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Published on December 16th, 2016 | by SayginYalcin

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Expert tips: How to (properly) maintain your car

A complete car maintenance guide by SellAnyCar.com founder Saygin Yalcin

The valued price of your car drops almost 50 per cent in the first three years of purchase, but its resale value depends heavily on the way it is maintained.

We sat down with Saygin Yalcin, founder and chief executive of the region’s largest car buying service sellanycar.com, to get a few tips on how to properly maintain a car and attain good resale value as well as trouble-free service.

While different cars need different maintenance requirements, the fundamentals of car maintenance remain the same. Here are the most important ones according to Yalcin:

1. Maintain car fluids to ensure smooth functioning of the car:

Engine oil is the most important fluid as it is responsible for the efficient functioning of the engine. Its consistency and lubrication must be observed every three to four months and it should be replaced if needed.

Another important fluid is the anti-freezing agent or coolant which saves the engine from overheating. This must also be changed when required.

As cars get older, the engine tends to over-heat, causing the radiator fluid to evaporate out of the breather bottle, resulting in the fall of the radiator’s fluid level. If left unchecked, the radiator fluid can reach a critical level after which the engine can either seize or at times even catch fire.

Other fluids such as brake oil, gear oil and transmission fluid should also be checked regularly as they ensure the seamless functioning of brakes, gear and transmission. Almost all fluid containers have either a marking which indicates the amount of fluid required or the fluid requirement is mentioned in the owner’s manual.

2. Maintain car tyres to avoid sudden flattening or bursting:

When it comes to the maintenance of car tyres, it is important to properly inflate them.

Typically, cars have small metal plates placed in the groove of the driver’s side door which has information on the air pressure required for both front and rear tyres.

Under or over inflated tyres result in accelerated wear and tear of the tyre tread thus adding to the tyre maintenance cost.

The road conditions and seasonal changes impact the condition of the tyres, so it’s important to check them frequently. Some tyres require different tyre pressure during the summer and winter season. Details on this can be found in the owner’s manual.

3. Check your car battery regularly:

A dead battery won’t allow your car to start. To avoid that from happening, you need to maintain your car’s battery at a regular basis.

There are two types of car batteries: the dry battery and the acid battery. The dry battery needs to be checked by a car electrician for its maintenance. For the acid battery, its level of acid needs to be checked on a regular basis too.

The car battery must be checked after every 6,000 kilometres and should be immediately changed if needed.

4. Replace your engine air filter:

Air filter helps to keep the engine clean by stopping the dust particles from entering the engine. It must be checked every three months and replaced instantly if found overused.

5. Maintain windshield wipers:

The windshield wipers must always be in their best shape so that you have a clear vision through your windshield. The windshield wipers usually have a life of 6 to 12 months and must be replaced after that.

6. Maintain dashboard indicator lights:

The dashboard indicator lights are usually associated with different functions of the car and display warnings through various symbols on detecting an error in functioning of a specific part.

For example, an engine symbol on the dashboard will light up if the engine is getting overheated. The dashboard lights should be checked for their optimum functioning every six months as their malfunctioning can lead to severe damage to any of the important car parts.

7. Maintain lubrication of the chassis:

This is another important facet of car maintenance. The lubrication of the chassis is important to avoid the squeaking sounds coming from the suspension of the vehicle. Lubrication of the chassis requires complete service checkup every six months.

8. Conduct regular maintenance checkups:

Regular car maintenance checkups are essential to improve and maintain the performance of a vehicle. Make sure you have checkups after every 6,000kilometers, 8,000-10,000kilometers, 15,000kilometers, and 18,000-20,000 kilometers.

Source: Arabian Business

 

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About the Author

Saygin is the Founder & CEO of the Middle East's (ME) first & largest car buying service, SellAnyCar.com and Founder of the first & largest online private shopping club in the ME, Sukar.com, which has been acquired by Souq.com, making him Partner at the Souq.com and Jabbar Internet Group, becoming the largest ecommerce company in the Arab world, with 3000+ employees. In its largest acquisition outside the US to date, Amazon.com has acquired Souq.com Group. He has been selected as a UBS Industry Leader, a network of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals. He was also Advisory Board Member & Academic Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Canadian University of Dubai. He was referred to as "the region's online business guru" by the National newspaper in the UAE, while Arabian Business named him as "one of the region's finest young entrepreneurs and a major part of the entrepreneurial scene in recent years". Fortune magazine (mag) named him in the 40 under 40 list, as one of the most influential young people in business, Entrepreneur mag ME awarded SellAnyCar.com, with Saygin at its helm, as the "Fastest Growing Company in the ME", while the National newspaper sees it among a handful of tech companies to "have the potential to break the $1bn barrier". In a cover story, Entrepreneur mag ME titled him as "undoubtedly one of the youngest & most successful internet entrepreneurs in the ME”, awarded SellAnyCar.com as "Technology Innovator of the Year”, while Khaleej Times awarded him as the Technology Leader. Gulf Business selected him as 1 of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs in ME. In a cover story, Arabian Business counts him as 1 of the most successful entrepreneurs to call Dubai home. During the World Government Summit, HH Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed, Minister of Interior of the UAE, presented Saygin as an inspiring story for the country, in the presence of world leaders, incl. HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.



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