Vehicle Maintenance

1 Vehicle Maintenance [1] AARP Smart Driver Vehicle Part Why Check What to Check When to Check Brakes They may not stop you fast enough to avoida collision. They may pull the car to the side whenstopping. Failure to fix brakes is unsafe and can leadto more costly repairs. If you repair brakes when a problem firstappears, it saves costly repairs checks Pedal pressure (pedal when pushed shouldstay well above the floor). Car pulling to the side when brakes areused. Scraping and squealing checks Brake lining wear and fluid checks Every time you start the engine. Every time you checks When driver thinks something is Tune- Up Vehicle may lose power that is needed fornormal driving and emergencies. Poorly tuned engines reduce gas mileage.

2 Engine may not checks Signs of less power (lugging). Hard starting. Gas mileage shouldn t be allowed to dropmore than 2 miles per checks Plugs and ignition system. Wiring and timing. Fuel checks Every time you drive. Every few checks Every 10,000 miles, or Every 12 months (if possible, before winter).Cooling System Engine may overheat or freeze. To prevent unnecessary engine wear, andserious engine checks Cracked or broken hoses. Loose belts. Insufficient levels of anti-freeze coolant. Radiator rust, clogs, and checks Several times a year. Before and after the winter checks Every 12 to 24 months; or Every 15,000 to 30,000 and Oil Filter To prevent excessive heat, engine wear, andserious engine checks Oil level and miles driven since last checks Oil and oil filter for checks Every time you fill-up, or per your owner smanual.

3 Mechanic checks Every 5,000 to 10,000 miles (gasolineengine); or every 3,000 to 5,000 miles (diesel engine); or every 12 months, depending on manufacturers recommendations. Vehicle Maintenance [2] AARP Smart Driver Vehicle Part Why Check What to Check When to Check Headlights Improves your night vision up to 90%. Even with good lights, at 50 mph, you cansee only about 4 seconds ahead. A dead headlight may keep you from seeinga stalled car or a sharp curve in time. An out-of -line light can shine where it doesn thelp you and may blind other checks Burned out bulbs. Dirty checks Headlight checks When you fill up with gas. After driving on wet or muddy roads. Shine the lights on a wall before driving atnight. Make sure that both high and lowbeams are checks Twice a year and as and Signal Lights Brake lights tell others that you are stopping.

4 Signals tell others what you are about to checks Burned out checks Wiring and checks When you fill up with checks Twice a and Windshields Dirty windows make it hard to see. Scratched, cracked, or dirty glass canincrease glare and make it hard to see. Damaged glass can break even in a checks All glass inside and out to make sure it isclean. Scratches and cracks to see if glass needsto be changed. Windshield wiper fluid level to make surethere is a sufficient checks When you fill up with gas. Every time you drive. Whenever you check under the Worn or bald tires increase your stoppingdistance on wet surfaces, sand, and gravel. Worn or bald tires lessen overall control. Unbalanced tires and low pressure cancause tread wear.

5 Unbalanced tires cause the steering wheelto shake. Low air pressure cuts down on gas mileageand Vehicle control. Worn tread or under inflation are causes checks Test air pressure when tires are cold. (Inflateto maximum pressure as recommended byvehicle manufacturer.) Tread wear indicators. Stick a quarter into the tire head first. Ifthe tread doesn t come up at least toWashington s head, the tire is checks Tire balance, alignment, and checks Once a checks Twice a year or during a tune-up or Maintenance [3] AARP Smart Driver Vehicle Part Why Check What to Check When to Check Exhaust (Carbon Monoxide Poisoning) Running the engine while stopped (idling),especially in enclosed spaces like a garage,or in case of a breakdown in cold checks Exhaust pipe is clear of any debris, dirt orsnow that could cause carbon monoxide toback up inside the Vehicle s ventilationsystem.

6 If inside a garage, make sure a door orwindow is open to allow fresh air in andcarbon monoxide to escape. If outside, even in extreme cold, have atleast one window cracked open to allowcirculation of fresh air and any carbonmonoxide to escape. Only run the engine for short periods of timeif you must do checks When you run the engine inside your garageor any enclosed space. If you are stopped or stalled in challengingconditions, such as snow.