Everyone who owns a car knows that sometimes they just stop running. There can be many reasons for this, but most of the time it is due to lack of timely maintenance.

Like any machine, a car undergoes natural wear and tear and hence maintenance is always a must. It is also a great way to extend the life of a car. Some of the routine maintenance can usually be handled by yourself. If you are not aware about the know-how of car maintenance, read on for some basic instructions.

• Refer to the owner’s manual: Every car has an owner’s manual. If you do not have one, you can find an electronic version online. If you can’t find it online, your dealer should have one handy. Go to the maintenance schedule section in the manual. Check out how often maintenance items such as the engine oil and filter, belts and hoses, tire rotation, and so on should be examined and follow it religiously.
• Get your oil and oil filter changed: Oil is a lubricant that serves as your engine’s blood. It helps keep main engine parts from grinding against each other causing damage to the engine. Over time, the engine oil gets contaminated, thus affecting its lubricating properties and causing friction.
• Check your tires every month: The tires help the car to move smoothly. In order to make sure they work fine; they need to be inflated properly. Although you may know how to inflate your tires, you may not know about the right air pressure. In order for the tire to function properly, the air pressure should not be too less or too much. That information can be found in the owner’s manual. When checking the pressure, do not forget to do the same with the spare tire as well. The ideal air pressure varies with the weather as well.
• Check all other fluids: The engine oil isn’t the only fluid that needs maintenance. Besides that, the car has brake and transmission fluids, washer fluids and coolant. The transmission fluids can be checked with a dipstick. The washer fluid, coolant, and the brake fluid levels can be inspected by removing related covers and individually checking them. Make sure that the radiator cap is never removed while checking the coolant. Experts recommend to check the level in the transparent refill container instead.
• Examine belts and hoses: Another area that goes slightly beyond basic routine vehicle maintenance is checking the hoses and belts in the engine bay. These hoses are responsible for direct coolant flow to ensure the engine doesn’t heat up too much. The presence of cracks, bulges, or any other sign of wear and tear on the hose is a sign that it needs to be replaced. Similarly, the belts have to be checked too, especially the timing belt, which is found in most cars and small SUVs. The timing belt is very important for the working of your engine. Signs of wear and tear like glazing, cracking, and loss of material (chunks missing from the belt itself) indicate the need for replacing them.

Besides these, there are other areas of car maintenance you can undertake, like the wiper blades, air filter, and the battery. It is useful to be familiar with all of the above areas. If done properly, car maintenance will save you a bunch of cash in the long run and makes sure your car is in tip-top condition.