Most car owners pay attention to car maintenance only when something goes wrong. But this approach can escalate repair costs quickly. Moreover, not taking care of your car can lower its resale value. The solution here is to be aware of the various car maintenance mistakes to avoid; knowing these can help you extend your car’s life and improve its reliability and performance. Here are a few common mistakes you need to take care of.

Skipping the car wash
Whether or not you take out your car for a drive frequently, you must take it to the car wash regularly. Even if your car is parked in the garage most of the time, dust is likely to accumulate all over the place, possibly damaging your car’s exterior surface. If you drive your car regularly, it faces rain, sun, pollution, mud, and even chemicals that can cause lasting damage, such as peeling and rusting your car’s paint or ruining the undercarriage. So don’t commit the mistake of skipping the weekly or monthly car wash.

Not cleaning the car interiors
It’s not just enough to keep the exterior of your car clean. Proper car maintenance involves taking care of the interiors of the car too. Moisture, grit, dust, crumbs, food particles, and debris can collect in the insides, causing damage over the long run. So, the seats, dashboard, floorboards, interactive system, console, seat belts, and every other part of the insides of your car must be cleaned. Additionally, don’t make the mistake of forgetting to vacuum the inside of your car. Wipe down everything from seat belts to dashboard with mild antibacterial liquid and soft cloth, wash and dry the floor mats, and take care of any stains and spills immediately.

Not checking the tire pressure
It’s a mistake to check the air pressure in the tire only when it appears to be slightly deflated. This is because sometimes the tires may look well-inflated from the outside, but are low on air on the inside. You can know this only when you get the tires checked. Although the slightly low pressure won’t blow out the tires, it can cause poor fuel efficiency for your car. Also, there is always the risk of the air pressure dropping suddenly if you hit a ditch or a pothole on the road. So make sure you get the tire pressure of your car checked regularly by a professional.

Trying to service your car on your own
If you have experience in working with cars, then you don’t have to worry about servicing your car on your own. However, if you don’t have the expertise, you run the risk of causing unintentional damage to your car. Although you may want to save a few dollars, you will end up playing more if something goes wrong. Therefore, it is always recommended to go to professionals to service your car. They have the necessary expertise as well as all the diagnostic equipment and tools to repair the vehicle.

Not changing the engine oil
Check your car’s user manual to know how frequently you will need to change the engine oil. In general, most of cars require oil changes after every 7000 miles. However, this will differ based on your car’s type, i.e., whether it is a hatchback, sedan, SUV, crossover, coupe, or convertible. So make sure you know when it’s due for your car to get the oil changed. Most people commit the mistake of delaying this maintenance activity, resulting in long-lasting damage to the engine, which invariably affects the performance of the car.

Ignoring the check engine light
Another common car maintenance mistake to avoid is ignoring the check engine light when it has been on for weeks or months. Not getting your car’s engine checked when the check engine light is on defeats the purpose of having the light on your dashboard. The check engine light is there to indicate that there is some issue with the engine. However, in most cases, the car continues to run even with the light on. So most people probably end up ignoring it. But this doesn’t mean that your car won’t break down suddenly. So instead of having your car break down in the middle of nowhere and paying a lot of money out of your pocket, get the engine checked whenever the light turns on without any delay.