Whether you’re about to take a road trip or you’re simply maintaining your car, these three maintenance steps should always be on your list: 1. Check your oil level. Maintaining the correct level of engine oil is critical for preventing engine wear and tear. To check your oil, start by parking on a flat surface to get an accurate reading. With the engine off and the car cooled down, locate the oil dipstick under the hood. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean with a cloth and then reinsert it before pulling it out again to check the oil level. The oil should be between the “minimum” and “maximum” marks on the dipstick. If it’s below the minimum, top it off with the appropriate type of oil for your vehicle. 2. Inspect your radiator coolant level. The radiator is responsible for keeping your engine cool, so low coolant levels can lead to overheating. Before checking your radiator, make sure your car is cold (preferably after sitting overnight) to avoid burns from hot coolant. Remove the radiator cap (usually at the front of the engine bay) and check to see that the coolant level reaches the top of the radiator or is at the “full” line in the reservoir tank. If the coolant is low, top it off according to your vehicle’s specifications. 3. Check your brake fluid and battery. A quick visual inspection of both components can help you avoid potential issues down the road. For the brake fluid, check the fluid level against the “minimum” and “maximum” markers on the reservoir. If the fluid is low, it may indicate a leak in the brake system or worn brake pads, so you should address this as soon as possible. For the battery, look for signs of corrosion around the terminals, which can appear as a white, powdery substance. If you notice corrosion, remove it with a battery cleaning solution or a mixture of baking soda and water.

3 Important Vehicle Checks

By Will Trbovich Owner of Acur-it Auto Repair Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Avoiding Unnecessary Caliper Replacement

Proper Steps for a Vehicle Inspection

Understanding Your Vehicle’s Air Filters

Video: 3 Important Vehicle Checks


so if you're looking to maintain a
reliable and safe vehicle these are some
of the things you should do if your cars
park somewhere where it's flat and
there's no Hill or anything just pull
out the oil stick and you can look at it
and you can see exactly where your oil
is then another important thing to check
is your radiator so the car being cold
it's been sitting overnight hopefully
you can just pull it off there's very
minimal pressure on it you just look
inside and make sure it's all the way to
the top two other important things you
want a visual check of your battery make
sure there's no corrosion the cables are
tight and lastly you want to look at
your brake fluid all the brake fluid you
want to make sure that it's full if it's
low it indicates two things either you
have a leak or your brakes are warm so
to keep your car in good running order
these are some of the things you should
check before going on a trip or at least
once a month


Video: Do I Need New Brake Calipers?

replacing calipers on your car can be an
expensive fix but is it really necessary
today we're in roner park with diamond
certified expert contributor William
turich of Accurate Auto Repair to learn
more so we're looking at brakes today
why are some brake jobs more so much
more expensive than others one of the
main reasons is that people want to
replace your calipers this is the
caliper right here this is what houses
your brake pads these are the brake pads
the calipers are are sealed they just
need to be clean they need to be
lubricated when you have your regular
servicing these pins we take out these
bolts we clean them and put some prop
there's lubrication that the
manufacturers actually make for them to
keep them lubricated so the caliper job
basically is just when you step on the
brake pedal it pushes the brake pads
next to the rotors to stop the the car
now I don't know why people replace them
uh I've never very rarely ever seen them
leak uh they're they last forever they
last many lifetimes we have cars here
that have 300 to 500,000 miles on them
still have the original calipers I've
never replaced the caliper on my
personal cars because I maintain them so
if somebody's telling you and you're
getting the brake inspection and they're
telling you that you need calipers I
would get another opinion and that could
save you awful lot of money because our
a new caliper is anywhere from $300 to
$600 and the rebuilds which are not very
good are $200 so uh each so that's times
two for your front and times two for
your back so I would just be careful if
anyone was trying to sell you a a Brak
caliber to learn more about the diamond
certified expert program visit us at
experts. Diamond certified. org I'm
Sarah
ran

Video: Getting to Know Your Vehicle’s Air Filters


your home has air filters for improving
air quality but did you know your car
does as well today we're in Rohnert Park
with diamonds certified expert
contributor will turbo of accurate
auto repair to learn more right so most
people are aware that they have furnace
filters in their homes that keeps air
relatively clear you're not always aware
that in your car you have a very similar
situation you have what's called a cabin
filter which filters they're inside your
car that you're actually breathing as
you're driving this is a cabin filter
that was recently replaced so cabin
filters aren't always mentioned when you
bring your car in for service it's
something that you need to be aware of
because it's the air that you're
breathing to learn more from local top
rated companies visit our diamond
certified expert reports at experts
diamond certified org


Video: What’s in a Vehicle Inspection?


most auto shops claim to provide full
vehicle inspections with every service
but what exactly should this entail
today we're in Rohnert Park with
diamonds certified expert contributor
will trim herbage of accurate auto
repair to learn more hello so if you've
taken your car in for a repair you're
picking it up
you might ask them a question how was my
tire pressure if they can't answer that
question then a proper inspection has
not even been started on your car what
is a proper inspection first the oil and
the coolant should be checked before
road tests then the car should be Road
tested to see if there are any unusual
noises or problems inherent in the car
then the car should be brought into the
shop and the hood should be lifted up
again and all the fluids the belts the
hoses anything out of place or any oil
leaks at the top of the engine should be
inspected then once that's done then the
car should be raised in the air and it
physically inspected for tire we're
tired nails or any kind of problems with
the tires suspension should be checked
the exhaust system should be checked and
then you want to have them look at any
oil leaks that might be present in the
car all the lights brake lights tail
lights all those things should be
inspected you know certainly don't want
to get pulled over for having a
taillight out or something like that so
if someone tells you that they've done
an inspection in your car you could ask
them some of these questions ask them
you know how are my lifelong red lights
working how's my tire pressure that
would indicate whether or not a proper
inspection have been done
to learn more from local top rated
companies visit our diamond certified
expert reports at experts diamond
certified org


Will Trbovich: Spirit of Sustainability

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