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发帖数: 1 | 1 Care and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition
We’ve compiled our best expert advice, surprising tricks, and car care tips
to prolong the life of your automobile!
1. Be patient during the break-in period
You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as
possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it
out of the dealer’s lot:
During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep
your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s
manufacturer.
Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading
the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice
for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure
generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000
for the first few hours of driving.
2. Drive with care everyday
Being car considerate shouldn’t stop after the break-in. Drive with care
every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair.
Do not race your car’s engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add
years of wear to your engine, especially if it’s cold outside.
Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and
drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.
The engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete
fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and
ultimately damaged components.
Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to
neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the
car even while it’s stopped.
Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it’s
very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more
frequent repairs.
Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed
limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on
the road. Don’t run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when
parking. And, of course, don’t burn rubber.
When turning your steering wheel, don’t hold it in an extreme right or left
position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-
steering pump.
Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear — as well
as the pollution your car generates — takes place in the first few minutes
of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if
possible, will keep your engine happier longer.
3. Buy gas at reputable service stations
Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a
policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and
dance, find another gas station. Some stations don’t have pump filters,
making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix
alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product. Find a
station you trust and stick to it.
4. Don’t fill up if you see the tanker
If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas
station, come back another day or go to a different station. As the station
’s underground tanks are being filled, the turbulence can stir up sediment.
Sediment in your gas can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors, causing poor
performance and possibly necessitating repairs.
5. Go easy when you’re stuck
When stuck in mud or snow, don’t make the problem worse by damaging an
expensive component. Gently rocking in an attempt to free the car is fine.
But if it looks as though you’re really stuck, don’t keep at it. Throwing
your car from forward to reverse repeatedly, as well as spinning tires at
high speeds, can generate lots of heat and spell trouble for transmissions,
clutches, and differentials. It may be cheaper in the long run to call the
tow truck rather than risk big repair bills down the road. It’s a good idea
to carry a traction aid in the trunk, such as sand, gravel, or cat litter.
6. Lighten up your key chain
Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a
pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.The
weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers
inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.To add
years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain
that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with
only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when
you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is
about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.
7. Choose a good car insurer
Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, disaster inevitably strikes —
typically in the form of an accident. Make sure that your car will be
repaired to the best possible standard by finding an insurer that will pay
for parts from the original manufacturer and guarantee the repairs it
authorizes.
8. Keep an auto log
Keep a pad and pencil in the glove compartment and use them to record your
gas fill-ups and mileage. If you notice that your gas mileage worsens,
mention it to your service man. It may be an early warning sign that
something is wrong with your car.
9. Preserve your car during long-term storage
If you are not going to use your car for more than a month, store it
properly to prevent unnecessary damage and repairs upon your return.
Fill the gas tank to help prevent condensation from accumulating in the gas
tank. Add a fuel stabilizer and drive the car around a bit to distribute the
additive to engine parts.
Wash and wax the car thoroughly to protect the finish.
Place a vapor barrier on your garage floor. A 4-mil polyethylene drop cloth
will do.
Disengage the parking brake to help avoid brake corrosion.
Put the car on jack stands to take the weight of the vehicle off the wheels
and tires.
Disconnect and remove the battery to keep it from draining. Place the
battery on a trickletype charger. Or periodically drain the battery, using a
small light bulb, and then recharge it with a low-volt charger.
Plug the tailpipe with a rag to prevent moist air from infiltrating into it.
Car Interior
10. Park in the shade
Of course, a garage is always the ideal place to park your car. But if one
isn’t available, minimize interior damage from UV sunlight and heat by
always trying to park your car in the shade. If no shade is available or if
you find parking under a tree results in bird droppings, use a car shade to
minimize the sun’s impact. As a bonus, you’ll have a cooler car to step
into on hot sunny days. Car shades come in two basic types: those that you
unfold and place on the front windshield and rear window, or pleated types
that attach to the windshield posts (with adhesive), window frames (with
Velcro), or the windows themselves (with suction cups).
11. Clean the inside, too
Vacuum and sponge your interior every time you wash your car. Dirt particles
are abrasive, and spilled liquids, such as soda, can be corrosive.Vacuum
your interior thoroughly with a powerful vacuum (small cordless models are
generally too weak). Use the appropriate wand heads when vacuuming. The bare
metal wand can mar and scratch surfaces. Sponge vinyl surfaces clean with a
solution of mild detergent and water.
12. Clean dash gauges carefully
Use a soft damp cloth to lightly wipe dust from the clear plastic lenses on
your dashboard. Too much pressure will scratch them. Too many scratches can
make it difficult to read your gauges under certain lighting conditions.
13. Let floor mats take winter’s beating
Use floor mats to protect carpeting. The best type for controlling salt,
slush, and mud in winter are rubber wafflestyle mats. They stay in place,
don’t allow the water to seep through, and are easy to wash clean. Carpet-
style mats are helpful, too. Shake, vacuum, or wash as needed; replace them
as they wear through.
14. Blast mats with the hose
When washing your car, drag out the rubber or carpet floor mats and blast
them with the hose.This will dislodge dirt particles that, if allowed to
build up, will grind holes in your mats. Let the mats dry thoroughly in the
sun before reinstalling them.
15. For stubborn carpet or mat stains
After vacuuming floor mats or interior carpeting, apply foam rug cleaner to
resistant stains as directed by the maker. Work the foam into a few square
feet at a time, using a wet sponge or brush. Vacuum when dry.
16. Preserve door and window seals
Wipe a rubber protectant (such as Armor-All) or silicone on door and window
weatherstripping to keep it in good condition. Don’t use an oilbased
product, such as WD-40, because the oil will damage the rubber. Regular
cleaning and treatment of your car’s weatherstripping will also lessen the
likelihood of your door sticking to its rubber seal in cold weather, a
common cause of damage to the rubber.
17. Fix bad weatherstripping immediately
If your weatherstripping is letting rainwater leak into the interior of your
car, take a look at it and decide if you can repair it or if it needs to be
replaced. Small leaks can be handled with brush-on seam sealers. Resecure
loose sections, not otherwise damaged, with trim adhesive. Torn sections may
be repaired with special caulking available at auto parts stores. You may
also be able to extend the life of worn-but-intact sections by inserting
foam rods, available at automotive stores, into the hollow section of the
weatherstripping. If you decide to replace entire sections of gasket, don’t
simply buy generic stuff such as you’d use around the house. Buy a product
that matches your car’s original weatherstripping — it’s available in a
wide variety of profiles from dealerships and automotive mail-order
catalogues.
18. Keep leather from drying out and cracking
Leather cars seats are durable and don’t require a lot of maintenance.
After a few years, however, the seats can become soiled. Use a leather
cleaner to remove dirt and stains.Then apply a leather protectant formulated
for pigmented or top-coated grain leather (the leather used for most
leather car upholstery). Protectants will resist stains and make the
upholstery easier to clean in the future. Choose a protectant that includes
conditioners to keep your leather supple.
19. Use upholstery cleaners on soiled seats
The same upholstery cleaners you use at home can be used on your car’s
upholstery. Use them sparingly, however, to avoid saturating the fabric. Use
a clean cloth to wipe away the foam. On velour seats, brush the fibers
gently to avoid matting them and to preserve the original texture of the
fabric.
to be continued...http://www.carshen.com/carshennews/112/readnews/ | F********r
发帖数: 1748 | 2 All make sense but hard to keep up all the time. |
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