Car Care Tips for First Time Car Buyers:

• Understanding the Importance of a Proper Car Insurance Policy

A car insurance policy is mandatory in India without which a car driving on the roads is an illegal activity. The insurance of the car is a tool to keep your car safe from any unforeseen problems that might seriously damage your car like an accident, a fire, damage due to any natural calamity, theft, or any manmade disaster. If anything of this nature was to occur the car insurance will save it from you losing the full financial amount and help you to buy a new one if the car is completely gone.

The car Insurance policy safeguards the car from near-complete loss due to natural calamities, theft, fire, or manmade disaster like damage during riots, etc. All these factors and many more could occur to damage your brand-new car.

While buying insurance for your car you can buy a third-party insurance cover or a comprehensive policy cover. The third-party insurance cover keeps you safe from any third-party damages that might occur because of your car, like property damage, someone else's vehicle damage, accidentally knocking over a pedestrian on the road, etc. All your third-party legalities will be taken care of by the third-party insurance cover.

A comprehensive insurance cover provides all-around protection of your car including third-party damages and own damages. Own damages refer to natural calamity damages, unforeseen incidents like fire, theft, accidents, and your personal accident cover.

Any type of insurance can be bought online after making comparisons and buying what suits you best.

Keep Your Car Safe

After procuring an insurance cover for your car, you need to keep your car safe by driving responsibly on the roads, maintaining road safety measures, driving with a valid license, and not indulging in any traffic violations.

Maintaining Your Car

Car maintenance is a mandatory activity of the car owner so that the insurance is never rejected due to lack of maintenance. As a car owner here are some maintenance measures that can be adhered to for proper safe keeping of the car and for your personal safety.

1. As soon as you buy your car please go through the manual as it will educate you about your car that will help you throughout the tenure of your owning the car.
2. Car tyre pressures need to be checked regularly before driving away with the car. Please ensure that all the tyres including the spare one is in good shape and properly inflated. Discovery of a leak prior to traveling would ensure you are never harassed.
3. Check out for warning lights on the dashboard of your car before driving out. The dashboard of your car is equipped with various warning signs that glow and warn you of any problems in the car. The fuel meter, your indicators, headlights, and tail lights need to be checked that they are running properly.
4. Clean your engine every day and wipe off the dust or grime that settles on your engine before starting out each day. You need to lift the hood of the car before driving out. Just randomly dust the top portion of the entire engine layout before starting the car.
5. Fill water in the windshield cleaner, and wipe the windshield clean before starting out each day. This helps you to have a clear vision while driving and ensure that your windshield has water for spraying when any debris or dust falls on your windshield.
6. Clean your car battery each day before driving out and read about it in the car manual. Start by cleaning the terminals, after disconnecting the battery by removing the negative terminal first by disconnecting the power supply of the car. After cleaning attach the positive terminal first so that you don't turn on the power supply and hurt yourself.
7. Check the brakes and the brake fluid level from time to time. If you feel the brakes are not immediately stopping the car, immediately rush to the mechanic.
8. Refill lubricants and check the air filter regularly and clean. The car being a machine runs best if the oils it runs on are topped up and refilled regularly. You can learn to refill the engine oil and brake fluids etc by reading the user manual of the car. Ensure timely replacement of the air filter.
9. Check your spark plug and replace timely by visiting the mechanic. The spark plug gets dirty so it needs to be cleaned or replaced as the case may be. There are tell-tale signs that warn you if your spark plug is faulty. The engine will not run smoothly, there will be noise and chokes that would occur. Periodical visits to the mechanic will ensure the smooth running of the car.
10. Maintain the mileage of your car by ensuring a smooth ride and not driving rashly. Ensure to be slow on speed breakers and suddenly don't accelerate your car. This way your car will run smooth and long without hiccups.
11. Change the cabin air filter or clean it regularly. The cabin air filter can be removed and cleaned or replaced by reading about it in the car manual. Please ensure this is done so that your car AC runs smoothly and you are able to breathe clean air while driving the car with the AC on.

SOURCE: https://www.carandbike.com/news/maintenance-tips-for-1st-time-car-owners-3084115