Top 5 Maintenance Tips for Truck Owners

Preventative maintenance is the best and most important thing you can do for your truck, and your wallet. Taking proper care of your vehicle can cut down on small and major repairs that tend to be time consuming and costly. While doing this maintenance on your own may seem overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. Read on to learn about simple and effective ways to take care of your truck, and some accessories that can help protect your investment. 

1. Change Engine Oil and Filter

One of the most important things to keep your car running and healthy is changing your engine oil and filter. If you don’t do this regularly, your oil will deplete or become full of debris which can cause your engine to wear out much faster. When changing your oil, you also need to change your filter. It’s there to catch dirt and grime, and if it’s not changed often enough, that debris will start to seep into your engine. It’s important to change your filter every time you change your oil. If not, the dirt from your filter can seep into and contaminate your new oil.

2. Check All Fluids

Fluids play a large role in keeping your truck functioning smoothly and safely. For this reason, manufacturers give guidelines as to how often you should be changing your fluids, but it’s best to check as often as you can for preventative maintenance. If your fluid levels are too low, or fluid is too old, your truck can age more rapidly, and go through unnecessary wear and tear. Important fluids to take a look at regularly include your engine oil (which we’ve covered), transmission fluid, brake fluid and coolant. While all of these are important, checking your brake fluid is especially crucial for your safety; if levels are too low, your braking system could fail you while you’re on the road.

3. Rotate Tires

While some people choose not to rotate their tires regularly, or simply don’t know they should, it’s crucial to the life of these (expensive) investments. The terrain we drive our trucks on is irregular and unpredictable, meaning there’s no way to tell how it’s affecting our tires. Regular tire rotation distributes the wear and tear on your tires more evenly. Making sure that one area is not more damaged than the others help your tires last longer. During this step, you should also be checking for other damage to your tires and rocker panels. If your tires are punctured, you should replace them, or you could have a major blowout while driving. If your rocker panels are starting to become worn and damaged, you may want to invest in some mud flaps to help deter the wear and tear. WeatherTech’s MudFlaps are custom fit to your vehicle to protect your rocker panels. They also install with no drilling required, so you don’t need to damage your vehicle further.

4. Inspect Truck Regularly

While there’s no suggested timeline, and often no manufacturer instructions for inspecting the rest of your truck, it’s a task you’ll want to take on. This can help dimmish the amount of wear and tear your truck develops, and catch minor issues before they turn into big problems. If you do catch a minor issue, take care of it as soon as you can for the health of your truck — and your bank account. These maintenance inspections are also a time to have fun with truck accessories! Investing in high-quality interior and exterior protection can help prolong the life of your truck. Here are some WeatherTech solutions we think could be a perfect fit:

ImpactLiner: Laser-measured truck bed liner with a heavy-duty, textured ribbing to keep cargo from shifting and banging up the back of your cab.

AlloyCover: Heavy-duty, custom-fit protection for the contents of your truck bed with a low profile.

FloorLiner HP: Iconic, laser-measured liner made to fit the contours of your truck’s footwells.

Side Window Deflectors: Low-profile protection against the elements, so you can let the fresh air in while keeping precipitation out.

5. Check Electronics and Software Updates

Modern trucks have high-tech electronic systems that control parts of your vehicle’s performance. Like any other form of technology, these systems need to be updated every so often. Checking for these software updates is important for your vehicle to be able to perform to its full capability. If you don’t update these systems, your truck’s fuel consumption can increase, costing you more money.

Taking care of your truck doesn’t have to be a headache, it can actually be pretty fun! Plus, the benefits will be well worth the work. You’ll now be able enjoy your truck with less issues, and for a longer amount of time thanks to you!