Post-collision customers may be wondering how important preventative maintenance is if a collision has already happened. We’ll provide a checklist of recommended services, such as wheel alignment, suspension checks, and sensor recalibration, to ensure your vehicles are fully restored and safe to drive. Ultimately, preventative maintenance can still be preventative even if it follows an accident.
Preventative maintenance always applies
If you’ve just been in an accident and you’ve taken your vehicle into a collision centre for repairs, that doesn’t mean preventative maintenance stops. We think of “preventative” as something that ends when the thing we were trying to prevent happens, but this doesn’t imply it can’t happen again. This is why preventative maintenance should always be considered.
Preventative maintenance services to consider
Tires
There are a few things to remember when maintaining vehicle tires. They can be changed seasonally for the weather, rotated, patched, and refilled. These things should be done seasonally since tires are the four touchpoints between the vehicle and the road. Ensure the right tires are on for the weather.
Rotate them to increase their lifespan and evenly distribute pressure. Patch them if needed; for example, if there’s a nail embedded in one of the tires. Refill (or empty them) when their PSI isn’t within the correct range to ensure the tires’ treads hit the road properly.
Brake inspection
Brakes can be the deciding factor in a collision. Maintained brakes with working brake pads will function better than other brakes that have been neglected. This means they could malfunction or not work as efficiently in a time of need.
Timing belt inspection
The timing belt isn’t something most people maintain or even know about. It connects the engine’s crankshaft to the camshaft, ensuring these components aren’t rubbing against each other causing friction.
This wears away at the components. The timing belt should be changed every 100,000 kilometres or sixty miles but it’s always a good idea to have it checked by a technician to ensure it’s working as intended.
Transmission fluid
To avoid transmission failure and costly repairs, check and change when needed. Checking it in a tune-up would be much less costly than if your transmission failed and led to an accident. It keeps everything in the transmission working correctly, so don’t let it get to the point of failure.
Transfer case fluid
The transfer case shifts power from the transmission to the axles. The transfer case fluid is difficult to access so it’s best to bring it to a technician to ensure the fluid is filled, not leaking, and doing its job.
Shocks and struts
How these parts function determines the car’s suspension and steering capabilities since they help absorb impact on rougher terrain. If they aren’t working properly, not only will the suspension and steering worsen, but it can also lead to a collision or unnecessary wear and tear on the vehicle.
Coolant fluid exchange
This fluid is kept in the radiator, which keeps the engine cool so it doesn’t overheat when driving. This service can be done at a collision centre to flush out the coolant system to rid it of contaminants or build-up.
Differentials
These parts send power from the engine to the front and/or rear wheels (depending on the make of the car). They must be kept lubricated to function optimally. This is another preventative maintenance service that can be easily taken care of at a collision centre.
Engine oil
A much more common service is to change the engine’s oil. The oil shouldn’t dry up or the engine can stop functioning. Engine oil should be inspected much more often than a timing belt or transfer case fluid, for example.
What post-collision maintenance offers
- It saves you time, effort, and money. Instead of paying costly prices for car collision repair, preventative maintenance can be done to avoid collisions at lower prices.
- It can help avoid more serious damage when there is a collision. If the parts of a vehicle are already in tip-top shape, they won’t break down or malfunction as easily in a collision as opposed to parts that are already deteriorating.
- It improves the mileage and durability of the vehicle. With preventative maintenance, the engine and many moving parts aren’t subject to unnecessary friction, heat, or wear. This means the car will perform better for longer.
- It reduces the chance of an unforeseen breakdown. When your vehicle is inspected and maintained on a schedule, you’ll stay ahead of failing parts or lower fluids so the vehicle will have fewer reasons to break down.
Get all your preventative maintenance services done at Simplicity Car Care following car collision repair. Book an appointment today at a location near you.
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