Consequences of Poor Car Maintenance

If you are a car enthusiast and who always loves going out of town with your family and friends then this article is for you. Having a car allows you to go to different places and lets you do your errands quicker. Spending so much time with your vehicle your partner may have even told you that you seem to put more time taking care of your car than her. Familiar scenario?

Any vehicle owner should think that beyond having the ability to use the car to get you to places, it needs proper care so that it can provide you the performance that you expect it to serve you. You see so many people bringing in their pets while strolling in the park, while in the mall, and just practically anywhere. But having a cute pet isn’t everything. It takes a lot of responsibility as well. You need to ensure that you provide its basic needs, too, such as food, water, shelter, and regular vet visits.

And for your car, you also need to take some time off to check if it has gas (of course, otherwise, you can’t even leave your garage, oil, water, tire pressure, and the list could go on.

What Happens When You Neglect Regular Maintenance?

Make it a habit to always check your vehicle most especially if you plan to have a long drive. You can’t always be sure that your vehicle is okay most especially if you use it 7 days a week.

Here is a list of what could happen if you fail to provide proper care to your vehicles:

1.     Empty Tank. If you happen to be driving and suddenly you ran out of gas, these are possible to happen.

a.      The fuel pump may be damaged. As the name implies, it pumps gas to the engine, so that your car moves when you press the gas pedal. Since your fuel pump relies on gas to stay cool and well-lubricated, it can get overworked and eventually cause overheating when the tank is empty.

b.     Braking and steering may be difficult to do. The brakes won’t be necessarily affected. However, the pedal may feel a bit heavier and harder to push. The brakes power depends entirely on the power and uses hydraulics to transfer power from the brake pedal to the brake pads. Therefore, when your engine shuts off, the feature shuts off, too.

c.      Clogged fuel injectors. As you use your car, airborne debris and impurities can accumulate at the bottom of the gas tank. These sediments are filtered by the fuel filter to prevent it from getting into the engine. However, when the fuel level gets dangerously low, these impurities can get pass through fuel lines and eventually clog the fuel injectors. And once that happens, it can damage the engine.

As soon as you have filled up your tank, try switching the engine ON and OFF a few times to prime to fuel up. Priming the fuel pump will release any air that has been trapped in the fuel lines while the tank was empty.

2.     Engine Oil. Before it was advised to have the engine oil changes every three months or if it reaches 5,000 km. However, this may no longer being followed due to the changes in engine design and manufacturing that require better-quality oils. Most of today's’ vehicles are designed to use either a fully synthetic or semi-synthetic blend oil because it lasts longer before the viscosity breaks down. Using these types of oil does not require frequent oil change unless the vehicle is used more than the usual.

Failure to change engine oil may cause internal friction as it loses its lubrication and becomes watery the longer the vehicle is used. This means that it can cause the engine to slowly self-destruct. This is permanent damage that will have a serious effect on the engine’s performance.

3.     Tire Pressure. It is recommended to check tire pressure at least once a month. A good rule of thumb to remember is that your tires lose about one PSI every month after you fill them, so checking every month can help you to ensure that they are always inflated to the proper pressure. It is also to note that the weather may somehow cause the air pressure in tires to either decrease or increase, depending on the weather.

Too much air or too little air can cause the tires to wear unevenly. Uneven tire wear means they'll deteriorate faster and it'll cost more money to maintain them since they'll need to be replaced more often. Tires that are under-inflated are a very serious safety hazard because it causes the tires to overheat, and when a tire overheats it could blow out on the highway.

4.     Brake pads. A worn brake pad can cause the rotor to warp or break. The lack of brake pads also means that the heat from the friction would not disperse correctly, thus could cause the whole braking system to overheat and fail.

Signs that will tell you that it’s time to replace brake pads:

Ø You will hear squeaking noise every time you step on your brakes.

Ø The indicator light turns on.

Ø Vibrating brake pedal.

Ø You hear a deep grinding metal sound.

Ø If it appears less than a ¼ inch thick.

         

To prolong the life of your brake pads, have your tires rotated every six months. This will prevent one particular area of your tires from becoming worn down. Taking the proper steps to ensure your brake pads are still effectively working as well as getting them changed regularly will help you prevent more substantial brake damage.

5.     Spark plugs - A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. Spark plugs that have never been changed can cause problems starting the car, engine misfire, and poor fuel consumption and may eventually lead to serious engine damage.

You can save a lot of money from having to replace car parts even you learn how to take care of your car very well. Such problems can be prevented if we just think about how much we depend on our cars. You don't need to be a genius just to check of your car is in good condition.


 There is always a good place to take your vehicle to have your car checked. To make sure that your vehicles are always in tip-top shape, visit any Fuel King Service Center today.

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