Being proactive means doing regular maintenance, so that when you’re driving your car, you know that it will be dependable, without any unpleasant surprises. Car manufacturers understand that proactive maintenance can save on breakdown expenses, and that being proactive when it comes to manintenance safety is happiness. Otherwise there can be fatal accidents on the road. This article has explained that you will gain more mileage with your car by being proactive in maintaining it, saving money with regular maintenance, and making sure your loved ones are safer on the road.
Understanding Proactive Maintenance
Proactive maintenance, so-called maintenance schedules include regular inspection, wear and tear repairs and preventative maintenance that anticipate, troubleshoot, and correct mechanical failures before they turn into big problems. Unlike reactive maintenance, so-called run-to-failure or on-failure maintenance addresses breakdowns and failures after they happen, reactive maintenance takes a crisis-based approach, while proactive maintenance takes a proactive approach for vehicle upkeep.
1. Preventing Expensive Breakdowns
A major benefit for scheduled maintenance is that it often prevents expensive breakdowns. It can detect a problem while it’s still minor and easily solved, before it erupts into a major issue that leaves you stranded and/or requires immediate and expensive repairs. For example, checking belts and hoses for wear before they completely fail, replacing them ahead of time could avert a situation that damages your engine and leaves you stranded.
2. Reducing Time Off the Road
Vehicle downtime is inconvenient and unwanted and if you use your vehicle regularly then it can be quite disruptive to your life. Regular preventative maintenance will help you avoid downtime, helping your vehicle stay on the road where it belongs, instead of unexpectedly at the mechanic. This becomes easy with oil changes, tire rotations and brake caliper inspections, and preventive maintenance will keep you moving onward.
3. Enhancing Road Safety
Proactiveness in maintenance of vehicles is not only done to avoid failures, it is also to improve your safety on the road. Maintenance is essential because of the constant wear and tear in elements of a vehicle such as the brake, tire, lights and suspension system. For example, by being frequently checked, timely inspections or replacements of the brake reduces the risk of making your brakes failures.
4. Maximizing Vehicle Longevity
It is an universally known fact that by taking good care of your vehicle, it lasts longer. Whereas, a vehicle without proper care ends up with routine repairs due to it’s wear and tear symptoms. By getting your vehicles oil changed regularly according to it’s recommendation, the life of your vehicle completely increases. Similarly, keeping your exhaust system and cooling system in good health will definitely add more years to your vehicle’s life. For example, if you tend to clean your exhaust system once in a while your vehicle will not get rusty and will add longevity.
5. Improving Fuel Efficiency
A car in good health is likely to run better, which can improve economy, too. A clean spark-plug or new air filter might improve engine performance and so reduce fuel consumption. If the brakes are friction-free, you can maintain a safe distance from other vehicles more easily, cutting down on braking and acceleration, and in turn, improving your mileage. Keep on top of your vehicle maintenance and it will run properly, help you save on fuel costs and reduce your carbon emissions.
6. Enhancing Resale Value
In general, a vehicle that has been maintained regularly can be sold or traded for a higher value than one that was neglected. Documenting regular maintenance and car care can be an important selling feature, which means you’ll get a better deal the next time it comes to sell or trade your car.
7. Creating a Maintenance Schedule
To carry out predictive maintenance, it’s helpful to create a maintenance schedule and keep up with it. Find manufacturer-recommended service intervals in your vehicle’s owner’s manual and let that be your guide. It may also be useful to keep a maintenance log to record what services have been performed and what services are due. Consider setting alerts and reminders to schedule services.
Conclusion
Proactive maintenance helps you reduce the occurrence of unscheduled downtime, reduce the chance of catastrophic failures, and improve on-road safety. The costs of dealing with reactive maintenance (looking for and repairing problems as they occur) are much higher than the relatively small cost and time required of proactive maintenance.
