General auto repairs can be a pain in the neck. Especially as your vehicle gets older. You may be looking to sell your car if you have to do something big like repair engines or replace a transmission. However, if you have been servicing your vehicle in the appropriate time frames than even if you have used cars, you may find that they will last quite awhile without needing an major repairs. However, if you are the type of person that procrastinates on everything, you will probably be needing a new car or at least some major work soon and general auto repairs won’t even touch the real problems. If you aren’t at that point yet, then this article will help you. Here are some tips for keeping your car running great and allowing general auto repairs to take care of problems rather than needing expensive and extensive work.

Oil Changes
For older cars, you should get an oil change done every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. Newer cars can last up to 7,000 miles or every 6 months, generally speaking but if you are hard on your car, or travel through rough areas, you probably want to get it done a little more often. Part of the reason for this is because when you get an oil change, typically, the mechanic will also check your fluids and make sure everything is topped on and in good working order. Every mechanic will come back with a little of general auto repairs that need to be done after getting your oil change but get a second opinion before shelling out.

Tire Rotations
You want your tires to wear evenly on both the back and the front. A good rule of thumb is that if you are keeping up with your oil changes then every other oil change, you should have your tires rotated. Every 6 months or 8,000 miles is the general rule. Regular tire rotations help to extend the life of your tires and improves their performance. It’s normal for the front tires to wear out faster than the rear tires so if you don’t rotate them, your tires will probably wear out in pairs instead of as a set.

Battery
Keep an eye on your battery. Make sure that the terminals are kept clean and that the charging station is functioning correctly. If those things are done regularly then you probably won’t have to replace your battery more than once every four or five years. When you do, make sure that you are replacing it with a battery that matches the manufacturer’s guidelines. Advanced technology batteries may be a little more expensive initially but they will last longer and have better performance.

Air Filter
This is one that we don’t think about much because we can’t see it very well. However, it should be replaced every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. The filter keeps the air flowing through your engine free of contaminates and not replacing it will cause dust, debris and dirt to clog up your engine every time it runs. It’s such a cheap part and fairly easy to replace, there’s no real reason why it can’t be done once a year or so.

Brakes
This is a huge one. A lot of people undervalue or even sometimes ignore the whole brake system which is incredibly dangerous. Other overlooked car maintenance can lead to a break down or an expensive fix but ignoring the brake system can lead to fatal consequences. Brake fluid levels should be checked regularly and changed every so often. Keep an eye of the condition of your brake pads and that will tell you when they need to be replaced. Don’t ignore a squealing sound. By the time the squealing has turned into grinding, you need more than just brake pads replaced, you may need the entire brake system taken care of by that point. Brake fluid should be replaced about once every two years or at least every 24,000 miles which should be done in conjunction with changing out the brake pads.

Keeping up with these simple maintenance tips will help your car last much longer than it would otherwise.