5 Often Overlooked Maintenance Items

Basic Maintenance Items to Keep Your Car Rolling

The Hondas sold here at Fisher are remarkably well made and durable vehicles, just check the reviews on J.D Power. So while your car likely won’t need much maintenance to go another 200,000 miles; these tips will help ensure that everything continues to run smoothly. And many of them are easy enough for you to do yourself!

replacing cabin air conditioner filter of car

Check Your Air Filter

Just like you, your car needs to breath. When your car’s air filter gets neglected and becomes dirty, it feeds the engine less air, with more dirt mixed in. Imagine trying to run the 50 meter dash with dirty respirator on; it’s a similar concept on your vehicle. So check your air filter, if it’s dirty and needs to be replaced, do so. A new air filter will only run you around $20, and on most cars you don’t need to be a gearhead to swap out air filters.

Change Your Oil

Oil Changes are a major bummer; they cost around $40 depending on the car, take time, and don’t make your car feel noticeably better. But the importance of oil changes cannot be stressed enough.  Motor oil protects your engine by lubricating critical moving parts, transferring heat away, and keeping internal parts clean and free from damaging deposits. Over time, even the best oils break down and complete these tasks less effectively. An oil change will drain contaminants that the old oil has collected, and protect your motor for thousands of miles more. So don’t skimp on oil changes just because you can’t physically see the difference, it’s worth the hassle.

Monitor Your Brake Pads

Hear that squeaking? It could be your brake pads telling you that they need to be replaced. And delaying the replacement could ruin your rotors; if the pad material wears through, the pad backing could score the brake rotors. Avoid more costly repairs by keeping an eye on your pads; don’t let them wear too thin!

Inspect Your Spark Plugs

Your engine runs by combusting a gasoline and air mixture; without combustion you won’t be going far.  Keep things fired up by following the recommended replacement intervals for your spark plugs. Fortunately, on new vehicles, plugs last thousands and thousands of miles. But if you find your engine running poorly or your gas mileage dropping, the spark plugs could be to blame.

Watch the Wheel Alignment

The importance of your tires cannot be stressed enough; they’re directly linked to the way your car handles, stops, and goes. So keep them in top shape by keeping up with your wheel alignment. When your wheels are out of alignment, your tires may wear unevenly, your vehicle may pull to one direction or another, and your gas mileage may decrease. A four wheel alignment will only run $99.95 and could save you much more money by increasing the life of your tires and your fuel economy.

Let Fisher Take a Look

If you’re concerned about any of these topics and want an expert to have a look, bring your car by for a complimentary multi-point inspection. By keeping up with these often overlooked maintenance items, you could save big later on. For other ways to save, check out our service coupons page.