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Recommendations For Planning Your Car For Summer Trip
Spring is the right time to get your vehicle ready for the busy summer driving season ahead. It's sensible to have your vehicle checked out before summer's heavy vacation traffic and stop-and-go conditions begin earnestly.
The experts at the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence recommend the following tips on preparing your car:
* Read the owner's manual and keep up to the recommended service schedules. Pay attention to "regular" vs. "severe" schedules listed, and determine which is suitable for your driving conditions and habits.
* Seek an orderly repair facility with modern equipment in the service bays and skilled automotive technicians being staff, as evidenced by trade school diplomas, certificates of advanced course work and training, and national certification of the individual technicians by ASE.
* Flush and replenish the cooling system (radiator) according to the service manual's recommendations. The level, condition and intensity of the coolant should be checked periodically. Make sure the engine has cooled down before removing the radiator cap. Engine overheating is the most frequent summer breakdown.
* Have engine performance problems corrected, such as hard starts, rough idling and stalling. You'll get improved gasoline mileage, and you could prevent more expensive repairs.
* Don't ignore your transmission and brakes. Costly repairs can be prevented by routine service. Neglected brakes can create safety issues, too.
* Look for a qualified auto technician to verify the condition of belts, clamps and hoses, but be proactive by looking for signs of wear, cracking or fraying.
* Have a marginally working air conditioner system serviced by a technician qualified to handle refrigerants. Older units often contain ozone-depleting chemicals that could be released into the air because of improper or incompetent service.
* Replace the oil and oil filter as specified in the owner's manual. This simple, inexpensive service can add to the life of your vehicle.
* Replace other filters (air, fuel, PCV) as recommended in the service manual.
* Check the condition of tires, including the spare. Let the tires "cool down" before checking their pressure. Rough wear, "cupping", vibrations or "pulling" to one side indicates troubles with your tires or suspension system.
* Replace your headlights with some good aftermarket headlights. Good custom headlights or even just a nice new series of H11 bulbs for your standard lights will make a huge difference when you're traveling at night. Very rarely do you realize how dim your headlights are until you upgrade. Chances are the winter road grim has spoiled your lenses to the point where they really need to be replaced.
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