Five Things Every New Driver Needs to Know

Driving a car is a great privilege; whether you just turned sixteen and got your first driver’s license or you decided to renew your license after a long hiatus, you are now eligible to get behind the wheel and chart your own destiny on the open road. While there is no feeling quite like the freedom to go wherever you want whenever you want, there is also a feeling of pride and of accomplishment that comes with inheriting the responsibilities of a driver and living up to them. 

There are the innate responsibilities that all drivers undertake when they get behind the wheel—things like the safety of your passengers, other drivers on the road, and respect for public property, all of which we will get into later—but there are also responsibilities toward the vehicle itself that, if ignored, would inhibit your ability to live up to the other, more important tasks you have as a driver.

Below is a short list of five things that every new driver should bear in mind when taking care of their vehicle. Some aspects of car repair require more consistent attention while others will only be an issue once or twice during the average ownership of a car before it’s replaced.

Monitor Your Car’s Fluids

There are numerous systems in your car that run solely through the use of hydraulics and fluids. These systems include :

• Engine Oil
• Braking System
• Power Steering
• Transmission
• Engine Coolant
• Window Washing System
• Differential Fluid
• Clutch Fluid

By neglecting to check their levels or replace them as needed, the fluid (as well as the tubes and lines that disperse it) will become dirty, clogged, and lose all of its beneficial properties. Eventually, that will lead to the affected systems in your car grating unnaturally, overheating, and breaking down long before they should. Master Muffler in Ogden can help make sure that car repairs like this remain easy and simple and preventable.

Maintain Tires

In the end, everyone knows that even if every other system is on the fritz, if the car has 4 tires and a downhill slope, it can still take you from Point A to Point B (albeit, not very safely). Your tires are some of the most fundamentally essential components of the vehicle and thanks to their constant friction with the road, the most in need of continual observation and maintenance. When taking care of your tires, remember to check:

• Tire Tread Depth
• Baldness
• Air Pressure
• Punctures

Not only can air pressure fluctuate in your tires based on the weather and the temperature outside, but air may escape if the seal on the axle isn’t secure. Luckily, checking the viability of your tires isn’t very difficult—an air pressure gauge, a penny, and a good pair of eyes are about all you need to get the job done. Every car repair appointment in Ogden will also check your tires for you.

Check Lights Often

“Spotting the padiddle” is often a favorite pastime for families and groups of friends on long car trips. What adds to the fun is knowing that in many cases, the driver of that vehicle doesn’t always know that their headlight is out in the first place. There is another group that loves to look for burnt-out headlights—the police. The fact of the matter is that any darkened lights pose a serious safety risk to motorists on both sides of the road and may be enough to get someone pulled over (or at least have the light added as a further charge to an existing ticket). Make sure to check:

• Both Headlights
• Both Tailights
• The Cabin (Dome) Light

Remember to turn off your lights after checking them or else you may unintentionally drain the battery. If anything like this does happen, Master Muffler will make sure to put you back on the road quickly; the car repair team in Ogden especially is skilled at fixing both lights and batteries.

Be Up To Date On Safety/Emissions

Luckily, a safety and emissions test is required to qualify for another year’s renewal of your registration. This is a process that should more or less be calendared in advance, each year. Your stickers on the license plate will let you know what month your registration will roll over and you have about a month’s grace period to take care of your registration before you are liable to get pulled over. Happily, most of the paperwork can either be done online or is completed by your mechanic after testing your vehicle.

Go In For a Car Repair Tune-Up Yearly

There are a lot of valuable systems that need to be checked up on at least once a year to ensure that your car remains roadworthy. A basic checklist includes: 

• The Engine
• The Catalytic Converter
• The Filters
• The Fuel Lines

Luckily, the best way to accomplish this task (and literally all the others) is to be diligent and know a good mechanic. The professionals at Ogden’s Master Muffler not only make sure that your car is in good working order but will speak plainly to you about what is going on and what actions they suggest. When it comes to car repairs, you need a friend in the business who knows what they’re doing. With locations all over the valley, we are a trusted friend to many Utah drivers.