Do you ever find yourself struggling to choose a New Year’s Resolution? You’ve done the fitness center resolution several times but that’s getting a little tired. How ‘bout a New Year’s Resolution that will put money in your pocket? Resolve to maintain your car, truck or SUV in tip-top condition.

Auto maintenance is the kind of thing that, if you don’t stay on top of it, it can get away from you. Problems spread. For instance:

• You don’t change the oil on schedule and the engine starts performing badly.
• You don’t check the coolant/antifreeze and your engine block can crack when the liquid freezes.
• You don’t examine the hoses and belts and one or the other breaks while you’re out on the road leaving you stranded.
• You don’t maintain the charging and starting system and, some cold night, you can’t get the car, truck or SUV to start.
• You fail to replace a worn or broken part of your steering and/or suspension and, the next thing you know, your tires are wearing badly and other parts are showing wear.
• You let the brakes get away from you and you can’t stop in that emergency situation.

These are just some of the examples of problems you can have if you don’t maintain your vehicle properly. With an automobile, little things turn into big things. And the bigger the problem the more it will cost. More than that, the shorter your car, truck or SUV’s life expectancy and the lower its resale value.

All in all, there aren’t any good reasons not to stay on top of maintaining your vehicle. Yet some people have a habit of putting things off. 

The car still starts, sort of. The bumps in the road aren’t too bad. The hose is leaking coolant/antifreeze just a little bit, so far. The brakes are grinding but you come to a stop eventually. Is it really that important to change the oil on schedule?

YES!!! It is that important to change the oil on schedule. All aspects of maintaining your car, truck or SUV are vital. But there is another significant benefit when you stay on top of maintaining your vehicle.

Peace of mind is a perk that is priceless. And that’s what you’ll have with your car, truck or SUV if you do a proper job of maintaining it.