How a Vehicle Tune-Up Prevents Breakdowns
Take Your Vehicle to a Qualified Diesel Mechanic to Ensure It Keeps Running Smoothly
When is the last time you had a physical? Did your doctor find any issues with your health early on, before they became harder to treat? What about a teeth cleaning—chances are, your dentist may have brought up a minor problem in your oral health so that it could be managed before it go any bigger. So what does that have to do with a vehicle tune-up? Well, everything.
See, as any diesel mechanic can tell you, you should be taking your car and truck in for a regular tune-up for exactly the same reason that you are recommended to get an annual physical or a semi-annual dental check-up: because many problems aren’t immediately obvious, and others won’t be obvious until it’s too late. By taking your vehicle to a qualified mechanic at regular intervals, you are creating an opportunity to prevent malfunctions down the road, making your driving experience much safer in the process.
One thing that gets checked and replaced at almost every vehicle tune-up is the air filter. Over time, an air filter loses its effectiveness. An old or clogged air filter can actually rob you of gas mileage (and by extension bragging right), not to mention suffocating your engine, causing it to stall because it’s not getting enough oxygen. Another thing a diesel mechanic will always check is your vehicle’s belts and hoses. If a belt breaks, it can effectively turn your car or truck into a $30,000 paperweight until you get a new one. So by having your mechanic inspect it at every opportunity, you can always make sure it gets replaced before you get stranded on a lonely Alberta highway waiting for mobile truck repair or the CAA to bail you out.
Of course, your diesel mechanic will take a look at every essential part of your vehicle when you bring it in, not just the filter and belts. They’ll test your lights and replace those in need, adjust and realign wheel bearings, replace windshield wipers, and check and top up your fluids. Unlike the batteries your parents had to rely on, today’s automotive batteries are designed to last roughly a decade, but you still want that inspected too, just in case. This can ensure the battery is lasting as long as it should, and provide an opportunity to remove battery acid buildup.
The bottom line with a tune-up is that, even if you think nothing is wrong with your vehicle, you should schedule one at least as often as the owner’s manual recommends—and perhaps even more often if you use your vehicle under extreme conditions (we’re looking at you, oil industry and construction workers). It’s always better to prevent a breakdown now than to fix it later, not to mention cheaper, too. And a good vehicle tune-up keeps your car or truck running as best it can—what more down you need to know?
