Tag Archive: used car
How to Take Care of a Car – Top 5 Things
December 20, 2015
How to Take Care of a Car: Top 5 Things
Owning a car could be a symbol of your style and status. But a routine maintenance procedure is quite essential for maximizing the reliability, safety and protecting your investment as well. Your car won’t magically take care of itself. For it, you should start reading the recommendations and maintenance tips by the automakers in the magazines or Internet. Next, you would be need of a good repair shop where you get essential tips from the certified technicians.
With a few tips and alertness, you could keep your car free from the troubles. Listed below are some of the important car maintenance basics that would help your car to run smoothly and stay ready for every road battle.
- Check out all the fluid levels: Nothing could affect the engine’s performance faster than the negligence in oil-level checks. So, see if the oil levels, including engine, brake, power steering, and transmission is up to the mark.
- Take care of the cooling and heating systems: Flush the cooling system of your car and change it once in a year. Keeping the cooling system in a good shape help prevents the corrosion and harmful deposits inside it. Both heating and cooling performance is crucial for interior comfort and safety reasons like defrosting. It should be taken care of properly to function well.
- Check the battery and exhaust system: Battery is the key component of a car’s electrical system. Regular maintenance of battery could avoid unwanted troubles and saves a lot. Make sure that all the connections are tight, corrosion-free. Exhaust leaks could be dangerous that is why it must get corrected before anything happen. If you heard any kind of unusual noise, then there might some damage, leaks, or broken parts. So, inspect it carefully before you start a long trip.
- Check out the brake and suspension: Brake is one of the most important parts of a vehicle so as the suspension. So, have an annual check and keep an eye on the brake linings, drums, and rotors at each oil change. Also make an intensive check for the shock absorbers, struts and chassis parts including tie rod ends, ball joints, and other major components. It would extend the life of your car’s tires.
- Check the tires and lights: Check the pressure on a regular basis, as the uneven wear would cost you for a wheel alignment. You should also check for bulges and bald spots. Do make sure that the lights are working properly. Because it is important for your safety while driving at the night time. Checking other electrical components like horns, wipers, etc. to ensure they are functioning accordingly.
The above mentioned basic car care tips could assure safety and a better performance. To obtain the best result, you could hire the service of a reliable source, so that you go well on your way.
Should I Trade in My Car When I Buy a New One?
March 27, 2015
Should I Trade in My Car When I Buy a New One?
Have you decided to purchase a new car? What about the old car that you have? What do you plan to do with that? Surely, you must be pondering over, “Should I trade in my car when I buy a new one or not? Well, the answer depends upon the condition of the car, and the time that you have with you.
If you wish to get the maximum possible rate for the vehicle, then you should sell it on your own. But, remember that it takes a lot of time, and will also require a lot of effort. So, most of the people prefer going for a trade-in. In a trade-in, your car might fetch a lower rate because the dealer would spend some money on reconditioning it, and making a profit on the resale. But, for the car owners, it is a very convenient option. We give below some tips, which will help you in making the maximum out of your trade-in deal:
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• Assess the trade-in value of the car: Knowing the value of the car will help in making a reasonable deal on the trade-in. There are car appraisal tools, which can help in finding the right value. Most of the cars are maintained well, and are in ‘clean’ condition.
• Get a quote from the dealer: You can take the vehicle to the dealer for appraisal, who will do a detailed inspection of the car, and will give a written appraisal. This will be valid for about 7 days or so, and you could check with other dealers also if they are giving better offers.
• Negotiate the deal: Once you have all the appraisals and offers with you, you can decide on them. You can choose to take any of the offer, or negotiate for a better deal. If you have all the paperwork proper, it will take you only an hour to complete the deal. And, it would be better to trade-in the car with the dealer from whom you are purchasing the car. This will give some leverage.
Well, this is the entire process of trade-in. Hope this would have helped you in giving an answer to your question, ‘Should I trade in my car when I buy a new one.’ Remember that you should not commit the common mistakes during the trade-in. Do not hide any information and don’t overestimate the value of the car.