{"id":23,"date":"2019-03-29T14:25:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T14:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hfcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-10-issue-1\/hfc-automotive-instructor-offers-tips-on-spring-car-maintenance-practices\/"},"modified":"2019-06-13T16:50:49","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T16:50:49","slug":"expert-tips-from-hfc-spring-car-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hfcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-10-issue-1\/expert-tips-from-hfc-spring-car-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert tips from HFC: Spring car maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">After a brutal winter, spring is finally here. As you\u2019re doing spring cleaning and maintenance, don\u2019t forget your car!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">HFC automotive instructor Ashley Smith has offered some tips for how to get the most out of your car for the long haul.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Wash and wax: <\/span>Once winter is over, thoroughly wash and wax your car. Driving in the winter causes a huge amount of dirt, debris, and, worst of all, salt to build up on your car. Dirt and debris can affect your car\u2019s finish, and salt can lead to rust and other serious problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Clean the interior: <\/span>Spring is the best time to thoroughly clean your car\u2019s interior. In addition to throwing out trash and other unwanted items accumulated during the winter, vacuum your seats and carpets. If you\u2019re really feeling ambitious, shampoo the carpets for great results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Check tire pressure: <\/span>Check tire pressure to ensure that your tires are properly inflated to achieve best fuel economy. Cooler winter temperatures reduce tire pressure; warmer temperatures increase it. Low or high tire pressure could affect your car\u2019s drivability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Check under the hood: <\/span>Thoroughly check under your hood to make sure your car\u2019s engine made it through the winter without problems. Test the battery; cold temperatures can put a lot of strain on it. Check belts and hoses to see if they are brittle or need to be replaced. Make sure your coolant is fresh, so your engine won\u2019t overheat as temperatures get warmer. Get an oil change if it\u2019s been a while. If your engine is excessively dirty, wipe it down with a damp cloth. Avoid soaking it with a hose, as some electronics might not function properly while wet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Inspect\/replace wiper blades: <\/span>Wiper blades get damaged or dulled by snow and ice, leading to poor visibility in rainy spring conditions. Replenish washer fluid, since you probably used it a lot during the winter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans Bold';\">Check alignment and suspension: <\/span>Potholes have plagued Michigan for decades and can ruin your car\u2019s alignment or damage your suspension. Do a quick alignment and suspension check to make sure everything is on track.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">\u201cPeople tend to overlook their cars as the weather warms up,\u201d said Smith. \u201cGetting your car serviced makes it last longer. Some of these suggestions, such as washing your car and checking tire pressure and fluids, you can do on your own. If you\u2019re not comfortable performing maintenance checks, take your car to a mechanic. Maintenance costs are better than having your car unexpectedly break down and having a higher repair bill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">For more information on HFC\u2019s automotive program, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hfcc.edu\/academics\/programs\/automotive-technology\">hfcc.edu\/academics\/programs\/automotive-technology<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a brutal winter, spring is finally here. As you\u2019re doing spring cleaning and maintenance, don\u2019t forget your car! HFC automotive instructor Ashley Smith has offered some tips for how to get the most out of your car for the long haul. Wash and wax: Once winter is over, thoroughly wash and wax your car&#8230;. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/hfcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-10-issue-1\/expert-tips-from-hfc-spring-car-maintenance\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-23","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-technology","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Expert tips from HFC: Spring car maintenance - Spring 2019, Volume 10 \u2013 Issue 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hfcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-10-issue-1\/expert-tips-from-hfc-spring-car-maintenance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Expert tips from HFC: Spring car maintenance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a brutal winter, spring is finally here. As you\u2019re doing spring cleaning and maintenance, don\u2019t forget your car! HFC automotive instructor Ashley Smith has offered some tips for how to get the most out of your car for the long haul. 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