Can Auto Tune-Ups Save Lives? What You Don't Know Can Really Hurt You

22 December 2015
 Categories: Automotive, Articles

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Auto accidents are currently the ninth leading cause of death in the world, and they are expected to rise to fifth by 2030. Since regular tune-ups puts your car in better condition to perform and handle different situations on the road, you're actually improving your safety statistics with a tune-up. This isn't something to procrastinate like picking up your dry-cleaning or defrosting the freezer, it's a real life and death scenario.

Why Every Car Needs A Tune-Up

While newer cars are more evolved, with sophisticated diagnostic systems that can inform the owner or mechanic of specific problems, all cars require routine maintenance and check-ups, just like people. You probably go to the doctor's even when nothing's known to be wrong, just to be on the safe side. The same is true of your vehicle, no matter how advanced the technology is that went into building it.

Fluids: Preventing High Blood Pressure In Automobiles

If you had high blood pressure, your doctor would tell you the blood flowing through your veins is doing so with too much force; it's simply not flowing properly. Likewise, brake, power steering and transmission fluid and engine oil and coolant all need to flow smoothly in your auto. Each fluid has a recommended replacement time-frame, to ensure maximum efficiency and performance.

  • Fluids become contaminated with use and their ability to provide the vehicle with needed "nutrients" is compromised.
  • When coolant fails, your engine can overheat.
  • A break down in brake fluid means you can't stop on a dime.
  • The transmission fluid feels the grind with every shift of the gears, thus, it's easy to see how it can become contaminated and need replacement at regular intervals.
  • Your steering pump needs clean fluid to prevent excessive wear.

Filters: Your Car's Kidneys And Lungs

The filters prevent particles from from building up on engine parts and in sensitive systems, much the same way your lungs keep harmful particulates from getting to your important systems. Where fluids are concerned, the filter acts like a kidney of sorts, ensuring no dangerous elements are able to go with the flow and proceed through vital avenues. Clean filters mean better performance and less brutalizing of engine components.

  • Stuffed-up air filters in carburetor engines may hamper mileage.
  • Cabin air filters need replacement to keep all kinds of environmental contaminants from reaching you and other occupants of the vehicle, as well as to keep fresh air moving through the interior.
  • Filthy oil filters beat up on engine parts, leading to premature maintenance issues.
  • You could end up with dropping fuel pressure if your fuel filters are dense with sticky, gooey residue, along with contamination in the gas tank and systems, which leads to hesitation when you hit the pedal.
  • If you observe a coughing idle, your fuel filters may be asking for a tune-up.
  • When the crankcase valve is clogged, carbon collects and the vehicle eats up excess oil.
  • A tune-up ensures your air-to-fuel ratio is up to par as well.

Belts And Hoses: The Circulatory System Of A Vehicle

The belts checked during a tune-up connect the elaborate system of pulleys to major engine components that control virtually all facets of automotive functioning. Your hoses see that fluids are adequately distributed to the given engine parts.

  • Belts with incorrect tension cause damage to your water pump.
  • The connective accessories throughout the engine also bear undo pressure with faulty belts.
  • Timing belts are essential to piston and valve health, preventing serious damage to both.
  • Any inoperative hose within the vehicle means vital fluids don't reach their intended destination, resulting in overheating and/or fatal engine damage.

Tires: Imagine If Your Feet Weren't Properly Inflated

Since half of all accidents attributed to environmental circumstances involve the road surface, your tires must always be ready. You probably know how hard it is to walk on swollen feet and this isn't something you want to put your car through. Properly inflated tires won't wear out as quickly as those with too much or little air and your mileage is better with tuned-up tires also.

All of these elements of automobile operation and more are inspected and repaired if needed during a tune-up, demonstrating the importance of regular upkeep. Even if you don't know what does what or where it's suppose to go, cyclical vehicle maintenance is necessary for longevity, performance, economy and most importantly, safety.

So many things can go wrong when you're on the road, resulting in life-altering or even life-ending consequences. Since a tune-up can eliminate some of the possible causes of accidents, take them seriously and schedule them regularly. You could be saving someone's life, including your own. For more information on tune-ups, contact a company like Big Mechanic