Photo by Clint Patterson on Unsplash The average person doesn’t know the answer to the question “When should I replace my shocks and struts?” In fact, a lot of people might not even know what they are - or where they are - but that’s OK. We’ll take a few moments to go over where they are, what they do for your car, what kind of damage they can cause to your car, and when to replace them before they cause that damage.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash The light turned on again! That, or you’ve been paying careful attention to your car’s odometer, and you know it’s time for another oil change. Getting the engine lubricant drained and replaced every 3,000 to 5,000 miles is a hugely important part of regular car maintenance. Done right and often enough, it will keep your vehicle happy and running for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Photo by Benjamin Brunner on Unsplash You need your car to have brakes. This may be an eye-rollingly obvious statement, but it’s true! Brakes are arguably the most important part of any road-safe vehicle (besides maybe the wheels) and they work very hard every time we drive to keep us safe – our brakes deserve to be treated with care and respect. But unless you’re a mechanic or super-dedicated car enthusiast, you might not know much about the brakes on your car, and you may wonder - how do you know if your brakes need to be replaced?

Source: Pixabay This teeny tiny component of the traditional gasoline engine can cause big problems when it fails. That’s because spark plugs are responsible for moving your car forward. Literally – an arc of electricity from the end of a spark plug ​ignites the gasoline in your engine​, “driving” every other aspect of the motor. The gas-powered car we know and love would not have been a possibility without these little pieces of technology.

Photo by Imthaz Ahamed on Unsplash Tires are one of those all-important parts of a vehicle that most of us (true gear heads excepted) tend to forget about until we have a flat or a blowout. And since almost all new cars come equipped with a tire pressure warning light, it’s especially easy to put off checking the wear on our tires – until it’s too late. So, when did you last replace your tires?

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash Brakes are one of the most important components on any road-safe vehicle. And brakes themselves are made up of a number of absolutely vital pieces of equipment. While each part requires periodic maintenance and servicing, the one that needs our attention the most is the brake pad. Pads are designed to be worn down over time as you drive your car or truck, and need to be replaced in order to avoid doing damage to the other more permanent components of your braking system.

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay Windshield wipers are a simple but essential piece of any road-safe vehicle. They’re the piece we tend to forget about until we need them. And we know that the contrast between new, well-maintained windshield wipers and worn-out ones can be startling. Like every other component of your vehicle, it’s essential to properly care for your windshield wipers so they can continue to keep you safe when the weather gets rough.