Seven Ways You Could be Killing Your Car

The car you own can either be a nightmare or a dream depending on how well you take care of your vehicle. The following are seven things that motorists do that can harm their car and wallet.

• Ignoring the check engine light. Ignoring an illuminated check engine light can result in serious engine trouble and costly repairs. At the very least, this warning light could alert you to an engine problem that is negatively impacting fuel economy.

• Failing to change fluids and filters. Many fluids are required for the operation and protection of systems and components. Checking and changing fluid levels regularly along with the filters helps ensure that your vehicle runs dependably and extends vehicle life. This includes oil changes, transmission, power steering and brake flushes.

• Not following a service schedule. Because many car parts and components wear out or become damaged over time, vehicles need to be routinely serviced in order to perform over time. Routine safety inspections and timely repairs will help keep your car running efficiently and will help you avoid more expensive repairs down the road.

• Neglecting your tires. Your vehicle’s tires should be checked frequently for inflation and tread depth. Underinflated tires can wear out more quickly, needing to be replaced sooner, and can negatively impact safety, gas mileage and performance.

• Being a severe driver. Whether it’s stop and go traffic, extreme weather, rough roads or heavy loads, it can sometimes be difficult to limit severe driving conditions especially in the Atlanta area. Maximize your trips and errands by doing several at the same time or at low traffic times.

• Keeping a dirty car. Allowing your car to go too long without a wash leads to buildup of damaging chemicals and dirt and interferes with proper visibility needed for safe driving.

• Avoiding needed services from ToyoTechs. By not having your car serviced on a regular basis your vehicle will not run as well and the life of your car will be shorter.

Please keep up with your car care, you’ll be glad you did in the long run. Your car will last longer and have a better value by being well kept.

Reducing Your Vehicle Maintenance Costs

Unexpected surprise maintenance costs can be avoided by sticking to a strict scheduled preventive maintenance plan. While it might sound counter intuitive to spend money to save money, a scheduled maintenance practice will keep your vehicle running in good health ensuring you get the most out of all those expensive to replace parts.

Keeping your car’s fluids clean and new is a top priority when it comes to minimizing future costs. By that it’s not just oil changes that need to be done, brake fluid flushes, transmission fluid flushes and power steering fluid flushes also need to be done. Fluid changes done as needed will prevent the buildup of harmful dirt and debris deposits that cause corrosion and eventual breakdown.

With all vehicles it is a good idea to have your oil checked on a regular basis. The same applies for your car’s brake fluid, transmission fluid and power steering fluid. Learning to check these fluids is a good idea, however a lot of people don’t want to so it’s a good idea to keep a regular maintenance schedule with ToyoTechs..

While it’s always a good idea to peruse through your owner's manual to learn more about your vehicle’s scheduled maintenance Truthfully most our customers have come to trust ToyoTechs Technicians to keep up with what services need to be done now and what can wait till later.

Whether or not you have us maintain your vehicle these services need to be done. They will keep your vehicle running better and add extra years to the life of your car at the same time saving you money.

Tips on Extending the Life of Your Vehicle

We have compiled a few tips for keeping your car running better and extending the life of your vehicle. Keeping up with your car’s maintenance and getting any problems fixed before they become bigger problems are the keys to getting those extra years of life out of your car.

Here are some simple tips for getting extra years out of your car and saving money in the long run.

1 - Change oil regularly, every 3000 - 5000 miles (longer if using synthetic, 7500)

2 - Check all fluid levels every few months (Transmission, brake, coolant and power steering)

3 - Change air filter (Usually every 6 months, car will get higher gas mileage and run better )

4 - Check tire pressure and wheels (Properly inflated tires give you better gas millage, uneven wear from being out of balance or alignment causes vibration that can cause stress on the car's suspension).

5 - Fluid flushes (Transmission, brake and power steering flushes. These fluids breakdown contaminated by impurities, dirt, moisture and corrosive properties that cause these systems to have expensive problems.

6 -   Schedule at least twice a year safety inspection, more often if you do a lot of driving. (We perform a safety inspection with every oil change)

7 - Protect your car's exterior and interior. (Have your car waxed twice a year and keep the dirt and grime from the inside. This will increase your car’s value when it’s time to sell and it just feels better)

8 - Fix the small issues now (Small issues with your car often turn into big issues if they are not repaired in a timely manner, coolant leaks, oil leaks)

9 - Know your car (be sure to glance through your owner's manual to get an idea about your scheduled maintenance, as always we will be glad to help you with your scheduled maintenance)

10 - SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE - KEEP UP WITH YOUR SCHEDULED SERVICES

All of these tips are inexpensive and have a huge long term affect on how well your vehicle runs. These simple tips will absolutely help lengthen the life of your car.