Engine Maintenance Tips

Steps You Can Take to Keep Your Engine in Its Prime

Vehicles can be expensive, so it’s in your best interest to protect your investment whenever possible. More importantly, you want to protect yourself by not placing yourself in undue danger as you drive and not becoming stranded beside the road. Therefore, taking care of your car’s engine translates into looking out for yourself and your financial commitment. Auto Stop Elite in Vienna, Virginia, can help you with your efforts to maintain your transportation properly. We offer a full range of preventive maintenance services and repairs for all makes and models.

A Few Tips for Maintaining Your Engine

Even though it costs a little money and time to maintain your automobile properly, it saves much more of both in the long run. One of the most important preventive maintenance services is the routine oil change. Oil does some great, necessary things for your engine. It lubricates the moving parts to reduce friction and wear, absorbs and removes a lot of heat, and suspends dirt to less damage to vital components. As oil ages through mileage and time, it becomes less effective at doing its job. Old, tired oil can even combine with excess debris that it can no longer hold to form sludge. That’s a dark conglomeration that coats your engine, interfering with optimal operation. Not only can it clog the engine’s interior, but it can become so rampant that it clings to the exterior, as well. Your owner’s manual will outline a recommended oil change schedule. Our ASE-Master certified technicians can help you with that, too, particularly if you need to design a custom schedule due to driving conditions. Another tip is to check (and top off as needed) all fluids periodically. These include antifreeze/coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid. It’s also a good idea to get a tune-up once in a while too. This allows us to do more extensive prevention, including checking or replacing worn belts and hoses and changing old spark plugs. And don’t forget the tires! Although tires and brakes aren’t technically part of the engine, it’s important to think of them as often as you do the power plant. Tire inflation should be monitored frequently, with the psi matching the recommendation on the door jamb sticker. Also, keep a check on tread wear to ensure proper traction and to spot any other issues such as wheel misalignment early. Tires should be rotated and balanced according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Finally, get routine brake inspections, fixing them when needed. Worn out brakes or a malfunctioning braking system can endanger you and others.

Your Engine Maintenance Partner

If keeping up with engine maintenance sounds a bit overwhelming, stop worrying and bring your car to us. The staff at Auto Stop Elite is glad to help you with engine maintenance. We put you first, but we’re glad to make your engine our second priority.