Keeping your car in great shape makes it safe to operate and improves its efficiency. Moreover, all facts considered, a properly maintained car is cheaper to operate and will fetch a good price if you need to resell it. While you could be observing auto maintenance religiously, there are vehicle parts that need to be repaired regularly. By keeping an eye on your car’s manual and staying vigilant, you’ll know the parts that need to be replaced, and when. Check out our auto body repair shop checklist to discover the parts that need regular repairs.
Tires
Tires are critical to a car’s performance. Additionally, the condition of the tires plays a substantial role in determining how safe a car will be. The car comes with a manual that indicates when you need to change your tires and you’re advised to stick to the schedule.
On average, car tires should be replaced after about six years or after 36,000 miles.
Additionally, tires should never be used after 10 years. While this is great advice, it’s important to remember that not all people buy brand-new cars. If you bought a second-hand car, you might not even get the manual or could also forget when the tires are due for a change.
Regardless of the car manufacturer’s recommendation, the life expectancy of tires will be influenced by various factors. If you drive on rough country roads, your tires will wear out sooner than those used on smoother roads. Tires also get battered by weather extremities – you, therefore, need to have separate tires for winter and summer.
Since the condition of the tires influences safety and fuel efficiency, look out for some tell-tale signs that your tires need replacement, including:
- Cracks on tires
- Uneven wear
- Noise and vibrations when driving
While you can assess the condition of your tires, it helps to consult your auto body shop repair checklist to ensure that you’re doing the right thing.
Apart from natural wear and tear, tires easily get punctured. If your tire was punctured by a nail, you should get the puncture repaired quickly and correctly. Poor puncture repair could lead to the accumulation of water and moisture in the tire which will eventually rust its steel belts. To be certain that you’re receiving the correct puncture repair, ask for assistance from an auto hail repair service.
Brake Pads
Brake pads are critical for the safe operation of a car and should be a paramount consideration in your auto body shop repair checklist. If you can’t stop the car when you need to, especially in an emergency, you risk damaging the car, injuring yourself and other road users, or causing fatalities. To keep your car in tip-top condition, brake pads must be replaced at the slightest indication that they are no longer effective.
Regardless of the material they’re made of, brake pads will continue wearing out as long as the car is on the road. Ultimately, they’ll become too thin that they’ll no longer function effectively. While some cars are equipped with sensors that alert you when replacements are needed, for some cars you need to be on the lookout for signs of wear and tear.
Some warning signs to look out for include screeching, squealing, and grinding sounds. While your car manual could have stipulations on when you need to change the pads, you could take advantage of your regular car inspection to have brake problems addressed. When you take your car to your trusted auto car repair service for an oil change or other forms of regular maintenance, it helps to have your brake pads inspected.
While brake pad replacement costs little, neglecting it is a recipe for disaster and it should be a central part of your regular auto body shop repair checklist. To make sure that you’re not neglecting this critical car part, you should consider researching the prices of your car’s pads and budgeting for them as part of your regular vehicle maintenance.
Car Battery
You’ve probably been stopped by a motorist you found stranded on a lonely part of the road with the request to help jumpstart their car. Battery failure can be one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a motorist because when this crucial component fails, nothing else works and should, therefore, be an essential part of your auto body shop repair checklist.
Battery issues hardly arise with new cars. A new battery could last between three and five years
but this depends on how you use it. To lengthen the life of your battery, it’s recommended that you keep the headlights off when you’re not driving.
Regardless of the care that you give your car, your battery will fail at some time and you must schedule to repair or replace it at some time if you don’t wish to suffer the agony of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and asking for roadside assistance services.
While some batteries could cease to operate without any warnings, most give you clues that they need to be attended to. If you suddenly notice that your headlights are not producing adequate light, or that you need to press the gas pedal to start your car, it might be time to have your battery checked. Some batteries could also start showing signs of corrosion on the terminals or deposition of battery acid on the tray while others could produce unpleasant odors.
While the warning signs do not automatically condemn a battery, you’d do yourself a favor to have it inspected by an auto mechanic. To keep abreast of the condition of your battery, it also helps to regularly inspect and test it.
When you find signs of corrosion on the terminals, you could easily clean the mess with dielectric grease. Keeping track of the battery’s condition could save you from a costly replacement or the frustration of finding yourself stranded in the wilderness.
The Alternator
The alternator and the battery work in tandem. Should one fail, you’ll have a problem starting the car. For many people, any problems with starting the car are always blamed on the battery. Understanding the relationship between the alternator and battery is an important consideration in any auto body shop repair checklist. The workings of the two are simple: when you start the car, the battery starts the engine and powers the car’s electrical components, including the alternator. Once the alternator is started, it generates power and then continues to power the battery.
