Are you a car owner but do not know the basics of maintaining a car? You are going to find this article useful because today we want to share with you the top ten mistakes car owners make. You do not have to be an expert mechanic but it goes a long way to be aware of these mistakes so you can avoid them and have a safe driving experience. Let’s get on to it.

Mistake number one, people do this all the time they get in their car, they start it up, and they drive right away. That’s not good for the engine. You need to give the engine at least 10 to 15 seconds to get the oil to the critical components and let the RPMs dropdown. Older cars you should give you even more time and in cold weather, you might want to give your car 20 to 30 seconds to start up. Especially when in cold weather conditions, the oil is really thick. What you should do is get in the car, start it up, give it 10 to 15 seconds then drive.

The second mistake people make is they start their car, they drive away, and they rev it up or they push the car hard before it warms up. You should always wait until your engine gets to operating temperature before you push the car hard or rev it or accelerate quickly. Obviously, if it’s an emergency situation you got to do what you got to do. But never beat on a cold engine.

The third mistake is putting premium fuel in a car that only needs regular. You’re not helping your car. There’s no performance benefit. Octane is just the measure of how hard it is for the gasoline to explode. The first thing to look at is right in the owner’s manual where it says premium recommended, so you could put premium but you could also put regular because it’s not required. Also a quick google search of your car model plus the type of fuel will help.

Mistake number four: changing your oil every 5,000 kilometers. Today’s oils are way better than they were back then so that old 5,000-kilometer oil change is a thing of the past. Today’s oils could last 10,000, 15,000 and even synthetics, they can last up to 15,000 kilometers.

Mistake number five, people don’t inspect their car often enough. It’s important that you inspect your car because you’re driving every day. You can’t just take it for granted that your tires aren’t flat, that your oil is correct, that you have enough coolant, that you have enough windshield wiper fluid. What you should do is that when you’re in a parking lot, instead of going right to your car, go take a walk around it real quick, check all four tires, turn your lights on, turn your flashers on, make sure your blinkers are working, make sure your headlights are working, make sure your taillights are working. It’s a quick thing, might prevent you from getting a violation, and it could save your life.

Number six: people don’t check their tire pressure. You want to make sure you don’t overinflate and you want to make sure you don’t underinflate. The recommended tire pressure for your car is located on the inside door jam of the driver’s side. Most vehicles are recommended to be at 30 PSI. Make sure you check your tire pressure when the temperature changes ten degrees or more.

Mistake number seven, people don’t look at their tires enough. It’s important to look to see how much tread depth you have left. The other thing you want to look for is you want to look for any cracks, any slashes, any gouges into the tire. And the final thing is you want to look at the wear on the tire. You can see here on the inside of my tire, it’s worn down a lot, and on the outside, it actually looks good. So if you didn’t take a close look you might think the tires are good, but in reality, these tires need to get replaced. Finally, don’t cheap out on new tires if you get them; you know they’re one of the most important items on your car.

Mistake number eight, people don’t check their spare tire. They forget about it, they just leave it there, and then when they need it it’s flat; and what good is a flat spare tire do? Nothing. So you need to make sure you fill it up with air and also locate where the air is coming out if it’s flat. It is also a good thing to have a portable tire inflater if you have the budget.

Mistake number nine: people don’t read the owner’s manual. Reading the owner’s manual is one of the most fundamental things when you get a car. It’s simple. It takes 30 mins to three hours. You read through the whole book. You should know what every button does in your car and what every gauge means in your car. Also, every car is different. So if you’re driving one car and you move to another, you should know the difference between the two cars.

Finally mistake number ten: people don’t know how to clean their car properly. One of the things I see people do all the time is they use paper towels on their paint or they don’t use any liquid when they’re using a towel on their paint. You need to have some type of lubricant and you shouldn’t use paper towels when you’re cleaning off your paint. What you should do is you should use a microfiber cloth and have some type of lubricant, so some type of liquid. And because cleaning your car is such a big problem, If you find these tips important and helpful. Please do share to your fellow drivers and also consider subscribing. We publish important tips on how to prolong the life of your car and auto insurance deals.