The reality is that some folks enjoy getting down on their knees and scrubbing away at their wheels with a toothbrush. What’s more, there are people who actually want to change their own oil, swap out air filters and even tadd fluids to those enigmatic holes positioned all over their car engines.
On the other side, there are others who don’t give a rodent’s posterior about car care and can’t even manage to spray a hose on their vehicle once a month. If you’re part of the former crowd, stop reading, this article isn’t for you. Go on and get back to your pristine machine and have at it with your dental instruments and filter wrenches.
If your are in the group of owner that don’t know the first thing about car care, this article is meant to scare you and tune you up a little. This is going to hurt where it hurts the most: Your wallet. What where you thinking?
Do you know how much your lack of car care is going to cost you in money? Maybe you know about those Blue Book Values that sound so good when trading in or selling your car. Well they are only true for well cared vehicles. Not changing your oil counts as neglecting it, so less money. Every time you neglect your car, it goes down in price. The good news is that if you routinely take care of your car and make some minor tweaks your car can be back to a good shape in no time.
Be warned: this suggestions are not the best practice, but what will work for those of us that can’t really devote ourselves to vehicle maintenance. First, let’s do a little cleaning. Take your car to a car wash. Touchless is the best option, but if your car is in really bad shape, any gas station wash will have to do. It just to get the first layer of dirt off it.
Ok, now find a parking lot detailer. He can get your car looking pretty good for some $10-$40. You can also get some extra services like clay bars, rubbing compunds and touch-up paint if your car shows oxidation, fading or swirling. It would cost a little more, but can make the difference.
Now, don’t skip the interior, you will thank me for this. By the time your car is ready, you will be surprised how your car will look like. Up until now, you haven’t really worked at all, other than driving to the car wash and spending a few dollars.
Next, the big step in the car care conundrum – going under the hood. Of course, you’re not going there, and here’s why, it’s cheaper and easier to pay the guy at the quick change oil place to do your dirty work. If you find a reputable place, they’ll get you fixed up in a jiffy (no pun intended). They can perform many services at a reasonable cost.
And, you can bet they’ve seen some pretty ugly stuff, so you don’t have to be embarrassed when they point out that your battery terminals have corroded into nothing more than flaky, white gunk. They’ll probably swap out your air filter, which, depending on how long it’s been, will improve your gas mileage. They may start with the “flush your cooling system” or “change the transmission fluid” routine and, honestly, you may need it. But be careful, because if they recognize you as a sucker, they’ll keep working it until you walk out with a $300 bill, spoken from experience.
Now, thanks to a little car care your vehicle is looking and running better than ever. Your father-in-law isn’t scowling at you like you’re some sort of dirt bag any more. You’re no longer embarrassed about offering rides to co-workers. Heck, you can even take a date in your vehicle.
How cool is that? You think it may be worth keeping it that way? Just keep doing the same steps, changing the oil and washing yoru car once in a while. It’s that simple. Once you start, you will see it’s really not that bad. Maybe you will like to venture into something more like adding custom aftermarket accessories like seat covers, air intakes and exhaust systems.
Remember that if you take care of your car, it will go much farther.