Sending Your Child Off To College Safely: Car Maintenance Tasks To Complete First
When your child is heading off to their first year of college, you are likely feeling a mixture of sadness that they are leaving and joy for their accomplishments. As you send them off into the world to be on their own for the first time, you want to make sure you do so in a way that keeps them as safe and prepared as possible. This includes their car. Get to know some of the car maintenance tasks that you should complete when you send your child off to college so that they will be as safe as possible.
Check the Tires and Get the Wheels Aligned
The last thing you want to do is to send your child off on the road for college and get a call from them that they have a blown tire or a damaged wheel. Because of this, you want to be sure that you have your child's tires checked and get them a wheel alignment before they head out.
When you look at your child's tires, make sure that the tires have a deep, uniform tread. If the tires are smooth (referred to as bald), then your child will be at risk of getting a flat tire or having it blow out when you are driving. Visible threads that look like the tire rubber is peeling off are also a sign of trouble. If you notice any of these issues, you will need to find tires for sale and get your child a new set of tires before they leave for college.
A wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the wheels of a car in relation to the body of the vehicle. This means that you will be ensuring that your child's tires function properly and that the weight is distributed evenly on all four of the tires.
Oil Change and Filter Change
Especially if your child is driving a long distance to get to college, you will want to make sure their car gets a filter and motor oil change before they head out. The motor oil provides engine lubrication for your child's car.
Without proper lubrication, your child's engine parts will grind against one another causing friction that damages those components. This can lead to total engine and transmission failure, which means costly engine and transmission repairs or replacements. So, be sure your child's car has fresh oil and a fresh oil filter to protect their engine while they are out on the road and on their own in the world.
Now that you know a few of the car maintenance tasks that you should complete before your child heads off to their first year of college, you can make sure that your child's car is in the best possible shape to keep them safe.