Help Your Truck Live It's Best Life: 8 Essential Truck Care Tips
Your truck does a lot for you, but do you return the favor? Here are 8 essential truck care tips to ensure it runs like a dream for years to come.
According to a study by IHS Markit, the average age of vehicles on the road is 12.1 years. Recent trends show that Americans keep their cars longer, trying to extract every dollar of value from their purchase. Contributing to this rise are the number of used vehicles sold each year, a clear sign that Americans are less interested than ever in spending for a brand-new vehicle.
As a truck owner, you know how valuable your truck is for your business and personal life. That's why truck care is so vital. Keeping your vehicle in working condition will help you save money and keep your truck on the road.
Do you want to know more about truck maintenance? Read on for eight crucial truck care tips.
1. Regular Oil and Oil Filter Changes
The top way to keep any vehicle on the road is regular oil and filter changes. It's a no-brainer, and you should change your oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles. If you own a newer truck, an oil change every 5,000-7,500 can be suitable.
No matter the mileage, oil changes are vital for the life of your truck.
Dirt and debris will build up in your truck's engine. Excess dirt and debris lead to sludge. Your truck's engine will run hotter and idle harder.
This constant overheating will burst gaskets and warp engine parts. These are expensive fixes that often signal the end of a vehicle's life.
2. Choose the Correct Tires
Do you drive your truck on highways and freeways? Or do you take your vehicle along the muddy and rocky backroads? You probably bought yours for its ability to handle different terrains.
Choosing the correct tires for the terrain is a vital part of taking care of your truck. The wrong tires can cause damage to your shocks and wheel assembly.
When choosing a tire, consider the weather and the terrain you most often travel. If you spend your time driving the freeway, an all-terrain tire won't be worth the cost. If you are a mudder, tires meant solely for highway driving may cause damage.
3. Keep Fluids at Proper Levels
Are you old enough to remember full-service gas stations? Back in the day, a filling station attendant would pump your tank full of unleaded, wash your windows, and check your truck's fluid levels. You didn't even have to get out of your vehicle.
Times changed unless you live in New Jersey or Oregon. Even though it's not a challenging task to monitor your truck's fluid levels, our modern lives are so busy many of us don't do it enough. If you want to know how to care for your truck, one of the easiest ways is to get under the hood every month.
Check your oil levels to make sure your truck's motor oil is full and clean. Monitor your power steering and ABS brake fluid levels. Gauge the level of coolant in the reservoir, and pull the dipstick for your automatic transmission fluid.
All of these fluids play a crucial role in your truck. Low fluid levels for an extended period will cause multiple and expensive vehicle malfunctions.
4. Change Your Driving Habits
Did you know that your driving habits can put extra wear and tear on your truck? Abrupt stops, quick starts, and rough turns wear your tires and brake pads. These habits also put pressure on the valves, hoses, and sensors that keep your truck rolling.
Take the aggression out of your driving habits. Try not to speed up or stop too fast. Take your turns slow, and set the cruise control if you're on an open stretch of highway.
5. Keep it Clean
Folks who live in a colder climate know the damage weather can do to a truck. Aside from the snow and brutal cold, road salt and cinders can eat away at your truck's body. Far too few people wash their vehicles during the winter months, figuring they'll wash away the salt come spring.
If you do this, you could go three to four months without washing your truck. During that time, the sodium chloride corrodes your truck's paint, eating through it until it eventually rusts the metal.
Don't let it happen. A hands-free car wash during the winter months protects your car from rust.
6. Protect the Paint
Weather and climate affect the lifespan of any truck. Rain, hail, and snow all cause damage. If you live in a dry climate, wind, soot, and sand will strip the paint and pit the windshield.
How do you protect your truck's paint job from the ravages of weather? The paint protection film is a shield against the elements you need.
Aside from weather protection, this film keeps your truck's paint safe from minor dings and scratches that can come from parking on a city street or driving through the brush.
7. Don't Forget the Fuel System
Over time, particles found in gasoline can clog your vehicle's fuel system. Dirty fuel injectors spray less fuel into the ignition system, and a weak stream causes your truck to use more gas. A weak fuel injector stream also makes your truck's engine run and idle harder.
Cleaning your fuel system is easy. Buy a trusted fuel injection cleaner and pour it into the gas tank. Run the engine and add another cleaner to remove carbon from all of your combustion chambers.
8. Keep it Indoors
Do you have a garage? Many people do, but they use it as storage or a workspace.
If you have a garage, you should make room for your truck. Garage or covered protection keeps your truck safe from the elements and helps regulate the moisture inside your engine. A garage will extend your truck's life for years.
Expert Truck Care
You want to get the most out of your investment, and proper truck care is the way to do it. Remember to change the oil and check fluids. Protect your valuable vehicle by keeping the exterior clean and investing in protection film.
Do you want to add an extra layer of protection? Contact us at Solar Shade Truck and Car Paradise. Our autobody experts will keep your truck in tip-top shape.
