As the season starts to change, now is the perfect time to give your vehicle some maintenance and prepare it for what's ahead. If you want to help keep your engine in good shape, this article can help When it comes to vehicle maintenance, the majority of motorists think that there is little that they can do at home which can make a significant impact. And while it’s true that there are just some jobs that a mechanic needs to undertake, there is much that each motorist can do at home.

Fall Vehicle Maintenance You Can Do at Home

Jim Ackney knows how important vehicle maintenance is and has a list of maintenance tasks which every motorist can do at home without the need for a mechanic or a mechanic degree.

Give Your Car a Solid Clean

This doesn’t mean taking it to a drive-thru carwash. It doesn’t mean that you should spray your car with a hose. And it definitely doesn’t mean you should leave your car out in the rain to wash off the dirt! No, it means a solid clean! Gather the family together for the afternoon and take to your car with every cleaning item and product you have in your arsenal. If there’s a stain, remove it. If there’s dust, suck it up! If there are marks, wipe them away! Whatever you can see, fix it. In addition to being good to look at, a clean car is a car in good health. Take the foot space where your pedals are, as an example. Each time that you get in your car from the rain, your shoes splash water and debris in the area. Now, given that your regular vacuum of the carpet likely involves you attaching the long nose to the vacuum cleaner and scraping along the carpet a few times, you can see how this can lead to a big problem, such as mold in your carpet or corrosion of the body underneath.

Oil Filter

While you know that your engine has an oil filter, do you know just how important it is and why you should include it on your fall engine maintenance list? The sole purpose of your oil filter is to capture all of the contaminants which collect in your oil supply while it travels through your engine. Once dirty oil makes its way to your oil filter, fibers inside capture all of the contaminants, pushing out clean oil for recirculation. However, just like any type of filter, once it becomes too full it is no longer able to do its job. In the case of your oil filter, when this happens, it simply allows dirty oil to circulate through your engine. Over time, this leads to nothing but preventable engine damage.

Take the Time to Change Your Filter This Fall

When replacing any of the items in your engine, be sure that you are using only the best and the right replacement. Click here to buy AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and give your engine a performance boost. Alternatively, speak with an expert at Jim Ackney by calling (780) 476-0545 to learn more about the benefits of a synthetic oil change in Edmonton, AB Canada.

Tire Condition

When is the last time that you looked at your tires? Not just saw a scuff and wiped it off, or saw a scuff and left it there to stay, but a really good look at their condition? Take your car out of the sun, or if the weather isn’t what it used to be, somewhere with bright lighting, and spend some time inspecting their condition. Look out for the following:

• Chunks or nicks taken out of your tire or tread
• Any debris stuck in the tread or pierced into the tread (nails and such)
• Any bald spots (parts of your tire where there is no tread)

If you can see any of the above or any other concerns for that matter, take the tire to a professional and have it checked out.

Fluids

Time for the obvious; your fluids. However, this tip comes in the form of checking more than just your water or coolant. Your owner’s manual will have some information on the types of fluids your car uses, but the most common are:

• Engine Fluid (Motor Oil/Engine Lubricant)
• Brake Fluid
• Power Steering Fluid
• Transmission Fluid
• Wiper Fluid

Each of these fluids has a lifespan and needs to be checked and replaced routinely. Take the time to check the quantity of these fluids along with its quality. If you can see that any of the fluids have seen better days, then it’s a good idea to replace it instead of just topping it up.

Air Filter

While you might have known that your car has an air filter, would you be surprised to find out that it has nothing to do with your climate control? Combustion, the process that keeps your engine going, relies on two main ingredients. Those ingredients are fuel (the gas you pump in) and air. The cleaner the both of these are, the better the combustion process can be. That’s where your air filter comes in. Its job is to keep out any pollutants or debris from the chamber. If air gets in, say from a filter which has been neglected, then it can not only reduce the performance of your vehicle but also accumulate inside your engine and cause serious damage.

A Synthetic Oil Change in Edmonton, AB Canada Can Boost Your Engine Performance

As you have just read, there are many things which you can do that can have a great positive impact on the performance of your vehicle and how long your engine lasts. If you are unsure about products you are about to use in your vehicle, speak with an expert at Jim Ackney first by calling (780) 476-0545 or check out the online store. With a range of high-quality AMSOIL products available, Jim Ackney is in the best position to provide you with the best advice and the right products.