Maintenance checklist for keeping your car in top shape

AAR Auto offers a maintenance guide for taking care of vital components on your car, where often general care and simple maintenance can prevent a wide range of service problems.

Air Filter
Replace the air filter each year or at any sign of unusual wear or excessive contamination.

Battery
Secure battery positioning is important, make sure that the battery still resides in its intended location, and that the connection for the cables are clean and tight. Corrosion can sometimes grow in and around the connection and can be wiped away with a damp rag (make sure the car is off, the cables are not connected and dispose of the rag after use). If a battery is older than three years it should be tested for minimum performance requirements. A weak battery will often show itself when the car is stared on the first cold night, not the ideal conditions for car trouble.

Brakes
Every year you need to have your brake lines, rotors and drums, to ensure even wear and to track pads and rotor lifespans.

Chassis Lubrication
New cars most often do not require routine chassis lubrication, but many model years do, the car’s owners manual will offer suggestions on how best to handle this. Steering and suspension parts also require lubrication.

Coolant / Antifreeze
Always inspect the fluid level when the car’s engine is cool. If the level is low, add a mixture consisting of half distilled water and half antifreeze, the type as indicated by the model’s owners manual. Should be replaced annually.

Exhaust Systems
Avoid problems and damage with a routine inspection of the exhaust hangers, often a target of objects on the road and subject to corrosion. Leaks, damage and broken supports can all contribute to possible dangerous results if not treated early.

Fuel Filter
Each time an oil change is performed, the fuel filter requires inspection, replacing if contaminated with water and each year regardless for cars with carburetors and every two years for fuel injected cars.

Steering and Suspension
This part of the system utilizes a great many parts and include items that wear out while playing an important role in this vital system. Inspecting shock absorbers, struts, ball joints, tie rod ends and other important parts is a must and highly recommended every twelve months. One symptom of a suspension problem is uneven tire wear, and if the car bounces more than it should after hitting uneven road surfaces.

Tire Care
It is recommended that at least once each month the tire pressures are checked, which includes the spare tire if your vehicle carries one. It is shown that operating a vehicle with just one under-inflated tire can reduce the lifespan of the tire by 15,000 kilometres and increase fuel consumption for 4%. Checking the pressure is a good time to inspect the tread wear for any unevenness, and for any tears, rips, cuts, and scrapes and replace if necessary.

Transmission Fluid
Inspect transmission fluid level while the vehicle is running and the car is in park. If the fluid level is low, simple top up with the required fluid, available in the owners manual. The fluid should be replaced every two years or 14,000 kilometres.