If you have been fortunate enough to be able to afford your dream truck, then you ought to spend some time learning how to keep it in great shape (particularly in the current economic climate). It’s one thing splashing the cash on the initial outlay, but it’s entirely another thing when opening up your wallet when you have neglected its maintenance and bring it into the shop for a service only to find out that it’s out of warranty and needs a new gearbox. But, with a bit of preventative medicine, you can keep your pride and joy purring beautifully throughout its lifespan and even increase its value when the time comes to part ways with it and invest in an updated model. This post will cover a few basic tips that anyone can use to ensure their truck remains in the same condition as when you drove off the lot.
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Keep Moving Parts Oiled And Lubricated (Including Regular Oil Changes)
First and foremost, among all other points, is to ensure that anything that is proline to friction is well-oiled and adequately lubricated. If you can only do one thing on this list, it ought to be this one. By neglecting oil levels or not changing them when required, you risk overheating components and degrading them over time. This will almost certainly result in a substantial maintenance bill when the time ultimately comes to replace the worn-out parts. Moreover, truck maintenance involves more than simply making sure oil levels are adequate; it also involves investing in regular oil changes per the manufacturer’s specifications. Old oil is better than no oil, but it can still have deleterious effects on all the moving parts of your engine and transmissions, making it vital to replace it with fresh oil when needed. It’s also worth noting that while your engine needs oil, other moving parts will need high-quality lubricant for similar reasons (i.e., to reduce damage from friction). In most cases, you can ensure all of this is sorted by taking your truck into your local garage for regular service, which in most cases ought to be done annually.
Clean Air Filters To Allow Efficient Air Intake
The air filters are designed to stop harmful contaminants from entering your engine, which can cause severe degradation over time. By keeping your air filter clean and free of damaging particulates, you will ensure the longevity of your engine and lower boost your fuel economy (by helping your engine to suck in the air it needs more efficiently). In most cases, you will need to replace the filter every 15,000 miles or so (refer to your handbook), but if you really want to be proactive, you can remove them and give them a blast with your air compressor once in a while to blast the dust and debris from them.
Keep Battery Terminals Clean And Tight
Modern vehicles are absolutely chocked full of all kinds of electronics these days, from ECUs to the ICE systems that are essentially miniature computers. All of these things, along with the usual stuff like the combustion aspect, involve large amounts of electricity that is provided by a 12V battery. While damaged connections aren’t going to destroy your truck, they certainly won’t do it any good. Therefore, you should make some time to check the terminals for corrosion 9which they are prone to) and, if needed, give them a good scrubbing to get them back to normal again. You should also make sure the connections are all secured tightly and won’t move around when the truck is in motion.
Protect Paint With Regular Washing
Maintenance involves the engine and other usual suspects and extends to the bodywork and paint. After all, you might have the most highly tuned motor in the neighborhood, but if it looks like trash and the bodywork is rusting away, you won’t get the kudos you might deserve. You can guarantee that your car looks fantastic at all times by giving it a regular wash with the correct car shampoo and polish. If you don’t have the time or predilection to do this by yourself, you can either take it to a professional car wash or go the extra mile and invest in a full detail. Doing so will not just make it look fantastic but also enable you to spot if there are any paint chips that have exposed bare metal that might cause rust if left unchecked.
Keeping your truck in top condition isn’t as much effort as many people believe. As long as you adhere to the manufacturer’s specifications vis-a-vis servicing and learn a few things you can do by yourself, you will be able to expand its working and aesthetic lifespan massively.
