The coronavirus has limited a large population of individuals to not go out as much as they did before due to the high risk of their wellbeing. Having a vehicle is deemed as essential to all, and a lot of people overlook taking care of their vehicle. Here is a set of instructions that everyone should know about their vehicle that can prevent future problems.

1. Checking your lights.

Though most modern cars have systems that detect when a light is not working, it is important to still check, as it could fail.

Start your car or keep your car in the ignition position, anyway that lets power go to your car’s systems. Start by turning on your low beams. Go outside of your car and make sure both sides are working.

Turn on your high beams and fog lights. Rotate the knob that activates the fog lights and the button for the high beams. A lot of cars have a different way to turn on the high lights and high beams. A quick way to check the high beams is to pull back the whole signal arm, and it will turn on.

Turn on your 4-way flashers: your emergency lights. Make sure all sides are flashing simultaneously.

For this next part, you will need a second person. Turn on the running lights, and the helper should see the tail lights to be a dim red running light. Then as you press the brake, it should be a very bright red.

Last but not least, check your license plate light. The license plate lights should illuminate when the running lights are on.

If any of the lights do not work, access your owner’s manual and find the type of bulb, and find it on Amazon. Almost every car has a different way of accessing the light housings, so it is best to refer to your car’s manual. Remember that having all of your lights are working is a legal liability!

2. Jumpstart your car.

Jumpstarting your car is when you use an external battery, from another car or a battery cart, to supply power to your car in order to start it. The most common reason for a jumpstart is leaving a light on, or not starting your vehicle in a while, and draining the battery’s power.

First, attach the red end of the jumper cable to your red positive terminal, and the black end to any unpainted metal. Some cars have a special point for this. It is important to connect the cables to the dead battery first, as connecting the cables to the powered battery first can be dangerous if the cables were to touch something accidentally. Always leave the ends of the cable on the ground, keeping a great distance in between them.

Connect the red end of the cable to the red part of the battery and the same for the black.

Wait around 30 seconds, and try to start the car. If the car doesn’t start, or the car trying to start is a big truck, have the other car rev their engine.

If nothing else works, you will need to replace your battery. This is easy, as you just detach the cables, take out the old battery, insert the new and reattach the cables. There could be a plastic clip holding the battery in place, but every car varies so refer to your owner’s manual.

3. Measuring your tire tread.

Tires need to be replaced when the tread is one-sixteenth of an inch. If you get an American penny, have the face pointed down towards the tire. Put a penny in the tread.

If you see the top of the man’s head, your tires need to be replaced. If you cannot see the top of the man’s head, your tires are still fine. For Canadians, a Canadian nickel can be used using the same process. If you see the top of the Queens crown, the tires are worn out. Make sure to check all tires, as front tires and back tires wear out at different rates. Note: This technique only works on car tires, not pickup truck tires.

From this picture, the tires need to be replaced. If your tires need to be replaced, contact your nearest tire shop. To find your car’s tire size, look for numbers that are oriented like xxx/xxRxx. The first set of 3 numbers is the tire width. The second set is the aspect ratio. The Rxx is the rim diameter. Give this set to your tire shop. Be cautious that the front tires and rear tires may have different tire sizes.

For this tire, the tire width is 345, the aspect ratio is 30 and the diameter of the rim is 19

4. Last but not least, wash your car. Washing your car can remove salts from the road that can ruin your paint.

The easiest option is to go through a touchless carwash, which can cost from 7 dollars to 20 dollars, depending on the package.

For washing your car at home, always use a dedicated car soap product, not household cleaners. This is so the paint is not damaged. Car cleaners and sponges can be found on Amazon for very affordable costs. I personally prefer to get powdered car soap which I mix with water, but any soap works fine.

Prepare your soap and sponge, and completely soak your vehicle.

Next, get your sponge and make sure to lather the entire body of the car with soap. Always make sure the body and the sponge are wet, so you do not scratch the paint or glass with a dry sponge. Reassure this by constantly dipping your sponge in your soap mixture.

Then thoroughly spray down the soap of your car. The soap only agitates, and then the water pushes it all down. Now would be the time to go over the car and look for any spots mixed.

Now it’s time for the rims. For the rims I use a microfiber cloth, not a sponge. I keep the sponge only for the body, keeping the sponge from unwanted grease or brake dust. Make sure to use the same formula on the rims, keeping the rim wet and constantly dipping the microfiber to prevent scratches.

Lastly, it is time to wax. There are thousands of different products to use, and every product has a different preparation technique. I use a simple body shine solution, where I spray the surface and wipe off the excuse solution. Make sure to use a lot of solution, and not wipe a dry surface, as wiping a dry surface with a cloth can create micro scratches (swirl marks).

Conclusion

Keeping your vehicle maintained can not only keep yourself safe, but also boost the value of your car in the long run. Keeping your car up to code with lights and tires can prevent a lot of dangerous on a road trip, and having a clean car will keep the paint shining in the sun through your road trip.