Spring requires some special maintenance for vehicles to ensure any wintertime wear and tear are dealt with and to be certain a vehicle is prepared for running in hotter temperatures. Having a vehicle ready for summer running means doing some critical spring time car care maintenance.
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Potholes Pose Perils
In many parts of the nation, winter and spring reveal potholes in the roads, and those potholes can be very hard on cars. Striking a pothole can knock a vehicle out of alignment, break parts and damage tires. Having the alignment checked and adjusted if necessary can help ensure vehicles drive straight and don’t cause unnecessary wear and tear on tires and front-end parts.
Road Salt and Dust Clog Brake Parts
Because of snow melt and road spray, winter driving in many regions means a lot of dirt, salt and dust that get tossed around underneath vehicles that can wind up clogging brake parts and making them work less than perfectly. Ensuring brake calipers and other parts are working properly and are in good condition will ensure a vehicles won’t have brake problems during the heat of the summer. If you need extra assistance, consider having a company like Reliable Mechanical Services Inc or a mechanic near you take a look.
Belts and Hoses
Ensuring all belts and hoses are in good running condition and will last through the summer and beyond helps keep vehicles in top shape. A failed belt or hose could cause a vehicle to overheat or a charging system not to fail until the vehicle loses power and stalls. Belts and hoses need to be checked for cracks and hard spots and replaced if any are found. Even if a belt or hose looks pristine, if it is more than five years old, it should be replaced. Belts are a cheap repair, but potentially a major avoided headache as well.
Check Air Conditioning
While it might seem obvious, checking the air conditioning system can ensure a vehicle will remain comfortable when the thermometer rises above 90 degrees outside. The earlier an air conditioning system is checked by professionals, the quicker and cheaper it is to do. Waiting until something goes wrong during a hot summer day means dealing with air conditioning repair specialists at a time when their businesses typically are their busiest and costliest to utilize.
Clean Interior and Exterior
Salt can not only damage the undercarriage of a car: it can damage paint, windows and interior surfaces. To avoid this, give your car a serious cleaning after the snow, and thus salt, has abated. Clean then wax the paint, shampoo your carpets, clean the channels of windows and consider using a silicone spray that protects against dirt and lubricates window surfaces.
Checking the battery and electrical components also can help with spring maintenance to ensure a vehicle is ready for summer use. When the proper maintenance items are dealt with during the spring, those items that suffer special wear during the winter are serviced and systems critical to summer driving work well.