This is one of the more broad topics that most people find intuitive. The world has become so hyper-specialized that people rely on professionals for just about every item they own.
Long gone are the days that you could take a car apart and put it back together on a Saturday afternoon. The technology has become too complicated for that anymore.
Consequently, many people ditch the idea of doing their own maintenance for the help of a more experienced professional. For those that want to do everything themselves though, this is a good list to help you make the decision to seek the professional help of someone that does this work every day.
First up is the transmission fluid and filter. As easy as this may seem, you want to get a professional to help make sure everything goes right.
The transmission fluid is the hydraulic system that helps an automatic transmission work the way it’s supposed to. This fluid and its respective filter should be changed every 15,000 to 18,000 miles (every year or year and a half for most drivers).
Second is to come in for a tune up. A tune up can find and fix a bad spark plug.
When a spark plug goes foul, your engine can’t work at its maximum efficiency. In fact, it can hurt your efficiency by up to 30 percent.
A regular tune up will catch those every time. With the help of the mechanic, they will become a non-issue throughout the life of your vehicle.
Third is the suspension system. Have it checked out pretty regularly as well.
Along with creating a comfortable and smooth ride for passengers, a good suspension system equates to better control for the driver. Not only does the car feel better, but it responds better to you in rough situations.
Ask your mechanic to check out the suspension to see if he notices any irregularities. He’ll let you know where you need to go from there.
Fourth, be sure to ask your mechanic to also replace the fuel filter every 10,000 miles or so. The fuel filter prevents rust, dirt, and other impurities from finding their way into your fuel.
The less pure your fuel, the less gas mileage you get. Impurities also have a nasty habit of slowly ruining everything they touch.
When they get into your engine, they make it worse too. Hence, the oil and fuel filters are designed to stop them from getting into these highly important areas.
Like the air filter though, they can only work for so long before they become too dirty to function properly. The fuel filter needs to be replaced about once a year to ensure your fuel runs clean to the engine.
Certain things you can take care of at home. Sometimes you just have to concede to the better equipment and knowledge that comes from the professionals.