No matter what kind of car, truck, van, or SUV you drive, it needs to be well-maintained if you want it to stay in good condition. Finding quality Honda service near me is easy—here at Klein Honda, we have a state-of-the-art service department where we can take care of everything from basic maintenance to complex repairs. But even if you know where to go for service, you still have to figure out when to come in for service.

Sometimes, it’s easy. For instance, there’s a service schedule in your owner’s manual (if you don’t still have your manual, just reach out to us, and we’ll help you out) that lets you know how often to come in for oil changes, tire rotations, and other regular services. You can also look at the dashboard to check for any warnings. On older vehicles, you’ll need to decode the symbols for various issues, but newer models have screens that let you know exactly what the issue is in plain language to make everything even easier.

These systems are enough most of the time, but sometimes you need service before the scheduled date, and sometimes the warning systems themselves have issues and fail to inform you of an issue. If you’re an attentive car owner and want to go the extra mile to keep your vehicle in good condition, you might want to check in on some things yourself to see if they need attention. Today, we’re going to look at five easy ways that you can check on your vehicle to see if you should come in for maintenance.

#1 - Keep an Eye on Your Fluid Levels

An oil change is one of the most common services you can get, and it’s also one of the most critical. If your oil levels drop too low, it can seriously damage your engine, leading to costly repairs. This is one of those instances where an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. As we already mentioned, your Honda has a recommended oil change schedule that you can easily follow by scheduling appointments with us through our simple online form or over the phone. If you have a newer model, you can use the infotainment system to check your current oil level and get a warning when it’s starting to run low.

In addition to keeping up with the schedule and paying close attention to any warnings, you can also check your oil level manually to be absolutely sure that your level is where it should be. When checking any levels, make sure the engine is cool before you get started. Then, simply open the hood of your vehicle, find the oil reservoir, pull out the dipstick, wipe it off with a rag to get it clean, put it back into the reservoir (making sure you get it all the way down), and pull it back out. The stick itself should have a guide to let you know what an acceptable oil level is so you can see if you’re within the recommended range.

Of course, this isn’t something you need to be doing every single day—most experts agree that checking the oil monthly will help you keep a close eye on things. If you have a particularly big drive coming up, you can also check the levels before you go to make sure you’re ready to hit the road. When you’re checking the oil level, you can also check other fluid levels while you’re at it, like the coolant, brake fluid, and windshield washing fluid. If you’re not sure how to pop the hood of your vehicle or tell one reservoir from another once you’ve got it open, reach out and ask us. We work with all kinds of drivers with all levels of automotive expertise and will be more than happy to help you learn more about your car.

#2 - Use a Tire Pressure Gauge

Your tires are the only part of your vehicle that makes direct contact with the road, which makes them extremely important. If tires don’t have the right air pressure, you can have issues ranging from worse fuel economy to getting a blowout on the freeway. Newer vehicles tend to have tire-pressure monitoring systems, but these systems themselves aren’t 100% perfect and can sometimes be affected by issues. Checking your tire pressure yourself about once a month can help give you peace of mind, and you might just catch an issue before it escalates to a major problem.

Tire pressure is measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). Different vehicles have different recommended PSI figures. You don’t even have to dig out your owner’s manual to figure out what the figure is for your particular model—simply open the driver’s side door, and you should find a sticker that lets you know what number you’re looking for. To check your pressure, you’ll need a pressure gauge. Gauges are inexpensive and small enough to slip into your glove box, and some gas stations have gauges built into their air stations. Simply unscrew the cap from your tire’s valve stem and push the gauge onto the valve, then read the number on the gauge. If it’s lower than it should be, add some air to the tire. Repeat this for all of the other tires since something like a puncture might affect just one tire, and you can’t expect a single reading to apply to all of them.

#3 - Try the Penny Test

Low pressure isn’t the only issue that can affect your vehicle’s tires. The soft rubber used to make tires is necessary to allow them to get a good grip on the road and provide enough traction for you to drive safely, but it also means that friction is gradually eating away at your tires every time you drive. Eventually, they’ll wear down too much and need to be replaced. To find out if your tires are still ready for action, all you need is a penny. With the heads side facing you and upside down, insert the penny into your tire’s tread. If you can see the top of Abe’s hair, then your tires are dangerously worn down and need to be replaced, but if his head is partially covered by the tire, then you can keep on driving.

#4 - Check Your Lights

Driving with lights that aren’t working is both dangerous and an easy way to get a ticket that may come with a hefty fine. We’ll check your lights for you when you come in for your regular maintenance visits, but you can keep an eye on them more regularly by testing them yourself about once a month. Simply start your Honda up and activate your lights one at a time (headlights, fog lights, right turn signal, left turn signal, hazard lights, etc). When a light is active, get out and see if each light is on and behaving as it should. If you’re having trouble visually confirming this during the day, try waiting for evening or night. To check the brake lights, it’s easiest to ask a second person to help you. If you’re on your own, though, you can try backing up close to a light-colored wall or garage door, then looking to see if red light is reflected off of the surface when you press down the brake pedal.

#5 - Trust Your Senses

Checking the tires, lights, and fluids once a month will put you far ahead of other car owners and help you keep tabs on important indicators that you need to come in for service. On top of that, there’s one thing that you should be doing every time you drive: staying aware of your senses. Many problems make themselves known with symptoms like strange noises and smells. Others you can feel, like vibrations when you’re braking or the steering suddenly seeming off. And if you have a fluid leak, you may see a puddle creeping out from under your vehicle.

If you notice anything like this, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Some noises are simply wind blowing through a window that’s just barely cracked or a sun visor that’s not firmly secured in place, but others can be indicators of major problems that will only get worse if you ignore them. Be proactive, and our Honda service department will do everything it can to keep your vehicle in good condition for miles and miles to come.