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Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.īankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. Our technicians will examine your tires, fluid levels, belts, lights, wipers, battery, and more, and help you check these five things off your car maintenance checklist.We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Whether you’ll be driving across the country or across town this spring, bring your car by your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for a courtesy check. If that doesn't work, a quick bulb replacement should do the trick. Polish hazy headlights with a soft toothbrush, baking soda and water to help them shine bright. Or, your lights might need a good scrubbing! Just like our cars get dirty, so do our headlights and tail lights. You might need glasses if you’ve found yourself squinting while driving in the dark. Deep clean your lights and replace the bulbs, if necessary. Get ahead of the changing seasons (and the bugs that come with it) by topping off your wiper fluid, too. If a simple wiper cleaning doesn't do the trick, then it's time to replace your wiper blades to prepare for spring and summer rainstorms. Perhaps they're smearing water across the windshield, chattering, or just not doing their job. Your wipers are probably looking worse for wear, especially if they spent months clearing away snow and ice. Replace your wiper blades and refill wiper fluid. Grab a penny and perform the penny test! 4. Thankfully, you only need one thing to check tread depth (and it’s not fancy). This could compromise your car's handling in wet weather and your ability to come to a quick stop. Without sufficient tread, your tires can't grip the road as they were designed to do. This is the perfect moment to check tire tread depth, too.
In general, tires lose or gain 1 PSI (pound per square inch) for every 10℉ change in temperature, and both under-inflated and over-inflated tires can cause problems on the road. Why bother checking tire pressure between winter and spring? Because fluctuations in temperature can also cause fluctuations in tire pressure. Your tire pressure should match the recommended tire pressure in your vehicle manual. Check tire pressure and tread.Ĭheck your tire pressure in the morning before hitting the road for the day, and adjust your tires based on that reading. Avoid the inconvenience of a car that won't start by getting your car battery tested and if necessary, replaced, before it’s too late. There's a chance that one hot day could leave your battery DOA. Now, high temperatures are right around the corner, ready to evaporate essential battery fluids and speed up corrosion. Low temperatures forced your battery to work harder by slowing down its chemical reactions. Have your car battery tested and replaced, if necessary.Īfter winter, your car battery might be on its deathbed. Schedule an oil change at the start of spring to help your engine purr all season long.
If it's too old, your motor oil can't do its job and protect your engine. That's why regular oil and filter changes are so important. This is good! What's not so good, however, is that oil becomes less effective as it ages. As motor oil lubricates and cools the engine, it naturally picks up impurities.
Why are oil changes important? Regularly scheduled oil changes help maintain a healthy engine. Wave goodbye to winter and prepare for safe, warm weather driving with this easy spring car maintenance checklist! Your 5-Point Spring Car Maintenance Checklist 1. After a season of cold temperatures, harsh weather, and maybe some road salt, your car needs a little extra care. There’s a reason April is National Car Care Month.