When you own a motor vehicle, you want to keep it working for you for the longest time it can and in the best condition. An organized way to accomplish this is by having a maintenance and repair checklist. Such a checklist should include all the routine maintenance service requirements your vehicle needs. This article will address matters beyond the maintenance and repair checklist that vehicle owners need to include in their schedules. It’s important to note that domestic car repair can be different from foreign ones, so be mindful of this when making your checklist.
1. Purchase Access to a Tow Truck
Towing services are an integral part of the transport industry. Vehicles are mechanical machines that can break down and disrupt traffic flow. Secondly, it’s people operating these machines on the road.
Therefore, there’s the potential for human error leading to an accident or other form of breakdown. As a vehicle owner, you never know when an incident may occur that warrants towing services. It’s therefore prudent to have the contact of reliable 24 hour tow truck services on your maintenance and repair checklist.
The proactive way to go about this would be to get into a contract with a towing support service. This is especially useful for transport companies with a fleet of vehicles ferrying people or goods. The advantage of paying for such privileges to an individual is that they have a solution on standby in case their vehicle breaks down. The advantage to the company is that there is an assurance of minimal downtime taken to resolve vehicle breakdown issues. When a company does this combined with a comprehensive foreign and domestic car repair schedule, breakdown downtimes are reduced significantly.
2. Ensure That You Know a Good DUI Lawyer in Case You Run Into Trouble
It’s never advisable to drink and drive. Driving under the influence of any intoxicant can lead to dire consequences, which, in some cases, include fatalities. Drinking alcohol, in particular, has become a lifestyle for many Americans today, and that’s why DUI cases are at an all-time high.
If you fall in this bracket, you need DUI attorneys on speed dial. But even for those who don’t drink, it’s still important to include the contact of a reliable DUI attorney in your checklist. You may be in an incident where the other party involved is intoxicated.
A good foreign and domestic car repair checklist should include the contact of a good DUI attorney. The work of such a lawyer is to help you avoid a DUI conviction. A DUI conviction can lead to hefty fines, jail time, suspension of your license, and sustaining a criminal record, to name a few. For freight companies, a DUI conviction can escalate to the point where the company is sued for negligence and required to pay a large amount in compensation.
3. Know Who to Call Regarding Your Heavy Trucking Needs
There are companies dedicated to offering heavy trucking services like transporting large, bulky, and heavy loads across the country. The logistical requirements for conducting such a business are immense and must be managed diligently to ensure operations continue. Some areas freight managers must consider include the model of trucks used for transporting cargo, the drivers navigating these trucks, and the repair times and facilities involved in the maintenance and repairs of the fleet.
A good fleet manager will have a comprehensive foreign and domestic car repair checklist that will include the contacts of all relevant companies that offer services that can help when their respective need arises. Such networks include staffing companies that can provide licensed professional drivers when needed; heavy-duty truck vendors who can offer strong, durable trucks at a good price; a software monitoring and maintenance company to help manage your freight system software; and several competent heavy trucking repair companies enough to ensure all the trucks in your fleet will get immediate attention wherever they are in the country.
4. Research the Best Professionals Who Can Repair Diesel Vehicles
It’s well known now that the diesel engine mechanics differ greatly from petrol engines. Similarly, there are different foreign and domestic car repair shops for the two-vehicle engine types. Diesel engines are mostly mounted on heavy and medium-duty vehicles like trailers, trucks, and pick-ups. Vehicle owners must be keen to know their vehicle and the type of engine that runs it. A typical maintenance and repair checklist of a vehicle propelled by a diesel engine is very different from that of a petrol engine.
Diesel engines themselves differ quite a bit from one to another. It’s less of a difference than petrol engines, but enough to challenge a mechanic unfamiliar with the model. The differences come about in the mechanical operation where different models use different means to accomplish the various stages leading to thrust production. Different brands developed different systems to achieve this, and models have also been improved. Find a diesel repair company that has mechanics who know how your particular engine works and can offer genuine parts according to the specific model.
5. Consider Recycling Metal Components of Your Vehicle
Every motor vehicle has a routine servicing schedule based on a certain number of miles it’s covered. In this service, some parts must be replaced, including the oil filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs. A good mechanic will likely know which car parts of your vehicle will wear out and when.
Liaise with such a mechanic to help you draw up your foreign and domestic car repair checklist. This way, you always know what to replace and when it’ll happen. Such parts include clutch plates, ball joints, bushes, rack ends, and wipers.
A good tip for a car owner is to find a suitable scrap metal recycling service company and sell off the parts removed for replacement. On one hand, car owners can recover a significant amount of the maintenance and repair costs incurred by selling off their used parts. This is particularly advantageous for vehicle freight companies because they benefit from economies of scale with their larger volumes of scrap metal. On the other hand, knowing how important it is to preserve the environment, every car owner must be mindful of the waste their vehicle produces and ensure it’s properly disposed of.
