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Shortcuts to long car life

The grinding effect of a harsh winter is cause enough to consider preventive maintenance for your favorite buggy each spring. But there's a bigger reason. In this era of self-service filling stations, very little about the average vehicle is being checked regularly except for the fuel level in the gas tank.

Think about it. How many gas pumpers in business suits or high heels do you see lifting the hood to extract an oil dipstick? For that matter, how often do you do it?
Brake and power-steering fuild levels are ignored until disaster strikes. Shock absorbers leak until they collapse. The only time anyone realizes a cooling hose has gained a hole or rotted away under a clamp is when steam billows from beneath the hood.
Self-service is creating a crisis of neglect for America's automobiles.
Let's remedy that--at least for our own vehicles. Preventive maintenance is as good for your car's health as it is for your health. You have an annual checkup. So should your car.
The checkup tasks you can handle and the ones you leave to a professional mechanic are up to you. Only you know how much experience you have.
For simplicity, let's divide the maintenance tasks into categories. First, the cooling system. Spring is a good time to completely flush the cooling system and refill it with the correct antifreeze. (Consult your owner's manual for recommendations.)
Why replace antifreeze? Because antifreeze, like oil, oxidizes and turns acid with age. Combine two metals--such as aluminum, and cast iron or steel--as most modern engines do, with a weak acid electrolyte (old antifreeze) and you create a battery--one that might register as much as a volt of electricity. That's plenty to eat away at softer, aluminum, engine parts.
Rust and scale are generally loosened and removed in the flushing process, especially those processes that combine chemicals with mechanical flushing. And the fresh antifreeze, remember, serves as a coolant come summer. It lubricates and protects against further corrosion.
Survey all the visible cooling hoses--both the heater inlet and outlet hoses, as well as the upper and lower radiator hoses. Check the thermostat bypass hose off the water pump, too, if your engine has one. All hoses should last 25,000 or so miles, but check for bulges, mushy spots, or cracks--especially under the clamps.
Do this while the engine is cold. If a hose doesn't reform quickly after you squeeze it, it probably ought to be replaced. Follow directions in cutting replacement hoses to fit. Always use new clamps, too, and toss out the old ones.
Check the radiator cap. Wash it and examine the gaskets that seal it against the radiator. Make sure the locking tabs aren't bent. A mechanic can test the cap on a cooling-system analyzer, if you wish.
If the cap won't hold recommended pressures, replace it. Also check the radiator overflow tube and plastic reservoir for leaks or clogs. Clean off general grime.
While you're under the hood, check all the belts. Look for cracks, frayed edges, or grease. If necessary, replace the belts with new ones of the proper size. Make sure, also, that all belts are set at the proper tension. They probably shouldn't give much more than one-half an inch when you press your thumb in the middle of each one.
The cooling fan should be wiped off an yeballed for any cracks or dents that could lead to a sudden break. If you find some, have the fan replaced by a pro.
This a good time to consult your records to make sure your engine's oil hasn't passed its ideal change date. It if has, drain the oil and replace the oil filter, refilling it with a premium-quality oil suited to your climate and the way you use your vehicle.
The dipstick that registers power-steering fluid levels should be pulled. Add fluid if necessary, but don't overfill. Remove the cover of the brake-fluid chamber and check that level, too. It ought to be within one-quarter inch of the top of the master cylinder.
With the engine running and the car parked on a level grade, check the transmission fluid. It ought to be filled to the indicated level and the fluid should be reddish in color. If it appears dark or smells somewhat burned, replace it.
You can test most air filters simply by looking at them. Remove the cover and hold the air filter up to a light or toward the sun. If you can see through it, it's probably OK. Tapping it sharply once or twice will remove a small amount of dirt but, if it's more clogged than that, buy a replacement. Wipe the inside of the air filter housing clean before you close it on a new filter.
