It’s exciting to have a new car, but how do you keep that excitement going for miles and years to come? The answer is simple. You should perform regular maintenance on your vehicle or have an automotive service professional perform it for you. Just a few simple tasks can keep your new Kia running smoothly until it’s time to trade it for another Kia. Here are four reasons you need regular car maintenance.
What Is Routine Maintenance?
Before we begin, let’s look at the tasks manufacturers consider to be routine car maintenance and why they’re important.
Tires and Brakes
Regular maintenance on your tires includes checking their pressure to ensure they are not overinflated or underinflated. You can perform this task at home by purchasing an air pressure gauge from your favorite auto parts retailer. Additionally, you should check your tires for wear or bald spots using just your eyes. Tire maintenance can be performed monthly or as frequently as every time you fuel your Kia.
Rotating your tires is another important tire care task, as it promotes even wear among your tires. While some experienced car owners can perform this task at home too, an automotive service technician will have the knowledge and tools on hand to rotate and balance your tires properly. They can look beyond the tires and check your brakes for wear at the same time.
Engine
Your Kia’s engine has a myriad of belts, hoses, filters, and fluids that are essential for proper engine functioning. They’re also vying for your attention. Make sure you visually inspect these important components regularly or have your automotive service technician do it for you. While you’re at it, test your battery so you can depend on it every time you start your car.
Interior and Exterior
One routine maintenance task that’s fairly easy to do yourself is cleaning your car regularly. Whether you fully detail your car or just do a basic wash at the local car wash, cleaning your car keeps its exterior looking shiny and new and its interior free from accumulated dirt buildup.
Now that you know what to do, when should you perform these tasks? Your Kia’s owner’s manual will suggest a maintenance schedule, or you can work with your automotive service center to plan and implement an appropriate routine.
Keep You and Your Family Safe
Let’s return to the reasons regular maintenance is essential. Quite simply, when vehicles malfunction, accidents can happen. If a tire is overinflated or underinflated, a blowout can result. If the power steering fluid reservoir runs dry, the car will not steer. If the brakes wear out or there is no brake fluid in the reservoir, your car will be impossible to stop. All these situations can lead to potentially serious accidents. However, if you remain on top of your maintenance, you can prevent these catastrophes from occurring by identifying issues and making necessary repairs.
A dead battery, insufficient oil or coolant in the engine, a flat tire — these scenarios can park you on the side of the road. Not only is a breakdown a huge inconvenience but it can also be scary sitting on the shoulder of a busy freeway, especially when your family is in your vehicle.
Extend the Life of Your Vehicle
Oh, the joy of driving away in your brand-new vehicle. Whether you buy a new or pre-owned Kia, you want to enjoy your vehicle for a long time. Performing routine maintenance extends the life of your vehicle. Even keeping your car clean will extend the life of your Kia’s paint, as well as the carpet, plastic, and leather accents inside the cockpit.
Think of routine maintenance like brushing and flossing daily and seeing your dentist twice a year. If you do that, your teeth will remain healthy for years. But if you skip one or all of these tasks, you’ll likely experience serious and costly dental issues, and you might lose teeth. Likewise, ignoring regular maintenance means your vehicle will not perform the way it’s meant to perform. You may also need to consider updating your navigation system depending on your Kia model.
Save Money
We just saw that not performing regular maintenance can be troublesome for your car’s performance. Returning to the dental analogy, if problems advance, they can be quite costly, as well. Preventive car maintenance helps you identify potential problems and address them before they require extensive vehicle service costing thousands of dollars. It might sound counterintuitive, but it’s true: Spending a little money now can save you money in the long run.
Regular maintenance, such as having your automotive service technician perform a tuneup, can even save you money every time you drive. Did you know that an untuned car can burn as much as 50% more fuel than a well-serviced one? The cost of a tuneup is nominal compared to the cost of fueling your car more frequently.
Prepare for Seasonal Challenges
If you’ve ever walked into a job interview drenched with sweat because your car’s air conditioning failed on a steamy August day, you’ll understand why routine maintenance can prepare your car for the changing seasons. Regular inspections keep your wipers ready for April showers and your headlights shining brightly for when darkness falls early in the winter. You should even vary the weight of your engine oil in hot and cold weather to keep your engine running properly.
We’re all busy people, so it’s hard to find the time to perform or schedule regular maintenance. However, maintaining your car is time and money well-spent. It’s like the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Huffines Kia can help you gain that ounce of prevention by recommending the ideal maintenance schedule for your Kia. Let our experienced service staff take the burden of maintaining your vehicle off your shoulders. All you need to do is schedule your service appointment and let us handle the rest. We provide a free shuttle, Express Lane Service, and Saturday service to work with your schedule.
Image via Flickr by theKCB