If you happen to have the extra time to perform some routine vehicle maintenance, it’s a great way to save some cash and put it toward more important vehicle services.  However, a lot of us are guilty of some common, but not well known, maintenance mistakes.  Here’s a few of the more common of these easy-to-make vehicle maintenance mistakes:

- Higher octane fuel.  It’s easy to assume that higher octane fuel, because of its cost and some loose associations to certain types of vehicles, results in better performance and/or efficiency.  The truth is, the octane rating is an indication of the fuel’s ability to resist fuel ignition, also called knocking.  New car technology, such as knock sensors, and OEM’s have a recommendation for the proper octane fuel to be used, so it’s important to follow the suggestion in order to maintain your vehicle’s optimum performance.

- The “tune up.”  Vehicles no longer need regular adjustment of parts, such as carburetors, ignition timing, and valve adjustments.  New vehicle computers take care of all these components themselves, leaving only spark plug replacement associated with the “tune up” moniker.

- Tire Inflation.  Many times, people take the reading on the tire’s sidewall as the recommended air pressure.  Usually, this is the maximum recommended pressure the tire can withstand, and filling to this pressure could result in a tire blowout among other things.  People assume maintaining a higher air pressure results in better mileage, performance, etc. but can lead to improperly balanced tread wear.  Decreased performance and shorter tire life are ultimately the results of over-inflating.  Additionally, rotating your tires will also help with any asymmetrical tread wear.

Check out this article for more common maintenance mistakes and how to correct them. If you’d rather have these services done by us, we’d be glad to assist you!