Top 5 Car Maintenance Tips to Teach Your Teen

 Teenage car insurance can be a wonderful way to teach your growing child independence and responsibility, but if you're not careful, it can be a great way to see a small investment get positively driven into the ground.

Teenagers (and this observation comes from the first-hand experience) tend to adopt the philosophy that car issues go away if you ignore them for a sufficient amount of time.

While sometimes this might seem true in the short-run, the long-term effects of neglecting some of the more simple bits of maintenance that any car requires on a regular basis are disastrous. You can avoid this kind of situation, however, by instilling in your young driver some of the most important maintenance habits that come along with car ownership. You talk about safe driving with your teenager, let's talk about the five most important things for your teenager to remember, so that first car you bought, including the used cars in Mumbai by owners,  lasts a good, long time.

1) The Oil Change -- Do It Often.

Without question, the oil change is the first and most important step in car maintenance. This should be done every 5,000 miles, at the very most. Plenty of locations can get you in and out in around a half hour's time, and the procedure isn't terribly expensive (depending, of course, on the age and mileage of your car). It's an easy thing to do, doesn't cost a terribly huge amount of time or money, and neglecting it can result in serious damage to a car's engine. The oil change is the first thing a young driver needs to learn to do regularly.

2) Check the Tires

It's always important to keep an eye on your tires, and by teaching your teen to be in the habit of simply glancing down at the wheels every so often you can teach him or her to avoid some potentially serious troubles down the line. Slow leaks sneak up on us, and even full-blown flats can go unnoticed by the unobservant driver. It's also important to keep an eye on your tire's treads, as a particular cranky police officer can issue a serious ticket if your tires are in bad need of replacement.

3) Air Filtration

Gas mileage is more of a concern than ever, and you can make it abundantly clear to your teen driver that a cleaner air filter means less money spent on gas. It's easy enough to have these replaced whenever you get your oil change, or even every other oil change depending on how heavily you use your car. Either way, this is a big one, and isn't expensive or complicated to do.

4) Replace Those Belts

Everyone's familiar with hearing a weird sound when your car starts up -- most of the time, it's your belts. Teach your teen to listen for the sound of a dried-out or cracked fan belt, and make sure they know that this is something that needs to be replaced immediately.

5) Lights

Headlamps and brake lights are constantly going out. Show your teenager how to replace them. Most cars are set up so this can be done automatically. Some cars have issues like the battery being placed right behind one of the headlamps, and if this is the case you might just have to take it in and have a mechanic do it for you quickly. This usually won't cost more than a few dollars. It's important to remember to replace your light bulbs in pairs, so that they are both on the same schedule, so to speak. Carrying spares around in your trunk is also a great idea, as these kinds of lights are typically easy to replace and this can avoid getting you an expensive ticket. Always remember to compare online vehicle insurance and make sure you're properly protected, but keeping these maintenance skills consistent will make sure that you never have to use that insurance you paid for.