7 risks of not maintaining your vehicle routinely

Many people think that vehicle maintenance is just about a full-tank refill capacity and occasional oil change. However, regular car maintenance is much more than that and has its own benefits.

On the flip side, if not done routinely, it can also pose some severe risks to your vehicle and consecutively to you.

It can also result in damage to your car which can even tank your bank significantly.

If you’re not sure when to take your vehicle for its maintenance, check your user’s manual. It should have a section on regular maintenance providing information on when and what to get serviced.

Maintenance doesn’t just mean taking the vehicle to the repair shop. It’s much more than that and starts with everyday care and maintenance from your end to keep your car in good health.

Apart from the regular scheduled maintenance, you can practice some basic maintenance yourself. In fact, it’s important to take care of your car on a daily basis. Even small things like leaving your car under direct sun for long can damage it. Therefore, you can practice these 15 important maintenance activities yourself to make your car last longer.

Now, it’s time to dive straight into the topic and know about the risks of not regularly vehicle maintaining your vehicle so that you can stick to a better vehicle schedule.

1. Compromise with safety

Regular maintenance is important for your safety while in the car. Mechanical failure is the biggest risk which comes with non-maintenance of routine vehicle maintenance. We have already mentioned, maintenance doesn’t just mean oil change.

Braking, steering and suspension are some are important safety related aspects to be regularly checked and fixed if any issue is found. Therefore, you need to get your mechanic check if there are any issues with these including brakes, filters and the pressure of your tires and anything else important.

According to a 2015 traffic statistical summary by NHTSA, a critical reason for a vehicle crash is vehicles apart from drivers, environment and other unknown reasons. Tires/wheels, brakes, steering, suspension, transmission are the commons vehicle attributed reasons for such crashes/accidents according to this statistical report.

Any unidentified underlying issue with any of the above mentioned things could result in a mechanical failure on the road. Without regular maintenance, you’ll probably not be able to identify any safety issues with your vehicle which poses a serious risk to you and everyone else on board.

2. Vehicle Damage

As discussed in the first point, not doing routine vehicle maintenance increases the safety risks on road.

A sudden mechanical failure doesn’t only poses risk to people on board but also the vehicle itself.

For example, a tire blow-out could even result in a collapse result in great damage to the vehicle to the point that it’s nothing more than scrap.

Even, if the damage is repairable, it could cost you a lot and will be a permanent mark in you vehicle history report.

3. Lower performance of your vehicle

If your vehicle is not regularly maintained, the direct outcome is lower performance.
A small example is that if regular oil-change is not conducted, there could be built-up of oil sludge to the engine-parts. In result, it can affect smooth and normal flow of oil throughout the system.

4. Results in poor fuel economy

Well, who doesn’t want fuel economy and achieve as much mileage as possible. Regular vehicle maintenance is very important to achieve fuel economy although other factors like driving habits and weather conditions also affect it.

The system of the vehicle that is not maintained routinely will be working under pressure and this causes the system to use up more energy.

Under-inflated tires, clogged air filters, unturned engine can all lead to pressure on the system which makes it work harder thereby consuming more energy.

A few services of the components mentioned above will help to run the vehicle more efficiently removing the pressure on the engine system.

5. Shorter lifespan of the vehicle

A vehicle which is not maintained regularly will always work under pressure. Over time the pressure will increase on its system and it will start causing wear and tear on different parts and components.

As the pressure on the system increases, the level of wear and tear will also increase which will shorten the life of the vehicle.

6. Maintains the value of the car

It’s apparent that a vehicle in a bad condition will not have much value. This is particularly bad for you when you would want to resell the vehicle. No one would want to buy a vehicle with high wear and tear and shorter life.

And if even if they’re willing to buy it, the price paid would be much lesser than the fair market price.

7. Increases running cost

If the vehicle is routinely maintained, it can have unidentified underlying issues which can result in sudden breakdowns. The price to fix the break down could be comparatively higher than what you would rather pay on routine maintenance.

Moreover, such vehicles aren’t great at fuel economy which ends you up spending more on re-filling.

Therefore, it’s always wise to spend small amounts regularly on maintenance than spending huge on fixing unwanted issues.

Final Word

Those were 7 main risks of not of regularly maintaining your vehicle. Therefore, it is advisable to stick to a maintenance schedule to avoid unwanted problems with your car and keep going for longer.

You can stick to your mechanic recommended maintenance schedule or you can even go with your manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. You can also use various tools available online to check your manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. However, you will also need to take care of your vehicle on a daily basis such parking under shade, covering your car if parked in open space, etc.

We would love to know your thoughts on car maintenance. Please let us know your valuable inputs in the comment section below.