For your vehicle to run the best it can, it needs to have the proper care and maintenance work kept up.  We all know cars are expensive but what can be really expensive is the maintenance bills.  We can easily avoid the cost of taking our car into the shop by taking care of our car on a regular basis.  So what is most important to check on our cars?  Read below to find out what you need to keep up with the most.

Tire inspection – Be sure you check your tires on a regular basis.  Simply look at your tires and look for anything suspicious.  Look for low inflated tires to the tread on your tires.  Tire maintenance can be very costly yet easily avoided.

Check oil level - Checking your oil level is very important.  How do you do this?  It’s very simple.  Look for the dip stick that says “Engine Oil”, and pull it completely out.  Now that you have it pulled out, wipe off the oil completely with a rag.  Once you’ve done that, put it back in the oil.  Now once again you want to pull it back out (this gives you an accurate reading of how full it really is).  Make sure it is at a good amount, the dipstick usually says “full” and has little lines to indicate the right amount.

Oil color – While checking for the oil level, check the oil color as well.  You want to make sure that your oil is a light to medium brown color.  You never want your oil to be darker brown or black.  If it is at this point, be sure to get an oil change soon. 

Coolant check – You want to check your coolant on a regular basis as well.  When you go to do this make sure your vehicle is turned off and is cold.  Most late late models have an overflow tank which is a light colored plastic piece with a rubber tube going into the cap.  These make checking for your coolant level easy as pie.  It should say on the side “MIN” or “MAX”, these determine where your coolant level is at the moment.  If it is low be sure to fill it to the appropriate level.

Fluid check - Although your oil and your coolant are most important, there are a few other fluids that you must look out for on your car.  You want to make sure you keep up with your brake fluid, power steering fluid, and windshield washer fluid.  These are usually always easy to locate due to the writing written on the parts.  Once again make sure they are topped off and at an appropriate level.

Lights – You want to also make sure all your lights are working.  Turn on your headlights and your bright lights to make sure they all turn on.  Walk around the car and make sure you don’t have a dead bulb.  You can get pulled over for having a bad light, which will be way more than the cost of a bulb. Also have someone step on the brakes to make sure that the tail lights work as well.

Although it may seem overwhelming, taking care of your car’s maintenance isn’t as bad as it seems.  Keeping up with these tips listed above can save you a ton of money and a lot of inconvenience in the long run.  To get the best out of your vehicle make sure you start taking care of it today!