A Quick Guide To Car Maintenance According To Location

Every car owner knows the value of vehicle maintenance yet, in most instances, we do what everyone else does when it comes to keeping our cars in top condition – we follow relatively generic ‘car maintenance’ guides that don’t necessarily take specifics into account.

Admittedly, there’s nothing wrong with this when you consider that maintenance essentials like oil and engine checks are pretty universal. That said, with our locations also determining the wear, exposure, and general conditions of our cars, this generic approach might not necessarily cover all of the bases for lasting vehicle survival. 

In fact, without taking location into account, a wide range of overlooked issues could quickly escalate and leave your maintenance efforts null and void. To avoid that, we’ve got a quick guide to car maintenance that finally takes your location into account for results you can rely on.

# 1 – Maintenance in the city

For city-dwellers who tend to face greater risks to car safety than many others, maintenance is all about getting proactive. Experts especially find that city-based car owners face more engine and mechanical errors, in part due to more time spent in traffic running engines down, and also because of increased levels of roadworks, etc. With a higher concentration of vehicles, city-dwellers also find that their cars are at risk of more damage, including scrapes, scratches, and dents. With these more specific concerns in mind, car owners in the city therefore need to prioritize maintenance concerns including engine health, regular suspension and brake tests, and increased attention paid to safety equipment like bumpers and hang strips. 

# 2 – Keeping on top in the countryside

Car owners in the countryside face an entirely different set of challenges, including the need to regularly drive across sometimes uneven or unpaved terrain that can take a significant toll on tire tread and quality. Driving longer distances on often long stretches of unlit roads can also lead to a higher frequency of fading bulbs and broken indicators. Hence, safe and inclusive maintenance here means checking tires regularly and searching for ‘cheap tires near me used’ to keep on hand as soon as a replacement becomes necessary. Countryside ownership is also reliant on indicator and headlight bulb replacements as soon as dimming becomes noticeable. Only then is it possible to safely maintain a countryside-worthy car. 

# 3 – Smooth sailing on the coast

Life near the coast is perhaps the most detrimental where vehicle health is concerned, especially due to generally higher winds that see sand abrasion significantly damaging vehicle appearances. For the same reasons, corrosion can also be seen more often on the nuts and bolts of coastally-based cars. As such, preventing ocean-related damage is reliant on an owner’s ability to regularly wash and wax their car, and also check for parts erosion, and ensure replacements immediately when they notice it. 

Location has as much of an impact on your car as it does on your lifestyle – are you accounting for that with your vehicle maintenance?