OFTEN-OVERLOOKED ITEMS WHEN PERFORMING ROUTINE CAR MAINTENANCE

Responsible vehicle owners know that the best way to make sure your car, truck, van or SUV is around to provide years of trouble-free service is to keep up with regular maintenance, with most must-do lists including changing the oil, engine air filter, transmission fluid and more. That said, there are those maintenance chores that don’t immediately jump to mind, but which can be just as crucial to keeping your vehicle performing like new.

Luckily, McLarty Daniel Buick GMC of Bentonville is here to help, with our list of four frequently overlooked car maintenance items. Not into do-it-yourself car repair and upkeep? No worries!…

Just stop in at McLarty Daniel Buick GMC and let our service center do the rest. Our factory-certified mechanics will give your vehicle the once-over and the twice-over to make sure everything is within spec. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment, or check our the service tab at the top of our homepage.

CABIN AIR FILTER REPLACEMENT: Most drivers know that you need to regularly change the engine air filter to help keep your engine breathing free, but what about the air you and your family are breathing on the road? Most cars today include a cabin air filter to reduce the amount of dust, mold, bugs and debris that can make its way into the vehicle while the AC or heat is on, and if you don’t keep it changed, it can really cut down on how well your ventilation system works to keep you comfortable. If you want to change it yourself, Air Cabin Filters can be purchased fairly cheap at any auto parts store, and videos on how to remove and replace these filters — which are often hidden in the ductwork behind the glove compartment — are available for most models on Youtube.

SUV REAR WIPER BLADE REPLACEMENT: Seeing where you’re going through the front windshield is important enough that most drivers keep their windshield wiper blades replaced and up to snuff, but if you drive an SUV, there’s another wiper blade that often gets short-shrift when it is time for replacement: the blade that keeps the rear window clear. While not as crucial to safety as keeping the windshield wipers in good shape, the rear window wiper is there for a reason, clearing the glass of rain, mud and dust that can obscure your vision while you’re backing up. The rear wipers take a real beating due to grit deposited on the rear glass, so be sure to check the function of yours at least as regularly as you attend to the front wipers.

TAILLIGHT FUNCTION CHECK: Be honest: do you know, for a fact, that the brake lights, signal lights and hazard flashers on your car are working right now? Probably not. The reason this is true is simple: most of us never have the opportunity to follow our own vehicle in traffic. Not only can a non-working taillight make your car unsafe on the road, with many states — including Arkansas — no longer requiring annual safety inspections, a burned out brake light can go unnoticed for weeks or months, potentially leading to a stop by the police and a costly ticket. While doing routine vehicle maintenance, get a friend to sit in the driver’s seat and operate all the signals, flashers and running lights while you’re standing behind and in front of the vehicle. If anything isn’t working properly, the fix is usually fairly easy — and much cheaper than a ticket.

SPARE TIRE PRESSURE: If you’ve been driving awhile, you’ve probably been there: you come out to find your vehicle sitting on a flat. Whether you want to change it for yourself or wait for roadside assistance (or a helpful friend), there’s a few things that are absolutely crucial to getting you back on the road again, and one of them is a fully inflated spare tire. The issue is that a spare tire tends to be one of those “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” items that doesn’t draw much attention or inspection until you need it, and if it has been sitting awhile in its holder under the car, it could have been damaged or otherwise lost pressure, making the spare useless when you need it most. When you’re doing basic maintenance, do yourself a favor and check the pressure in your spare. Chances are it will be fine. But if it isn’t, you’ve just saved yourself the hassle of piling one headache on top of another.

Hopefully, these four items will be the reminder you need to get after those overlooked car maintenance chores. In need of a great new or used vehicle to maintain? Then stop in today at McLarty Daniel Buick GMC of Bentonville and check out our full lineup of great vehicles, or shop us online.

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