Car Care Tips

Here, at Independent Tire & Auto, we want our customers to be in the know. We want you to understand why and how your tires wear, how to get the best gas mileage, and overall how to get the most out of your tires. Hopefully, with these helpful tips you will be able to improve gas mileage, reduce tire tread, and understand when and why your car needs to be serviced.

Car Maintenance and Care

• Change your fluids on time, every time.
• Change your oil every 3,000 miles for regular, 5,000 miles for synthetic oil
• Change antifreeze fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Change brake fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Change transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
• Schedule a maintenance check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
• Replace your air filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever comes first).
• Replace your fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first).

Tire Maintenance and Care

• Rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or every 6 months.
• Check your tire pressures approximately once a week. Low tire pressures can affect fuel economy, handling and comfort. To accurately measure your tire pressure, check tires when they are cold. Wait at least three hours after driving.
• Always make sure that your wheels are properly aligned. Badly aligned wheels will again lead to dragging of the car on the road.
• Check your spare tire each month and keep it properly inflated so it¹s ready to go when you need it most.
• Use the penny trick to determine if the tread on your tires is worn to low. Take a penny and put Abraham Lincoln's head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you're ok. If you can see all of his head, it's time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.

Gas Mileage Tips

• Check and/or change your air filter every 6 months to improve fuel economy and keep your engine running smoothly.
• Don't top off. Don't bother topping off when filling your car's gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out.
• Tighten up that gas cap. Gas will evaporate from your car's gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year.
• Go for the shade. The hot summer sun that makes the inside of your car feel like a sauna also evaporates fuel from your gas tank.
• Use the right oil. You can improve your car's gas mileage by 1 percent to 2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil.

And most important of all……

• Always check for potential problems before they happen.