Are you performing routine maintenance on your vehicle? If not, it could result in needing to have your car repaired prematurely. Here are 4 things that every driver should be doing to maintain their vehicle.

Engine Air Filter Replacement

One part of the engine that needs regular maintenance is the air filter. It must be cleaned or replaced regularly in order to prevent contaminants from finding their way into your vehicle's engine, such as dirt and debris that is picked up from driving on the road.

If you get your oil changed at a professional auto shop, changing the air filter is usually done as part of the oil change. However, if you do your oil change on your own you may not be changing the air filter as regularly as you should. The long term consequences will lead to the engine having reduced performance and poor fuel efficiency since less air is able to go into the engine's combustion chamber and more gas is used as a result.

Oil Filter Replacement

Another part of having your engine oil changed is to replace the oil filter. The oil filter's job is to prevent particles from getting into the engine that is found in the engine oil. If that dirt and debris find a way to get through, it will eventually cause damage to the engine over time. You could end up spending money to rebuild the engine when all it would have taken to prevent the problem is putting in a new oil filter.

Air Pressure Checks

The change from fall to winter weather is going to cause your air in your vehicle's tire to deflate a little. Cold air molecules are naturally more dense, which causes them to group together closely and results in low tire pressure. If you are not aware of the air pressure of the tires and are driving around with low air pressure, it can lead to tire failure. There is more friction on the surface of the tires, which means the tire gets hotter and could experience a blowout. You'll not only need new tires, but it will result in a crash that will require serious auto repair.

Brake Pad Replacement

Brakes have a few indications of when it is time to replace their pads. The main sign that you may identify is a noise caused by a wear bar being exposed and creating a squealing sound. You may also hear a grinding sound from metal rubbing against metal, or have a vibration from your brake pedal. Not replacing your brake pads will significantly reduce your safety and possibly lead to an accident, so it is not worth driving around with worn down brake pads.

Contact a car service, such as a Nissan repair service, for more information about repairing options.