Car owners in Fullerton know that if you want your car to last, you need to take care of it. Sadly, when we asked of those same Fullerton driver what they need to do to make their cars last longer, their answers were missing some details. For instance, the most common answer was get your oil changed, but with a follow up question of regarding how often you should get your oil changed was all over the board. And that was pretty much the same when asked about their belts and hoses, batteries, engine and coolant fluid, windshield wipers, and so on.
So to help clear up some of the misinformation out there and help you keep your vehicle running as long as possible, here are a some fact from your friends at family owned Orozco’s Auto Service.
Get Regular Oil Changes
Forgetting to get your vehicle’s oil changed is one of the worst and possibly most costly tasks to ignore. It’s better to spend some money now and get the oil changed than to put it off and risk seizing your engine. If you use Standard oil it should be changed every 3,000 miles or 6 months and synthetic oil is every 6,000 miles or 18 months.
Maintenance Tip: Always consult your owners manual for the manufacturers recommendations on changing your oil.
Keep Your Battery & Battery Terminals Clean
If neglected your batteries terminals can begin to show signs of corrosion, this shows as a white powdery substance on the battery terminals. If you don’t keep them clean, your battery can start to malfunction, and possibly leave you stranded. Today like everything else car batteries can be pretty expensive and the luxury brand cars are really expensive. Investing in a wire brush and keeping the terminals clean is time and money well spent.
Maintenance Tip: Visit Orozco’s Auto Service for a battery check every 6 months.
Air Filter Replacement
Your car’s air filters (one in the engine compartment and another (cabin filter) that is generally behind the glove box helps keep pollutants and dust from entering your engine and in through the vents. The air filters have a very important job, so you want to keep them maintained. Additionally, using an old air filter past its life can lead to some major problems for your AC system. Something nobody want to deal with when it’s completely preventable.
Maintenance Tip: You should get your air filters inspected regularly and changed every 12 months or 12,000 mile, sometimes more often in a dry dusty climate.
Windshield Wipers Replacement
The cost of new windshield wipers can vary and that is usually relative to the speed in which they can wear our. With the hot Fullerton sun this may happen sooner than other regions, meaning you you check your wipers more regularly. We recommend checking your wipers at least twice a year so you’re not caught in a sudden rain, be it a summer downpour or a winter storm. Obviously, a dirty windshield or worn out wipers can significantly hamper your view that not only endangers you and your passengers but also the people around you.
Maintenance Tip: Use your windshield wiper’s window cleaning function regularly to stay up-to-date on your windshield wipers effectives.
Get Your Tires Rotated
You can extend the life of your tires by getting them rotated regularly? All four tires on your car do not wear down at the same rate and switching them around will help them to wear more evenly. The front or back set of tires can wear down at different rates depending on your vehicle, your speed and roads conditions. Maintaining to rotate your tires can extend their life and keep you and you family safe longer.
Maintenance Tip: Rotate your tires every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or per your manufacturers recommendations.
Suspension System Inspection
Your suspension system is a very intricate part of your vehicle that most people take for granted. Most of us never even think about it until it stops working and leaving you stranded. One of the key elements of your vehicle’s suspension is the shocks and struts, these help maintain a smooth ride, and ignoring this issue can help to prematurely wear out your tires not to mention causing a very bumpy ride.
Maintenance Tip: Have your full suspension system checked every 15,000 to 30,000 miles.
Check Your Coolant Level
A very important element of your vehicles cooling system is the coolant and should always be maintained at a full level. If your coolant gets to low your vehicle can overheat and do some serious damage to your engine. Your coolant affects so many elements of you car from air conditioner to the heater, radiator and water pump and more. Something that impacts that much of your car’s overall health should never be neglected.
Maintenance Tip: Regularly check your coolant level whenever you get gas or are preparing for a long trip.
Check Your Spare Tire
The last thing anyone wants to find while you’re digging out the jack is a flat spare tire. That’s when you’ll need to call a tow truck—which not only can take several hours out of your day or night, it can also cost you a lot of money depending on where your vehicle brakes down.
Maintenance Tip: Check your tires air pressure, including the spare at least once a month. Maintaining the appropriate air pressure will also help you save gas.
Belts and Hoses
Perform a visual inspection on your belts and hoses at least once a year. Worn-down belts and hoses can cause other damage to essential components of your engine including your cooling system, heater, air conditioner and more. And for those hard to get to belts and hoses feel free to stop by any Orozco’s Auto Service and we will be happy to inspect them.
Maintenance Tip: Follow your vehicles manufacturer’s recommendations for replacing your timing belt and serpentine belt. These are both critical to your engines health and a failure of these components can lead to critical failure in your engine.
At Orozco’s Auto Service of Fullerton we are happy to help you with any of the above mentioned maintenance and would be happy to work with you on establishing a regular maintenance schedule for your vehicle.
Orozco’s Auto Service Fullerton – Orange County, CA
1018 W. Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92833, USA
Call Today: 714-525-3239 – Auto | Fleet | Diesel | Service, Maintenance and Repair
Orozco’s Auto Service has five convenient locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!
