With the cold weather quickly approaching, fall is the perfect time to provide your car with at-home maintenance. If you like the idea but aren’t entirely sure where to start, this article can help. All motorists want to do everything they can to keep the performance of their vehicle up along with extending its lifespan. What the majority of these motorists find, however, is that they feel they can’t actually provide any beneficial maintenance given that they didn’t study engine mechanics.

You Don't Need to Be a Mechanic to Keep Your Car in Good Shape

To get you started on the right track, Oils RGV has some information below about the types of vehicle maintenance you can perform at home to give your car a boost.

Clean Your Car

For most people, keeping their car clean means either leaving it outside when it rains or driving it through an automatic car wash every time there is a special happening. While the car wash will take care of the aesthetics (afraid the rain isn’t going to do you much good), it isn’t the thorough cleaning which all cars need. Get the family outside for a day and take to your car with everything you’ve got! Be sure to clean every crevice, compartment, and behind each dongle and latch that you can find. Once you have finished inside the car, move your attention to the exterior, giving it a good soaping, including cleaning the wheels and checking the condition of your tires while you’re down there. The purpose of this activity isn’t just to clean your car, it’s to CLEAN your car! More often than not, problematic issues, such as rust, can either be prevented or identified early through a thorough clean.

Check Your Fluids

Of course, we all know that our car requires a number of different oils and fluids in order for it to operate, but for some reason, we all seem to put it at the back of our mind and neglect such a basic level of maintenance.Not this time! This fall, be sure to check each and every one of your fluid levels. If you notice that some of your levels are low but the fluid looks okay, be sure to top it up. If you can see that the fluid has passed its prime, then take the opportunity to replace it completely. Your owner’s manual will have the list of fluids ;to check, but the common ones are going to be:

• Motor Oil (Engine Oil or Engine Lubricant)
• Brake Fluid
• Power Steering Fluid
• Transmission Fluid
• Wiper Fluid

The first four are important to the engine for obvious reasons, given their name. The fourth is important for your safety, as it is often neglected but often also the difference between a clean and unobstructed view. When it comes time to replace your fluids, be sure that you are using not only the best products but the right ones. Click here to buy AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil which has been designed to extend the lifespan of your engine by keeping it clean along with boosting its performance through lubrication. To learn more or to make an order, speak with an expert at Oils RGV by calling (956) 458-9399 or check out the online store.

Oil Filter

If you can see that your engine oil is looking worse for wear and you’re going to perform a synthetic oil change, now is the perfect time to also replace your oil filter. Your oil filter is a small can shaped device underneath your car which is responsible for capturing contaminants and pollutants in your oil and keep them contained, recirculating clean oil for later use. However, just like all filters, if it gets too full then it isn’t able to do its job. When that happens, instead of clean oil going back through your system, the oil is filled with muck which can travel through your engine and cause serious damage.

Air Filter

While on the subject of filters, did you know that your engine has an air filter? Did you also know that it has nothing to do with your climate control or fans? Combustion, the process which keeps your engine going, requires two primary ingredients, air and fuel. Fuel comes in the form of your gas, and the air comes from your air filter. Well, through it, actually. The quality of the combustion process depends on the quality of the ingredients. If you introduce dirty air to the process then you will receive a lackluster result. To prevent this, remove your air filter from its secure holding and either clean it (if you have the type which can be cleaned) or replace it. If you have a reusable one but can see that it’s been cleaned a few times before, consider a straight replacement.

Clean Your Trunk

Finishing off the list is your trunk! It’s time to get everything out of it, and we mean everything! Once it’s all empty, consider it your next cleaning target! While all of the products are out of the trunk, be sure to wipe them down so that you don't put a mess back in. If, when cleaning, you had to remove oil stains, consider using a small bucket to keep bottles of fluids ;all together and upright.

A Synthetic Oil Change in Mission, TX Can Improve Your Vehicle Performance

As you have read, there is much more that you can do to benefit the performance of your car than you originally thought. When taking on these tasks, also ensure that you are using the right product for the job. Speak with Oils RGV at (956) 458-9399 to find out which high-quality AMSOIL product is the right one for your needs.