Time to Spring Clean Your Car

It is finally beginning to get warm outside and spring is near. It is time to spring clean you car. Start by getting the vehicle washed thoroughly, including the under carriage. This will clean all the salt, dirt, etc. off your car that built up over the winter and help prevent it from rusting. A good coat of wax will help protect your car also.

Next, take out and store all of the stuff you put in the car for winter. Things like the snow brush, ice scraper, small snow shovel, bag of sand, warm clothes, etc. Vacuum the interior of your auto and the trunk completely. Take out the spare tire and clean its storage well. Then clean the interior windows, dashboard, etc. and shampoo the carpeting.

Replace the wiper blades as they are probably cracked from the harsh winter we had. Also, check your tires for any signs of wear and to make sure they are properly inflated. If you have snow tires on your vehicle, put the summer tires back on. Spring is an excellent time to have your tires rotated. While that is being done, have the mechanic check your brakes, ball joints, tie rods and alignment. Rough winter driving and pot holes can cause the ball joints and tie rods to become loosened and can knock your car, truck, suv, or van out of alignment. It is also a good time to change the brake fluid in your car to remove water from the cold weather from condensation. This will help to protect the hydraulic parts in your auto from rusting.

Check the coolant in your car. If you have not had the coolant system flushed in a while, have it done. Flushing the system will not only help your engine run better, it will improve your gas mileage. With gas price being what they are, any improvement in gas mileage in important.

Change the oil and oil filter in your car. Most car makers recommend a more heavyweight oil during warmer weather because it helps your engine perform better. This will also help your car get better gas mileage.

Another thing that will help improve your cars performance and gas mileage is replacing the air filter. It is a very easy thing to do by yourself. While you are doing that, check the battery posts and connections to make sure they are tight and there are no signs of corrosion. If there is some corrosion on the battery, clean it off with baking soda and water. Also, check the spark plugs. Dirty spark plugs will decrease your cars gas mileage by causing misfiring.

If you have any rust starting on your automobile, sand and paint it. Also, take care of any small scratches your car may have gotten during the winter.

The better you maintain your car, the better service it will provide you and the longer it will serve you. And, when you do finally decide to replace it, your car will have a much higher resale value.

When you decide to get a newer vehicle you will need an outlet for your old car. An idea is to donate your car to charity. When you donate car to charity you become eligible for a valuable tax deduction. Charity car donation through cars4charities.org/ or 1-866-448-3487 allows you to select your favorite charity to help them to continue with their mission of helping others. You will feel good that you have not only helped a charity, but you have helped yourself through the valuable tax deduction you have made yourself eligible for. So do a good thing and donate your used car you no longer need. The pickup will be free of charge.