If you’ve been a car owner for years, you’re probably confident in your ability to navigate various road and traffic conditions and keep your vehicle reliable and roadworthy. But are you taking the right steps to protect your car from damage and extend its lifespan? If you’re not 100% sure, review your route and see if you’re committing any of these blunders:
Cleaning your car infrequently
According to experts, you’ll have to wash your car twice a month or more and have its interior and exterior professionally detailed every four to six months. If you fail to follow this schedule, you’ll allow dirt and debris to accumulate on your vehicle, which can pave the way to oxidation, marring, swirl marks, chemical stains, rust spots and patches, and many other problems. Protect your car’s topcoat and paint and preserve its aesthetic appeal by sticking to the ideal vehicle cleaning frequency.
Placing car maintenance on the back burner
Aside from prioritising car washing and detailing, you should also ensure that all vehicle maintenance tasks are performed properly and according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. Through regular maintenance, you’ll keep engine troubles and other problems at bay and ensure that your vehicle is always safe and roadworthy. You’ll also quickly spot car issues in their early stages and have them repaired before they worsen and become too difficult and costly to fix.
Failing to prevent sun damage
While people often associate UV rays with skin cancer, they actually don’t just affect human health—they can also cause significant damage to vehicles. Fortunately, protecting your vehicle from sun damage isn’t difficult since you can explore various solutions. Start by installing car sunshades that filter out UV rays. Through these sunshades, you’ll protect your car seats, dashboard, and interior trim from fading and discolouration and ensure that your vehicle interior always looks its best. Don’t worry since you can buy quality sunshades that provide excellent UV protection without darkening your windows too much, which means you and your passengers still enjoy good window visibility during each ride.
Getting only basic third-party car insurance
Many people obtain compulsory third party (CTP) insurance just so they can meet car rego requirements. But while CTP is undeniably important, remember that it only protects you if you cause injury, death, or property damage to pedestrians or other motorists. It actually won’t protect you if your car gets stolen or damaged or if you or your passengers get injured on the road. So, purchase additional car insurance that will safeguard you against these incidents and help you safeguard your financial stability when the unthinkable happens.
Insisting on DIY car repairs
While you do need to know how to do basic car maintenance, this do-it-yourself mindset shouldn’t extend to vehicle repairs. Remember: it takes plenty of training and experience to properly troubleshoot car issues and perform the required repairs and/or parts replacement. If you take the DIY route, you might do more harm than good and create bigger problems that are more challenging to fix. Prevent additional issues by avoiding DIY fixes and leaving car repairs to professional mechanics.
Even long-term car owners can make mistakes every now and then. Fortunately, when you avoid these blunders, you can keep your vehicle in great condition and make it last longer.
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