Don't forget preventative car maintenance

Regular preventative maintenance is one of the easiest ways to extend the life of your vehicle and potentially save you money on repairs in the long run. Here’s a vehicle maintenance checklist with tips that can apply to any car maintenance routine.

Read your owner’s manual.

Naturally, the first thing most people want to do after they get a new car is drive it. Only a few people take the time to actually read and understand their owner’s manual. But reading your vehicle’s manual is the only way to fully understand how a car or truck best functions.

Perform your own preventative maintenance check.

Like a check-up at the doctor’s office, you’ll want to perform car maintenance checks periodically to make sure everything’s in working order. Some things you’ll want to examine are the air pressure in your tires every month, your car fluid levels, timing belts and serpentine belts. If belts look worn out, replace them. If these belts fail while you’re driving, it could cause damage to your vehicle’s engine. Refer to your owner’s manual for details.

Change your oil regularly.

If you don’t change your vehicle’s oil and filter regularly, the filter will clog and the dirty oil will by-pass the oil filter and circulate through your engine. Over the long term, the additives in your oil that help keep the engine friction-free and rust-free will wear out and cease to be effective. Check your owner’s manual for a recommendation on how frequently you should change your oil. When you get an oil change, use a high-performing synthetic oil, such as Cenex^® Maxtron^® PCMO to help take your vehicle that extra mile and improve fuel economy.

Get your tires balanced, rotated and aligned.

Refer to your manual to learn how often you need to balance and rotate your tires. This will help your tires wear evenly and your vehicle drive smoothly.

Every vehicle needs preventative maintenance, and most of these things you can do yourself. If you don’t have your owner’s manual, you can usually find it the manufacturer’s website.

TIPS FOR PREVENTATIVE CAR MAINTENANCE