Owning a car extends beyond merely taking out the loan required to invest in the initial cost.

If you want to ensure that your investment lasts longer than a year and that you avoid having to pay the exorbitant fees usually charred by manufacturers to replace parts that have broken before their time, then it pays to know a little about how to look after it. This post is all about offering you a few essential tips that every car owner really ought to know, which are easy to perform and will keep your vehicle ticking over as it should for longer.

Regularly Check And Change The Oil

An oil change is a task that many people understand is something that needs to be done on the regular and according to their manufacturer handbook, but a job that tends to seem far too advanced for the average person. However, while you can certainly hire a mechanic to perform this task and even hire a mobile mechanic like this one in Fort Worth, the reality is that with a few tools and a bit of interest in how it all works, you can often get the job done yourself. In fact, the biggest challenge is disposing of the used oil, but this can be done relatively easily these days. All you need to do is to:

• Check what oil your car uses
• Find the drain nut
• Empty the old oi
• Replace the filter
• Tighten everything back up according to the torque spec
• Refill with fresh oil

Once you've done it at least once, you'll wonder why you chose to willingly spend hundreds of dollars for someone else to do it for you.

Inspect Tire Pressure And Tread

This is another incredibly straightforward job, yet one that could save you a fortune in new tires. Just purchase a cheap tire gauge off Amazon or from your nearest big box store, and use it to make sure your tires are inflated to the PSI that is recommended by the manufacturer (of the car in the case of stock tires or the tire brand for third-party ones). This will not just ensure your tires are good to go for longer but will actually reduce your fuel usage since incorrectly inflated tires can use more fuel due to the increased rolling resistance.

Clean Battery Terminals To Prevent Corrosion

When you keep your battery terminals clean, you're ensuring a proper connection from the battery to all of the electronics used in your car. And seeing as how high-tech vehicles have become, it makes sense to keep everything connected nicely to avoid any shorting. Just take a wire brush and have it at the terminals to remove any accumulating corrosion. In order to achieve the best results, take off the connections first so you can get to the entire terminal node. Just make sure that you disconnect the negative first, then the positive. To reconnect, just do the reverse: the positive first, then the negative. You might find some components in your car not working as usual, but a quick search online will provide you with the solution (such as holding down the window button for x seconds to get it working automatically again, etc.).

Most people consider a car a hefty investment, so taking care of it should be a priority. Using these tips and others you can find online, you should be able to keep your car in tip-top condition and running smoothly for longer.