quality of air inside the car. It also helps to cool the car on a blistering day. The last thing you want is to be breathing bad air given how much time you will spend in your car. If your air conditioner is weak or faulty, it is a good indicator that your air filter needs a change.
Conclusion
For the amount of money invested into a new car, you want to take care of it for a very long time. Your car is your companion, and you’ll be spending day-in and day-out with it. It’s your responsibility to maintain and get proper car insurance to keep it safe from major risks and mishaps.
