Here at Chicago Towing, we stand ready on a 24/7 basis to provide Chicago roadside assistance and vehicle recovery services to clients everywhere in the Greater Chicago Area. In this blog entry, our automotive experts will describe some important maintenance tips you can follow to prevent the need for roadside assistance to begin with.

Paying Attention to Tires and Spare Tires

Make sure to regularly inspect your tire to make sure they are properly inflated. Spare tires can be a fantastic boon if you ever experience a flat tire on the road. We recommend always keeping a spare tire inside your vehicle.

Oil Change

Make sure to change your car’s oil according to all manufacturer specifications. Consider installing synthetic oil which lasts longer than typical motor oil and resists high heat. Oil changes are important to keep your car running properly as they help to prevent buildup inside your engine.

Battery Cleaning

Dirty car batteries can cause cars to fail. Clean car batteries every 6 months. Batteries are some of the most important parts of your car, as they provide the essential power to start your car up and keep it running. Dirty batteries can cause serious issues with your car’s electronics. Avoid this by cleaning any dirt or debris around your car battery before going on a trip. If you notice that your car headlights aren’t working properly, you need to clean your battery.

Brake Pads

Brake pads are essential components of your car’s braking system. When they get extremely worn down, you might have issues like grinding or brake failures. Regularly inspect your brake pads and replace them when necessary.

Air Filters

Air filters should be replaced every 150,000 miles. If you don’t replace your air filters, it makes your fuel economy worse, and even damages your engine. Replace and clean air filters before oil changes.

Tire Rotation

Make sure to regularly rotate tires to ensure even wear and avoid accidents and tire blowouts.

Suspension Systems

Suspension systems include shocks, struts, springs, stabilizer bars, and everything in between. All of these components are important to keep your wheels on the road. Suspension system issues can cause serious, and dangerous, issues.

Coolant

Coolant prevents engines from getting too hot by moving heat away from internal parts on your engine and moving it into the air stream with radiator fins and tubes. A lack of coolant in your car engine will cause it to rapidly overheat.

Spark Plugs

Spark plugs are essential for igniting the mixture of fuel and air that helps to power your car. If spark plugs are worn out or dirty, combustion will not effectively occur, and your spark plugs will have an inability to produce the proper amount of power. Replace spark plugs every 30,000 miles.

Car Belts, Hoses, and Emission Inspection

Make sure car belts – which transfer energy from crankshafts to other aspects of the engine like water pumps and alternators – are in proper condition. Hoses move coolant through your vehicle to stop overheating – make sure they are in proper condition. Also, make sure to have your vehicle periodically emissions inspected, to ensure your car isn’t emitting fumes that dangerously pollute the air.