A mild solution of baking soda and water can be used to clean battery terminals if corrosion is apparent. Clean the entire battery exterior and the metal support plate if acid has started to eat away at it, too. Make sure the cables are clean and firmly attached to the cleaned terminals. If your battery allows you to check liquid levels, do so. Refill only with distilled water and check the charge.
You might also make sure the voltage regulator is working properly. A voltage meter applied across the battery terminals should read between 13.8 and 14.5 volts under normal circumstances. Consult a mechanic if a replacement seems needed.
Headlights, bright/dim switches, parking lights, turn signals, and backup lights all should be checked. Failures usually result from a burned out or broken bulb--these are easy enough to replace yourself. Many modern headlights come pre-aimed and can be installed at home.
If you don't have a spare fuse to two on the panel under the dash, now is a good time to add them. And, if the panel has no holder for the spares, tape them on the inside wall of the glove compartment.
Windshield wiper blades need periodic replacement, too. If yours cause streaking or don't cover the windshield properly, replace them.
Bad shocks? Some indication can be gained by bouncing the car several times over each wheel. A good shock won't let the car continue to bounce more than once. If it continues to bobble up and down, replace the shocks. Never replace just once. Replace both fron or both rear shocks if one of either pair is bad. You can check shocks, also, by putting the car up on a lift. Any streaks of oil probably indicate a broken shock.
While your car's on the lift, you might have a mechanic pull the wheels to check brake linings and bearings--not always a necessary task, but comforting to have done. He can check other suspension lube points, too, and lubrication in the axles.
You can take a good look at your tires in the meantime. Tread wear at the center means overinflation. Wear at the edges means underinflation. If a tire is worn on one side only, it could mean your tire needs a camber adjustment. Feathered edges mean the tires need a toe adjustment. Scalloped or bald spots can mean lack of balance or a bad alignment.
It's a good idea, frankly, to have tires aligned and balanced in the spring--especially after a winter of banging through chuckholes. Tire rotation is a good idea now, too. Remember that radial tires should be rotated only from front to back and vice versa.
Once the car is on the ground, use a good tire gauge (buy one if you don't already have on stowed in your car) and make the adjustments in pressure according to what is indicted in your owner's manual. Checking tire pressure should be a twice-monthly task, at least.
As for checking your air conditioning, leave that to an expert, he can add refrigeration, if needed, or evaluate the whole system and refill it.
Some experts recommend chemical degreasing of the engine compartment followed by a full steam-cleaning top and bottom. Companies that prepare used cars for dealers specialize in this.
They also suggest a check of the rustproofing, including touchups of thin areas and those that might have been dented and repaired or scratched. Rustproofers provide these services for a nominal fee.
At the very least, you will want to wash and wax your car. If you can find a wash with a lift, so much the better. It will enable you to apply the high-pressure spray to the complete underbody and wheel wells. If not, do the best you can. Get the wheel wells as clean as possible. Do the inside as well as the outside of the mud flaps and get back inside the bumpers.
If you've discovered any body rust at this time, you probably ought to let the experts repair it. Sanding, buffing, and repainting aren't too difficult for small spots, but few car owners know how to do it.
Assuming the vehicle is now in top shape, the final step is a waxing. Why wax? Because air (with all its pollutants) and sunlight (ultraviolet rays) are two of a paint job's worst enemies. Summer brings an abundance of both. The third enemy is water. Wax doesn't exclude these three completely although, properly applied, it can do a pretty good job of keeping out water. And it does slow the enemies' attack.
Incidentally, wax a car only after it has cooled in the shade. The wax you use may say that it's OK to apply it in sunlight, but the finish always seems more even if it's done on a cooler surface.
Good vinyl cleaners and protective coatings are available to dress up vinyl roofs.
Good maintenance provides its greatest value at trade-in time. A clean, mechanically sound car always brings a top price--either in a direct sale to a new owner--and used-car prices have been rising steadily--or as a trade-in for a new sport rig.
All it takes is a little tender care once in a while. Now is a good a time as any to do it.