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Originally Posted On: https://nybpost.com/beginners-guide-truck-maintenance-tips-services/

Truck maintenance is an essential aspect of vehicle ownership that every truck owner, especially beginners, should know. It includes various procedures to ensure that your truck is in good running condition, will not break down anytime soon and cause accidents that need compensation, and will provide the best performance.

If you want to know more about truck maintenance, here are some maintenance tips recommended by many truck experts and even established dealerships.

Check the Truck’s Fluids

It only takes a few minutes to check your truck’s coolant, engine oil, transmission, power steering and brake fluid levels. However, it is an effective way to ensure that your vehicle will not break down soon. If you see a significant drop in the fluid levels between checks, have your truck inspected by a professional mechanic from your Hino truck servicing. This could mean that a leak or consumption problem exists and must be fixed immediately before it turns into a major problem.

Change Fluids Regularly

When changing your truck’s fluid, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s fluid change suggestions. It is also best to seek the expert mechanic’s advice, mainly when your truck regularly carries heavy loads during long drives. These conditions significantly affect your truck’s overall condition, prompting the need to change fluids more often than usual.

Check the Tyre Pressure

The regular tyre pressure check is critical when driving a large truck or a loaded tractor-trailer. You need to ensure that all the tyres are correctly inflated to prevent uneven wear and maximise the truck’s fuel economy. Also, properly inflated tyres make driving safer because they provide optimum braking, traction and improved load-carrying capability.

Check the Tyres

Uneven tyre wear is caused by pressure, alignment, or suspension problems. So, check the tyres’ condition and their respective tread depth when doing preventive truck maintenance. Additionally, try to inspect your truck’s tyres more often to avoid the inconveniences caused by tyre blowouts. When you’re a newbie, you can ask a professional mechanic to teach you how to inspect the tyres correctly.

Inspect the Truck’s Brakes

Check your brakes frequently and have them replaced upon reaching their minimum wear condition. Doing this will help you keep safe and ensure that the truck will stop when you hit the brakes while carrying a heavy load.

When doing the inspection, check for uneven wear from front to back and side to side. These wears are a common sign that the brake system is no longer balanced. When you start to notice them, have the brakes adjusted or repaired to ensure that the truck provides the best braking performance.

Check the Truck’s Air Filters

If you want to reduce your truck’s fuel consumption and help its engine run smoothly, make regular air filter check, cleaning and replacement a habit. A truck’s air filter is designed to provide the best performance. However, its efficiency reduces as it gets clogged, reducing the amount of air that gets into the engine. This results in reduced power and lowers fuel economy. So, to keep your truck in tip-top shape, check, clean and change its air filter at regular intervals. You should also check the filter more often when the truck is frequently driven on dirty and dusty roads.

Perform a Battery Load Test Occasionally

Your truck’s electrical system is put to a test during a long-distance drive that involves frequent stops and starts. As such, it is best to check its alternator, battery and the entire electrical system occasionally. You can also hire a professional mechanic to do this on your truck after every long drive. When you operate in areas with colder climates, don’t forget to check the electrical system before the winter season to prevent possible charging problems.

Check the Truck’s Exterior Lighting

The exterior lights of a truck make night travels safe. Due to this, make sure to inspect them regularly by doing a quick walk-around verification. This allows you to catch burnt-out bulbs and replace them before hitting the road. Also, this saves you from being pulled over by law enforcers and awarded with a citation.

Furthermore, keeping your exterior, brake, hazard and signal lights working well boosts the visibility of your truck when travelling at night. This will help other motorists to recognise your presence from a distance and remind them to drive carefully. Finally, maintaining your exterior lights in good shape prevents these from causing problems to your truck’s electrical system.

Always Seek Help from Experts 

Although you can handle basic truck maintenance procedures on your own, it is always best to seek help from experts like those from Adtrans Hino, a leading Hino truck dealer in Australia. These professionals can conduct a comprehensive check of your vehicle, especially in the areas mentioned earlier.

Doing this will cause you to spend a few hundred dollars, but it’s worth the cost. Having your vehicle checked and repaired by highly trained professionals who specialise in overall truck maintenance provides you with peace of mind. Also, you will no longer worry about securing the tools and equipment needed for the repairs. All you need to do is sit back, relax and wait for them to finish the task.

The Bottomline

It is a must for truck owners, especially the newbies, to learn about basic truck maintenance procedures. This ensures that you know the essential things that you should and should not do with your vehicles.

If you want to be sure that your truck is maintained correctly, seek the service of professionals. You can contact a reliable truck dealership or maintenance shop in your area and let them handle all your truck’s repair and replacement needs. However, always consider getting the service of duly licensed and experienced service providers. This assures you that your vehicle will be taken care of the way you expect it to be.