Recommendations For Planning Your Car For Summer Driving

Spring is the perfect time to get your vehicle ready for the hectic summer driving season ahead. It's sensible to have your vehicle tested before summer's extreme vacation traffic and stop-and-go situation begin earnestly.

The experts at the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence offer the following tips on getting your vehicle ready:

* Read the owner's handbook and follow the suggested service schedules. Be careful on "regular" vs. "severe" schedules proposed, and determine which is appropriate for your driving conditions and habits.

* Look for an orderly repair facility with current equipment in the service bays and skilled automotive technicians being workers, as demonstrated by trade school qualifications, certificates of advanced course work and training, as well as national certification of the individual technicians by ASE.

* Flush and refill the cooling system (radiator) according to the service manual's recommendations. The level, form and intensity of the coolant should be checked at regular intervals. Make sure the engine has cooled down before detaching the radiator cap. Engine overheating is the most common summer breakdown.

* Have engine performance problems corrected, such as hard starts, rough idling and stalling. You'll get better gasoline mileage, and you could prevent more costly repairs.

* Don't ignore your transmission and brakes. Expensive repairs can be avoided by periodic service. Neglected brakes can create safety issues, too.

* Seek out a qualified auto technician to check the condition of belts, clamps and hoses, but be proactive by looking for signs of deterioration.

* Have a marginally working air conditioner system checked by a technician qualified to deal with refrigerants. Older units often contain ozone-depleting compounds that could be released into the air through improper or incompetent service.

* Change the oil and oil filter as specified in the owner's manual. This easy, inexpensive service can add to the life of your vehicle.

* Change other filters (air, fuel, PCV) as suggested in the service manual.

* Verify the condition of tires, including the spare. Let the tires "cool down" before checking their pressure. Uneven wear, "cupping", vibrations or "pulling" to one side indicates problems with your tires or suspension system.

* Replace your headlights with some good quality aftermarket headlights. Good custom headlights or even just a nice new set of H11 bulbs for your normal lights will make a massive difference when you're traveling in dark. Very rarely do you realize how dim your headlights are until you upgrade. Chances are the winter road grim has damaged your lenses to the point where they really need to be replaced.

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