Owing to the close relationship between the two parts, diagnosing the part that could be making a car fail to start could prove problematic. While the risk of misdiagnosing alternator problems is high, you can give yourself peace of mind by consulting a trusted auto repair service and requesting for testing before considering replacement. Alternators are expected to operate optimally for the first five to six years and, if yours has already reached this age, you might consider replacing it.
The Air Filter
Air filters might appear to be small inconsequential car parts but did you know that they play a critical role in determining the effectiveness and longevity of your engine? The primary objective of air filters is to keep dirt and other particles away from the engine.
While your car manual will advise on recommended air filter change intervals, there are other factors to consider if you want a perfectly working engine. If your car manufacturer has recommended a change after 12,000 miles, for example, you should act as recommended. However, the time required for a change could be reduced substantially if you operate on dusty roads where dirt accumulation is immense.
Air filter replacement should be a critical part of your auto body shop repair checklist as clogged filters could potentially damage your engine leading to expensive replacements. Moreover, dirty filters lead to fuel inefficiency. When clogged, air filters limit airflow to the engine, and, as a consequence, the engine is forced to work harder and this leads to greater gas consumption. Replacing or cleaning car filters is cheap and fast. In addition to helping reduce your fuel costs, clean filters are environmentally friendly as they reduce a car’s emissions.
The Windshield
Windshields offer protection from dust, debris, and other flying objects. Additionally, some windshields provide added protection for car occupants from UV rays. Keeping your windshield in perfect condition is not only good for car passengers but should be top on your list of auto body repair checklist.
Driving a car with a cracked windshield is illegal in many states. While there are slight variations in the regulations in different states, the federal government makes it illegal to drive a car with a cracked or chipped windshield
. Fines for defective windshields are hefty and, in some situations, your driver’s license could be suspended.
Apart from the need to keep vehicle occupants safe and comfortable, the importance of attending to a cracked, broken, or chipped windshield urgently is rather obvious. Unless you repair a crack immediately, the damage will worsen especially when you have to drive on uneven and bumpy roads.
Driving a vehicle with an unsatisfactory windshield limits visibility and increases the possibility of causing an accident. If you were considering reselling your car, a cracked windshield is enough to deter would-be buyers.
While replacing a cracked or chipped windshield could be costly, there are more affordable ways of addressing the problem. Chips and cracks can be repaired by reputable auto glass shops and the costs you’ll incur are a fraction of the cost of windshield replacement. Moreover, some auto insurance policies cover windshield repair and you could get refunded by your insurance company.
The AC System
Nothing could be more uncomfortable than a car with a malfunctioning AC system in summer. Apart from exposing vehicle occupants to suffocating heat, some broken-down systems also emit foul odors that compound the discomfort. Even worse, when the AC system starts to leak, it releases harmful chemicals which degrade the environment.
Repairing your car’s AC system should be one of the most crucial tasks on your auto body shop repair checklist especially when you’re planning on selling the vehicle. Fortunately, there are some DIY repair jobs that you could perform but, for best results and peace of mind, you’re better off contracting an auto ac repairs service.
Should you find that the system is not cooling adequately, the problem could be solved by replacing a malfunctioning compressor or a damaged belt. When an AC system releases excess moisture, this could indicate an accumulation of debris inside the system and you only need to get the dirt removed. In many cases, therefore, you rarely need to fork out a lot of money to get your AC system working optimally.
Car Detailing
While you could be giving your vehicle the TLC you think it deserves, have you ever considered local car detailing? If you haven’t, then your automobile is missing out on a crucial item necessary in every auto body shop repair checklist. With car detailing, you aim to make your used car look as good as new by improving its exteriors and interiors. Detailing could involve simple tasks such as giving the exteriors a thorough clean. You can also decontaminate the exteriors and interiors or apply a fresh coat of paint.
While you could perform some car detailing tasks on your own, you’re better off dealing with a local detailing service. If, for instance, you decided to thoroughly wash your car, are you sure of the products to use so that you don’t cause damage by scratching the car or ruining the paintwork? As you might discover, some of the substances etched on car exteriors cannot be handled by soap and water hence the need to ask for professional help. The car’s interiors can be detailed by cleaning the upholstery and removing items that appear dated. In a nutshell, detailing refines the car and restores it to a great new condition.
Car Restoration
If you own a vintage car, you could be the envy of your neighbors. Classic cars are a rare find and if you have one, it could be worth much more than many brand-new cars. Great as they are, however, vintage cars need to be restored via an auto body shop repair checklist.
When you remember that some classic cars are several decades old, you appreciate that they could have crucial internal components that are no longer working. The wear and tear could also be evident on the exteriors and these problems could only be addressed through classic car restoration.
Restoration increases a car’s durability and enhances its value. Given that most classic cars are kept for shows, spending some money to restore your car to a splendid condition is a sound investment.
Whether yours is a recent or classic automobile, you can keep it in great shape by observing our auto body shop repair checklist. Keeping your car in splendid shape is not only gratifying but will help get a good price for it the day you decide to resell.
