Taking good care of your vehicle does not require a major time investment. In fact, daily checkups that can keep your vehicle in smooth working order can take just five minutes or less. While you’ll obviously need to do your regular inspections and maintenance for bigger issues, these small checkups can go a long way to ensure you have a safe and comfortable drive.

Starting with your tires, you want to be sure they have appropriate inflation and tread. Any protruding items like nails would obviously require immediate attention. Remember that proper air pressure saves 2% on fuel efficiency, so it’s worth the time to check it regularly.

Check your battery. The battery could mean the difference between being stranded in a snowstorm or merely driving home as usual. Make sure it looks clean and starts without issues.

Check your lights. Nothing is more annoying than paying for a ticket AND having to pay to replace a light. Why not just do a quick walk around the vehicle with the flashers on to make sure that your headlights, tail lights, and blinkers are all working? Telling the officer you didn’t know the light was out won’t help, because it is your responsibility to make sure the lights are all working.

Check your windshield wiper fluid. Dirt, mud, bugs, and other debris can obscure your view of the road. Add sun glare to a dirty windshield and you may almost totally lose visibility. Make sure you keep your fluid levels up so you can wash your windshield wherever you are.

Finally, do a visual check of the other fluids, and every week or so, check the fluids that require the dipstick method like your engine oil and transmission fluid. Following these simple guidelines for daily checks on your vehicle can save you a great deal of trouble down the road.

Want to learn more?  Check out this blog post on basic maintenance you should do on your car.