6. Look Into Purchasing a Trailer
A mindful car owner with a solid foreign and domestic car repair checklist will notice increased vehicle repair needs if they constantly use their car to carry heavier loads than it was designed to handle. To avoid this, the car owner should buy a suitable trailer. A trailer is an extra space on wheels extended from your vehicle.
You can use this space to load heavy items that may otherwise cause strain on your car. Vehicles are designed to withstand significantly more lateral stress compared to vertical stress. Buying and using a trailer greatly reduces the vertical stress on your car, turning it into lateral stress, which the car can handle.
Seek the advice of trained trailer sales representatives when you want to buy a trailer. There are several factors to consider, and such a professional can help here. The first consideration is your budget, the second is your trailer capacity needs, and thirdly, you need to consider the type of vehicle you have to determine which trailer runs best with it as the tow car. There are also legal considerations to make, varying from state to state. Lastly, buy a durable trailer in full working condition from a reputable vendor.
7. Remove Any Trees That Pose a Threat to Your Vehicle
Every car owner is responsible for ensuring their vehicle’s proper and safe parking. A well-built driveway and a roofed garage are good, but not enough to ensure safe parking. You’ll often find yourself parking your car in the driveway, whether you’ve taken it out for a wash or parked it briefly to get something from the house, then rush out again.
Ensure no threats to your car along the driveway and above the garage. Such risks can be posed by trees. Trees can damage your vehicle when whole branches fall off them.
Hire a professional specialized in offering tree services to inspect your driveway and garage to ensure no trees around pose a risk of damage to your vehicle. Even over the garage, heavy branches can fall, causing damage to the garage roof and, ultimately, your car. Beyond your regular foreign and domestic car repair checklist, include a competent arborist who can address the risk trees in your driveway and compound.
8. Speak to a Concrete Professional About Your Driveway
The condition of your driveway can determine the well-being of your car. Cracked driveways and driveways with potholes have the potential to cause damage to your vehicle tires. To avoid such instances, including your driveway’s construction, care, and repair in your foreign and domestic car repair checklist is important.
Every morning, you drive over your driveway to get out and use it to get in every evening. This constitutes a lot of use in its lifetime. It’s, therefore, important to build a durable driveway that will withstand the stresses and pressure applied to it over the years.
Concrete driveways have a big advantage over other driveway building materials. This is because concrete is a strong and durable material that can withstand great pressure and stress. After construction, your concrete driveway’s repair and maintenance costs are lower than any other material.
Concrete is also highly customizable compared to other materials. It allows you to play with patterns, designs, and colors you won’t find using other paving materials. As long as you hire a professional concrete contractor to do your driveway, you can rest assured you’ll have it for a long time.
9. Compare Pricing Between Concrete and Asphalt for Your Driveway
When preparing a foreign and domestic car repair checklist, include the driveway’s replacement, care, and maintenance. When replacing the driveway, you can compare the use of asphalt to pave it to concrete. Consider the initial construction cost where, according to Angi, a concrete driveway typically costs between $7 and $13 per square foot, while building it out of asphalt may range between $3 to $10 per square foot.
Concrete is a solid and durable driveway construction material. Getting it done well can be expensive initially, but it’ll pay off in the service it’ll give you. Concrete driveways can last up to 50 years. If you hire skilled asphalt paving services to do your driveway, you’ll realize asphalt is a very versatile material that can withstand damage because of its flexibility.
However, over time, concrete driveways last much longer. Concrete driveways generally have lower maintenance needs and costs. As for asphalt, damages are minimal and easy to repair.
10. Save the Phone Number for Towing Support
There is guaranteed peace of mind when you include a reliable towing service company in your foreign and domestic car repair checklist. Vehicles break down, and emergencies occur unexpectedly on the road. They can lead to unnecessary downtimes and frustrations if you don’t have towing support. Common situations on the road leading to the need for towing support range from simple situations like flat tires to large intimidating incidents like engine failure. In both cases, you’re stranded and can do with the help of some towing support.
Always have a reliable towing company’s phone number and other relevant contacts on speed dial to ensure you’re never stranded when you need roadside assistance. This is particularly important for trucking companies. Because of the nature of the business, trucks are always likely to break down along the road. Fleet managers should have a list of reliable towing service companies on their maintenance checklist and available to all drivers. As a vehicle owner frequently driving your car along these roads, ensure you have the phone number of a 24-hour towing company on your checklist, on your phone, and in your car.
Any responsible car owner understands the importance of a foreign and domestic car repair checklist. For a more comprehensive look at vehicle maintenance, there are measures you need to take beyond the typical maintenance and repair schedule. These have been explained in this article. A prudent car owner will consider these points and apply them to enjoy a longer-lasting vehicle.
