Proper car maintenance doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, nor does it have to cost a lot of money. If you own a car, you need to learn a few things about it. Spending a little bit of time before you turn the key in the ignition could prove to be very important in the long run. Most people don’t even check the fluid levels in their cars before they start them up and take them to work. However, simply checking the fluid levels in your car isn’t enough to keep it running smoothly. You have to make sure that you take it out for an auto service from time to time as well. Most people associate the car service with cleaning the vehicle and while that is mostly true, a car service is also necessary for a variety of other things. For people who have only just bought their first vehicles, here are a few things that you should know about maintenance.
Going for a Service
You should take your car out for an auto service at least once in every three to four months or after every 5,000 kilometres, whichever comes first. When you take your car out for a service to a local garage or any service station, tell them to do a full checkup. The service will start off with the exterior cleaning, which includes using a special car shampoo so as not to damage the paint on the vehicle. Once that is done, the car will be cleaned thoroughly from the underside as well and oil or diesel will be sprayed on the vehicle to minimise the chances of rust on the panels on the underside. A thorough car service in Cheltenham doesn’t even cost a lot of money.
After the car has been properly cleaned from the outside, the service technicians will remove the carpets and clean out the interior of your car. After the interior cleaning is done, the service technicians will check the fluid levels in your vehicle to determine whether oil and coolant levels in your vehicle are up to the mark or not. If you choose a full service, the company will also use an OBDII scanner in order to look for error codes and carry out a basic diagnosis to determine any obvious faults in your car. This is generally a good idea to do at least once in every six months and will allow you to figure out any problems with your vehicle before they grow into major issues.
Finding a Local Service Station
Finding a local service station in your vicinity isn’t going to be a problem. All you need to do is to run a simple search on the web about local service stations to find one situated close to your place. Most search engines now provide complete details over the web so if you have any questions about the pricing or the features included in a full service, you can just call the company or visit their website to find out what you need to know.