According to the American Automobile Association, “American drivers spend an average of more than 17,600 minutes behind the wheel each year.” The study went on to report that on average, drivers travel almost 10,900 miles, spending more than 290 hours on the road annually. (Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, September 2016) The important message here is: how to take care of your car.

That’s a lot of time to spend in the close confines of an automobile, especially if you don’t take care of your vehicle. Here are a few hints on how to take care of your car:

  1. Keep it clean! It’s not that hard. If you don’t want to wash the exterior and vacuum the interior yourself, there are plenty of inexpensive car washes around where caring for your car will take no more than 30 minutes a month.
  2. Wax your car a minimum of four times a year. If you treat it with respect, you should be rewarded with a better than average offer when the time comes to trade-in or sell your car.
  3. Pick up after yourself and make your family and friends do the same. There’s absolutely no excuse for trashing the interior of your car.
  4. Check your car’s tire pressure monthly. This is especially important if you have the “run flat” tires.
  5. Once a year, or as instructed by the manufacturer, have a preventative maintenance check performed on your car, including topping off the liquids and changing the oil and filter.