Taking care of your vehicle by following the manufacturers maintenance schedule can be a great guide to ensuring your vehicle remains in tip top shape. Regular maintenance can help you prevent costly repairs down the road, provide you peace of mind, extend your vehicle’s life, and could even help increase your vehicle’s value. Here are some great tips our lending staff put together for you:
+ General Maintenance Tips
Want to save on costly repairs and keep your vehicle on the road? Here are a few tips to keep your car in tip top shape!
Check the oil: You should check it at least once every couple of weeks or before a long trip. Follow manufacturers suggestion on oil change schedule.
Find sludge: Engine sludge develops on and around your vehicle's motor when oil begins to break down and collects on the engine. When engine sludge is present, oil is not able to properly lubricate the moving parts of your vehicle's motor.
Maintain fluids: Many aspects of your vehicle rely on good fluid maintenance. Keeping proper levels can lead to your vehicle lasting longer and driving better.
Monitor tires and tire rotations: Regular rotations and maintaining proper pressure can protect your tires from irregular wear and improve their longevity.
Maintain air filters: Replacing your vehicles air filters may increase fuel efficiency, prolong your vehicles engine life, and reduce emissions.
+ Tire Tips
- Properly inflate your tires. Low pressure can increase the rolling-resistance of your vehicle. Properly inflated tires can lead to $1 to 2 savings per fill-up.
- Place a penny in the tread-groove of your tire. If you see all of President Lincoln's head you may need new tires.
- Rotate your tires often to balance the wear of your tire tread. Experts recommend every 6-8k miles. Use a computer calendar program to remind you.
- Inspect tires for exposed cords or irregularities often. Brushing a curb can damage a tire sidewall and cause you to replace a tire before your tread is completely worn.
- Consider using nitrogen inside your tires instead of oxygen. With nitrogen tire inflation, improvements can be noted in a vehicle's handling, fuel efficiency and tire life through better tire pressure retention, improved fuel economy and cooler running tire temperatures.
+ Vehicle Technology and Safety Features
We know how important keeping yourself and your family safe on the road is to you and we want to help keep you safe. Looking up the crash test results, recalls, and advanced safety features by visiting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and/or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) can provide you great insight and peace of mind. Here are three great safety features that use the latest technology that can help enhance your vehicle’s safety.
Advanced Frontal Airbags: Sensors consider factors like occupant size, seat position and crash severity to determine the level at which driver frontal and passenger frontal airbags will inflate reducing risk of injury and death for children and smaller framed adults.
Automatic Emergency Breaking: The vehicle’s system applies the breaks on its own to prevent a collision and/or reduce the impact.
Forward Collision Warning: Gives drivers an alert, usually visually and/or audible, that a crash might be about to happen.
+ Budgeting
Did you know that owning a vehicle is the second largest expense after buying a home? Whether it’s filling up your tank, paying for auto insurance, car repairs, along with your monthly car payment, owning your very own car can be costly if you aren’t more money conscious. Here are a few tips to help you budget for car maintenance:
Take advantage of FREE warranties and maintenance: When you buy a new car, most manufacturers will sometimes include free maintenance for the first few years of ownership. Make sure you’re aware of such deals before the free maintenance period expires and take advantage of that free service. Some dealerships may even offer “free oil changes for life.” So the next time you’re ready to look for a new or used vehicle, look into these “free or “limited” services and give yourself one less thing to worry about.
Get familiar with your car’s specific needs: Everyone that owns a car knows when your car just isn’t running the way it’s supposed to, right? You know the noises it makes and doesn’t make and you especially know how it runs on and off the highway. So once you start taking your car for repairs, whatever that repair may be, gather all the maintenance records from the prior year, including receipts and credit card statements, to give you an idea of what kind of regular maintenance your car needed and may need in the future. Calculate the total cost of maintenance over the last year and divide that number by 12 to get your estimated monthly maintenance costs.
Adjust your budget for your current situation: Take your baseline figure from last year’s expenses and adjust for the current condition of your car. If you have an older car and you know it’ll need some extensive repairs soon, consider doubling, or even tripling, the amount you save each month. For example, your $50 per month baseline would then become as much as $150 per month. Remember that budgets are not set in stone, they should be flexible, so if other issues arise don’t stress over it and adjust accordingly.
Set up a maintenance fund: Set up a special savings account and title it “car maintenance” to help you remember why you’re saving money in this specific account. Do not dip into this account unless it is for car maintenance and repairs. To make things really easy, set up an automatic transfer to this particular savings account from your paycheck, every payday. Money you don’t see “out of sight-out of mind” makes it easier to save and less likely to dip into for things not associated with car maintenance.
+ Route 66 Extended Warranty
Route 66 Extended Warranty is the administrator of the nation’s number one selling New and Used Vehicle Extended Warranty program in credit unions and One Source is a proud partner!
The simplicity of Route 66’s program makes it an easy addition to any auto loan. Members benefit by receiving important coverage against mechanical breakdown for the time between the expiration of the manufacturer’s warranty and the term of your auto loan.
Moreover, with Route 66’s program, this coverage can be provided through us One Source, offering our member’s a much better value compared to dealer programs.
- $0 Deductible on all plans
- All plans fully insured by Assurant Solutions
- Full Open Enrollment
- Battery Coverage
- 24/7/365 Roadside Assistance
- Rental Car benefits
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Direct pay to repair facility
- Nationwide coverage (US and Canada)
- Transferability
- Total Loss Refund
- Trip Interruption
The Route 66 Difference:
Route 66 Extended Warranty provides the most comprehensive coverage for vehicles of any make or model including many Hybrid and Fully-Electric vehicles.
Clients of Route 66 Extended Warranty receive industry- leading support provided by external sales and service representatives and an internal sales team. Route 66’s award winning training, incentive and recognition programs continue to provide significant lifts in client sales results.
DRIVE ROUTE 66 TODAY along with One Source, of course!
For more information on this extended warranty contact anyone from our Lending Team at 915-592-0223 or 1-800-532-0223. Any of our One Source representatives will gladly assist you and help you with the perfect combination of coverage and cost protecting our members from life’s unexpected events.
