10 common mistakes when maintaining cars today

Regular car maintenance is no longer an unfamiliar task to help the car operate stably, durably and ensure safety. However, nowadays many car owners have made mistakes when maintaining their cars, leading to unnecessary consequences.

No need to worry, the content I have compiled below will help you grasp and avoid the mistakes that users often encounter when maintaining their vehicles.

In this article, I will show you the benefits of regular car maintenance and 10 car maintenance mistakes to avoid to avoid wasting money and ensure the best vehicle performance.

firstThe benefits of regular car maintenance

Periodic car maintenance is the routine inspection, repair, and replacement of spare parts, fuel, lubricants, etc. for cars according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Regular car maintenance is essential to prevent and early detect damage along with many other benefits such as:

Ensure safety

Cars will make a lot of sounds at parts or joints due to oil dryness or damage if not regularly checked and maintained, causing discomfort for people sitting in the car.

When a car is periodically maintained, its parts will be checked, repaired or replaced promptly, helping the vehicle operate stably and safely. This helps car owners be more confident when driving and reduces the risk of traffic accidents.

In addition, doing it properly and avoiding mistakes when maintaining your car also contributes to limiting errors such as cracked or broken tires, brakes not working while moving, leading to unsafe emergency situations. .

Increase vehicle lifespan

Factors such as the road, weather, temperature fluctuations, etc. will directly affect the details and operating systems of the vehicle. Lubricants or greases can change due to environmental influences. Furthermore, operating the car for a long time will cause the joints to become more and more worn, the brakes will decrease, etc. Regular car maintenance will help the car operate durably and prolong its life.

Save repair costs

Correct compliance with the regular car maintenance schedule helps detect and fix small damages early, prevent major damages, and help save on repair costs and replacement of new components.

Limit environmental pollution

Regular car maintenance helps the car operate stably in the best conditions, maximize fuel economy, and minimize harmful emissions into the environment.

See more: 4 car parts need periodic inspection and maintenance

Top 10 mistakes when maintaining cars

Regular car maintenance is important to ensure the car operates well and safely. However, there are some mistakes when maintaining cars that car owners often make that can lead to unwanted consequences such as:

Improper cleaning of the engine compartment

Cleaning dirt, caring for and maintaining the engine compartment will help the engine work effectively and maintain stable performance. If done properly, it will also significantly increase the vehicle’s lifespan.

However, on the contrary, when the car owner does not clean the engine compartment properly, such as using a high-pressure spray hose to directly wash the components, it will cause damage and fire. Absolutely do not use dishwashing liquid or soap or strong cleaning solutions to clean the car as it will reduce its lifespan and performance.

Drain the coolant too often

Cool water helps reduce engine heat, ensuring the cooling system operates stably, limiting heat overload leading to the risk of fire and explosion. However, regularly draining coolant is a mistake when maintaining your car. This is not necessary, it can easily cause damage to the truck and air gets trapped in the system if not done properly and according to the procedure. The recommended recommended time is about every 5 years (no limit on travel distance).

In addition, when changing cool water, car owners should not use plain water, tap water, mineral water or bottled water,… as this will easily cause sedimentation, rust, and negatively affect the structure and operation of the system.

Car tire inflation is too high

Tires have the role of absorbing shock from the road surface, absorbing shock and changing steering direction when moving. Tire pressure affects performance. Many drivers have the habit of over-inflating their tires, which reduces friction between the vehicle and the road surface, and poor grip when braking suddenly, causing skidding, making it unsafe for the driver. In addition, if the tire is too inflated, a tire explosion can occur if the exposed road surface temperature increases due to hot weather.

Therefore, when inflating tires, car owners should be careful not to over-inflate and not under-inflate, but must follow the instructions and recommendations from the manufacturer. You can use a tire pressure gauge to accurately measure the applied pressure.

Common mistakes when maintaining cars periodically

Change the oil as soon as the car runs 3000 – 5000km

Lubricant will seal the gap inside the engine, dissipate heat and prevent piston burn when the vehicle moves. After a period of operation, the car needs to be replaced with new oil to operate better. Regular oil change time depends on the vehicle model, year of birth, vehicle age, operating conditions and usage habits,…

Currently, most car manufacturers recommend changing the oil when the vehicle has traveled about 12,000km or more and if this milestone has not been reached, a new oil change is not necessary. Many car owners have the habit of changing oil every 3000 – 5000km, which is only reasonable in the following cases:

• If you are using a classic car, you cannot use synthetic or semi-synthetic oil.
• Vehicles must often travel on bad, rough, steep, sandy or wet roads…
• Vehicles often have to run and stop continuously, even in the city.
• The driver often accelerates immediately and brakes suddenly.

Improper battery reconditioning

After a period of use, the battery is depleted of power or has no power. Many car owners often make the mistake of maintaining their cars by restoring the battery by connecting it at home. This is quite dangerous because the battery is an electrical device that can easily cause fire and explosion, which is dangerous for both yourself and the vehicle. Therefore, drivers need to bring the part to a maintenance center to be inspected or replaced by staff.

Using high-octane gasoline increases performance

If this view is correct, many people will be willing to use premium gasoline. In fact, most high-compression engines prefer to run on high-octane gasoline, but it can still operate at maximum efficiency on regular gasoline.

Many advertising campaigns have actively promoted the use of premium gasoline, but in reality there are no significant performance benefits from using this fuel. Each vehicle will have a certain octane rating recommendation, and as long as owners follow that, they will enjoy the best performance out of their vehicle. Therefore, the notion that you must use high-octane gasoline is a mistake when maintaining cars, causing certain costs.

Warm up the engine

With older cars that have inefficient carburetors and cooling systems, you need to warm up the engine, especially on a cold morning. But now any modern car has EFI (electronic fuel injection) and much more effective cooling systems to warm up the engine on the move. Therefore you don’t need to do this anymore.

Not understanding the principles of changing brake fluid

Car owners should change the oil when the car has been operated for about 40,000km or more and after about 2 – 3 years. Note that this is only the manufacturer’s recommendation and should be followed after purchasing a new car. After this period of time, you need to rely on the vehicle’s performance to change the oil promptly.

When changing car oil, car owners should not use the correct recommended type of oil and should not let brake fluid come into contact with the vehicle’s tires. In addition, car owners should not wait until the brake fluid drops below the minimum level on the oil tank before adding it.

Careless lubrication when maintaining car brakes

When disassembling parts of the vehicle’s brake system, before installation, you need to apply specialized brake oil to ensure the system operates effectively. On vehicle axles, drivers should use rotating bearing lubricant. Although oil lubrication is simple, it is extremely important, requiring meticulousness and accuracy to every detail. Because if the vehicle axle leaks or lubricating oil sticks to the friction surface of the brake pads, the entire vehicle braking system will be at risk of stopping working.

Not checking the fluid level regularly

You need to check all fluid levels and tire pressures once a week. Also check all belts and tire wear once a month even if your car just had regular maintenance not long ago.

Hopefully the above useful information will help car owners understand mistakes when maintaining cars that need to be avoided to save costs, improve driving safety as well as the longevity of the vehicle. 

See more at: Car Care Vip