Car Maintenance Tips for Spring

The birds are chirping. The sun is shining. The leaves are returning! It’s spring! While you may be planning your garden or your summer vacation, don’t forget to add car care to your spring to-do list! Your vehicle needs a little help getting out of the gloom of winter and ready for the coming months. Check out our top five quality car care tips for spring.

1. Review Your Car Insurance Policy

If your New Year’s resolution was to save money, this could be a top tip for you. Spring is the perfect time for changing car insurance. Did you know that independent insurance agents can search for the best prices on policies for you? If you haven’t shopped around for car insurance lately, you may be missing out on the best price for the best policy for you. Depending on the company, your driving record, and a few other factors, you could save a lot of money by switching it up. Give us a call and we can help you find the perfect fit.

2. Swap Out Your Fluids and Filters

Checking your fluids and filters regularly is an important preventative maintenance task that will prolong the life of your vehicle. If it’s been a while since your last check-up, spring is a great time to get it done! You should take a look at your wiper fluid, oil, coolant, and transmission fluid levels, and top them up as needed to keep everything working in tip-top shape. The quickest way to ruin an engine is to let it get too low on oil! You can check your car’s manual to determine how to check your fluid and how often your filters should be replaced. Or you can take your vehicle to your local mechanic for a tune-up.

3. Take Care of Your Tires

Changes in air temperature have an effect on the air pressure within your tires. When temperatures swing from cold to warm, you may notice your tire pressure light pop on. If that happens, check your tire pressure! Keeping them inflated to the correct level prevents unnecessary wear and tear.

Spring is also a great time to rotate your tires – another tip that helps the longevity of your tires. Check the tread depth and look for bald spots or wires. If anything looks worse for wear, it’s probably best to go ahead and get new ones!

Roads have more potholes in the winter – all that rain and ice are tough on them too – so if you’ve found yourself hitting a few of them over the past few months, check for damage to your rims. And if your car isn’t driving as smoothly as it once was, it may be time to take it to a professional to evaluate the suspension and get an alignment.

4. Attend to Your Undercarriage

With winter over, be sure to give the underside of your vehicle a good washing. Even if you live in a place where you do not get snow regularly, odds are you’ve driven at least some point this winter on a road treated with salt. If you do live in a snowy place, this is even more important. Salt accelerates rust, which breaks down metal. A salty undercarriage reduces the life expectancy of your car — or at least the elements down below – resulting in the need to get a car repair or even a vehicle replacement sooner than you otherwise should.

5. Give It a Good Wash

It is a great feeling to get into a clean vehicle. But we know how difficult it can be to keep a vehicle clean – especially in the winter months. Extend your spring cleaning to your car too to get both inside and outside spick-and-span. The salt that affects the underside of your vehicle is equally problematic on the rest of the body, so take the time to wash off that winterly grit and grime. The inside of your car won’t be so affected by salt, but your muddy shoes have probably created quite a mess in the last few months. Do a little car cleaning on your own, or even treat yourself to a professional detailing service.

We love the opportunities of spring – the time to start fresh – at Independent Insurance Associates. Swing by and show off your freshly-tuned and scrubbed vehicle and we can chat about how we can help you save money!