6 Important Regular Maintenance Tasks for Your Used Vehicle

When you buy a used car, you are concerned about longevity from the beginning. Whether you bought a lightly used car with only 40,000 miles, an used car with over 100,000 miles, or a bargain purchase with 200,000 miles or more, you know that your car won’t last as long as a new car. So, you want to do everything you can to extend its life.

Keeping up with maintenance on your used vehicle is a necessity for longevity. When you fail to keep your used car in the best condition possible, you are taking off months or years off its life, and you’re going to end up paying more for repairs than you should. Putting off one small maintenance task can turn into a big, costly repair, and then you wonder if it’s even worth it to keep your car.

Many used cars bought at a buy here pay here dealer like AutoMax can make it to high mileage, when taken care of properly. To avoid expensive repairs and extend the life of your buy here pay here used car, make sure to keep of with these six important maintenance tasks.

6 Regular Maintenance Tasks To Keep Up With On Your Buy Here Pay Here Used Car

Oil Changes

Oil changes need to be a regular occurrence on any used vehicle. While there is some controversy as to how often oil needs to be changed, the most important part is that it’s done regularly. The old advice used to be every 3,000 miles, but the new knowledge seems to be steering more towards every 5,000 miles. Whichever you prefer, this is one of the most important maintenance tasks for your buy here pay here used car. Make sure both the oil and the fuel filter are changed every time. This is also a great way to make sure there aren’t any oil leaks.

Tire Rotation and Balance

Believe it or not, your tires have a direct impact on your vehicle’s fuel economy and performance. Regular tire rotation and balance ensures that your tires wear evenly, and your car performs efficiently, extending the life of your tires.

Checking Your Fluids

When it comes to many old cars, you don’t have as many bells and whistles. You won’t get notifications from your car’s computer letting you know that a fluid is low, before it becomes a problem. That’s why checking your fluids needs to be a regular maintenance task on your buy here pay here used car. Fluids you need to check include: engine coolant, automatic transmission fluid, steering wheel fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and of course, oil.

Since older cars are more susceptible to rust and leaks, you need to keep an eye on any and all of your fluids, including oil. If you have an oil leak and you don’t notice, you could risk blowing your engine, which would put you out of a car or on a multi-thousand dollar ticket. Another common leak is coolant, and if your coolant is leaking, you could run out without noticing and overheat your car, which is very dangerous while driving.

Replacing Windshield Wipers

Replacing windshield wipers is another important maintenance task for your used vehicle. Windshield wipers go through a lot throughout the year, and after about six months, you’ll probably start to notice some wear and tear, such as squeaking, skipping, and smearing, which can be a hazard for the driver. It is normal to replace your windshield wipers every six months to a year, and it is a cheap cost and replacement that can avoid a costly accident, as a result of visibility issues.

Air Filter

Air filters are a common cause of the check engine light coming on, and when one goes without replacement, it can cause issues with your car’s air flow and efficiency. There’s nothing worse than sitting in a hot car in the summer that won’t cool down, because you haven’t replaced your air filter since you bought your car.

Air filters need to be replaced somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 miles, depending on your car, how frequently you drive your car, and in what conditions. An old air filter can cause additional problems like lowering your gas mileage and causing ignition problems. You can do a visual check of your air filter at any time, and if it looks dirty, it’s definitely time for a replacement.

Belts and Hoses

Belts and hoses are another important regular maintenance task for your used vehicle, and they need to be replaced either every five years or 75,000 miles. While this may be one of your more expensive maintenance tasks, it is nowhere near as expensive as the damage they could cause to your engine if they fail.

Even if you have a newer used car, all belts and hoses wear out and weaken, and you’ll experience a wide range of problems, when they don’t get replaced. So, it’s best to just add this to your regular maintenance checklist.

Get A Buy Here Pay Here Used Car At AutoMax Today

When you’re ready to buy a used vehicle, our buy here pay here dealership is here to help you with both our in-house financing and a perfect used car for you. We’d love to go on test drives with you to figure out which car is best suited for your budget and lifestyle. If you’re interested in financing, check out our financing application on our website, and if you want to look at our cars before coming to our dealership in Henderson or Youngsville, browse through our used car inventory online. Have a question or want more information? Get in touch with us now!

AutoMax of Henderson, NC – (252) 430-1006 Send our team a message

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AutoMax buy here pay here car dealers in Henderson and Youngsville, NC proudly provide used cars to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Butner, Creedmoor, Louisburg, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Zebulon, Nashville, and Warrenton, in Vance County, Wake County, Granville County, Franklin County, Durham County, Orange County, Nash County, and Warren County.