A comprehensive car maintenance checklist

Your car is most expensive property next to your house, so it's one's duty to do more than just regular maintenance and checkups. Your car needs some extra care because according to a survey most car accidents take place because of improper car care. Here are some tips to take good care of your car.

1. Clean windshield. A dirty, bug-splattered windshield is a safety hazard, as it obscures your view of the road. So give it a regular cleaning.

2. Check tire pressure. Maintaining proper tire pressure will keep you safe. Improperly inflated tires — and this may mean over-inflated or under-inflated — don’t handle or stop as well as tires with the correct pressure. Plus, tires with the correct pressure have a longer life and increase your fuel efficiency.

3. Check oil level and top off as needed. Motor oil is essential to your car’s performance. Its most important job is to lubricate all the moving parts in your engine, so they don’t grind and tear themselves into dysfunction. To ensure your car always has enough oil, it’s important to get in the habit of regularly checking it.

4. Before driving watch for warning lights, note performance changes and listen to your car - any changes or unusual noises are worth having checked before a more serious fault develops.

5. While taking your car for servicing or for repair, never tell a mechanic how much you're willing to spend on the car. Arrive at a figure and tell the garage to call you if it exceeds that amount. Also, never tell the mechanic that he can have the car for as long as he wants.

6. For your own safety, it's important to check your brake pads or shoes. These can deteriorate due to being clamped against the disc or pushed against the drum when the brakes are applied. Also check for fluid leaks caused by damaged brake pipes or worn seals which could result in brake failure.

7. Air filters are inexpensive, but when they get dirty they can seriously reduce your fuel economy and result in a fine for failing a roadside emissions test. Dirty air filters should be removed as soon as possible.

8. Buy Petrol or Diesel at the reputed Fuel Station only. You can ask for the purity meter in case you find any doubt in fuels purity. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

9. Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.

10. To keep your car’s air-conditioning system fit for the next summers run it a few times throughout the winter. This will prevent moving parts in the compressor from seizing. Also, circulating the refrigerant will help keep the seals soft and pliant.