Odin Says ...

How to Keep Your Car Out of the Garage

Nov 13, 2007

The following is a compilation of helpful tips and suggestions that will help you keep your car in good shape, out of trouble, and most importantly, far from your mechanic’s grip. Drive safe and enjoy!

• Make sure you adhere to the maintenance routine schedule recommended in your car’s owner’s manual.
• Change your oil using synthetic motor oil, and you can go up to 8,000 kilometers before the next change (although 5,000 is recommended). You way ask ‘why synthetic?’. Synthetic oil makes a difference if you intend on keeping your car for a long time. Some other benefits are: better engine lubrication in cases of extreme weather and improved cold-startup performance.
• Try to change the transmission fluid every 50,000 kilometers.
• It is always better to have summer and winter tires. At the very least, winter tires will give you much better traction on snow than all-season tires. If you do opt for all-season tires, then start thinking about replacing them after five years if they are more than halfway worn down. At this point, the tires don’t give much traction and are more susceptible to a flat.
• Always carry an air pressure gauge in your car, so you can easily determine if your tires need air. Try to do this on a monthly basis. Keep your tire pressure within the manufacturer’s range at all times. This will even help you improve your gas mileage significantly.
• To protect your car’s body, consider applying conventional liquid rust proofing a few times a year. Your best bet to survive Montreal’s cold winters is to use spray-on oil or chemical rust proofing.
• Headlight or break light malfunctions are very common, especially with certain GM models. To avoid being stopped by the police, take a moment every now and then to walk around your vehicle, and make sure that all your lights are functioning properly. A good time to do this is when you are at the gas station, especially if you have someone with you, as they can assist you with checking your brake and parking lights.
• If you are one of those Montrealers that don’t use their cars much during the summer or winter, and are worried about draining your battery due to lack of use, make sure you use a battery charger in your indoors garage. You can even use a trickle charger a few days a week to achieve a similar result. If you keep your car outdoors, and/or don’t’ have access to an electrical outlet, consider using a solar panel battery charger, which plugs directly into your cigarette lighter socket. Make sure you place the panel on your dashboard to ensure exposure to the sun for at least a few hours a day.
• Again, if you are going to store your car during the winter, you should fill up on gas, change the oil, disconnect the battery, and jack up so all wheels are off the ground.