Maintain a Car

• TASK: Perform basic maintenance on your car in order to ensure it is in good working condition.
• CONDITIONS: Given a car, an owner’s manual, a pressure gage, a quarter, a rag, a jack, a lug wrench, and a friend.
• STANDARD: You must be able to perform maintenance checks and take corrective actions for you car’s tires, engine oil, brakes, lights, coolant, wipers and washer fluid.

​There’s no substitute for taking your car to a trained mechanic for regular maintenance. However, you can and should regularly perform your own operator-level maintenance to ensure that your car stays in good working order between visits to the garage.

Tires
Air Pressure

• Check - Use a pressure gage on the valve of the tire. The exact pressure rating for each tire is listed in the owner’s manual or on the tire itself. Look for a number with a PSI rating that will typically be somewhere between 28 and 36.
• Correct - If your tires are under-inflated, you can go to most gas stations and pay a few quarters to use their air pump to inflate your tires to the correct pressure.

Sidewall Damage

• Check - Visually inspect the sides of your tires for any cracks, crumbling or missing chunks. You shouldn’t see any damage.
• Correct - If you see damage, get to the tire shop to get their professional opinion.

Tread Depth

• Check - Place a quarter in the treads of your car so that the president’s head points toward the tire. You shouldn’t be able to see the top of the president’s head.
• Correct - If you can see the top of the president’s head, your treads are getting worn thin and you should head to a tire shop and get their opinion about whether you should rotate your tires or buy new ones.

Engine Oil
Oil Level

• Check - Turn the car off and pull out the dipstick. Wipe it clean, plunge it back and then remove it again so you can see the tip. You should see two lines on the tip and there should be oil residue between these lines.
• Correct - If the residue line is below the two lines, you should add a quart of the proper type of oil. Pour the oil slowly and check with the dipstick to verify that you don’t overfill.

Brakes
Outer Pad Depth

• Check - Look through the rim of the tire to find the outside pad that is pressing against the metal rotor. You should see about ¼ inch of pad remaining.
• Correct - You should take your care to a brake shop to get them replaced.

Inner and Outer Pad Depth

• Check - Jack or lift the car and remove the tire. The pad depth can typically be viewed by looking through the caliper that holds the pads to the rotor. You should see ¼ inch of pad on both sides.
• Correct - If there is less than ¼ inch of pad remaining on either side, you should probably get new brake pads.

Braking Sounds

• Check - While driving the car, turn off the air conditioner and the radio, roll down your window and come to a stop at varying (legal!) speeds. You shouldn’t hear any squealing or grinding.
• Correct - If you do hear squealing or grinding when you stop, inspect your brake pads to see if anything is wedged between the pads and the rotors. If the pads are less than ¼ inch thick, you should get new ones.

Lights
Low-Beam Headlights

• Check - Turn your headlights on and stand in front of the car. You should see both headlights turned on.
• Correct - If one headlight is burnt out, you can replace it by removing a burnt out bulb and taking it to an auto parts shop to buy a new one.

High-Beam Headlights

• Check - Perform the Low-Beam Headlights check above to determine the brightness of your low-beams, then turn your high beams on and stand in front of the car. You should see both headlights turned on brighter than they were in the Low-Beam Headlights check.
• Correct - If one light is out or not bright, you can replace the lights by removing a burnt out bulb and taking it to an auto parts shop to buy a new one.

Turn Signals and Hazard Lights

• Check - Activate the turn signal in one direction, then step out of the car to see if the front and rear turn signals are blinking. Then activate the turn signal in the other direction and check again. Then turn on your hazard lights and you should see all four lights flashing.
• Correct - If any of your turn signals or hazard lights are burnt out, remove the bulb and take it to an auto parts shop to replace it.

Backup and Brake Lights

• Check - Have a friend stand off to the side at the rear of the car and engage your parking brake. With your foot on the brake, put the car in reverse. Your friend should see the red tail lights on both sides brighten up when you hit the brakes and the white backup lights turn on when you put the car in reverse.
• Correct - If any of your lights are burnt out, remove the bulb and take it to an autoparts shop to replace it.

Coolant
Coolant Levels

• Check - Pop the hood of your car and look for a clear plastic tank with a level indicator on the side. The coolant in the tank should be above this line.
• Correct - There are very different, but simple techniques for adding coolant to your car’s engine. Search the internet for your particular make, model and year to learn how to add coolant. Or you can just take it into an auto shop.

Windshield
Wipers

• Check - It’s pretty easy to tell if your wipers need to be replaced. Your wipers should cleanly brush rain and water clear of the windshield. You can also inspect the wiper blades to verify that there aren’t any tears or crumbling in the rubber.
• Correct - If your wipers smear or streak water on your windshield, head to an auto parts store and buy new ones. You’ll need to know the make, model, and year of your car to ensure you buy the right wipers. New wipers should have instructions for how to remove old ones and replace them with the new ones.

Washer Fluid

• Check - You should see a plastic tank under the hood of your car with a soapy fluid in it. The tank should be more than ¼ full.
• Correct - If the tank is less than ¼ full, head to the auto parts shop to buy new washer fluid.

Sources

• JD Power
• Dummies
• Jalopnik