Your vehicle is an important possession and you should take good care of it. You might not be knowledgeable about cars, but that’s fine, as you can learn more about them. This article can help you learn more, even enable you to do some maintenance tasks yourself.

Keep a good battery charger on hand at all times. Dead batteries are a very common problem for all car owners. Not only will you be able to charge up your battery, you can also help others whose battery has broken down. Learn how to find connection points so that you can use the charger with ease.

Always know how much your repairs will cost before handing your car over to a service department. If you don’t understand something, talk to the mechanic first. You don’t want to be shocked by a huge bill to pay.

OEM parts should be asked for. These parts are the genuine article, produced by your car’s original manufacturer. Generic are cheaper, but also less reliable. It might be a great deal, but if you have to continue to replace the part, it is not going to be a good deal in the long run.

Verify that a prospective mechanic is familiar with your specific car. There are certain specifics which he needs to know before doing any repairs. It may be worth the extra cost to have a specialized dealer fix a major problem with your car.

If you’re having serious repairs done on your vehicle, make sure to get multiple estimates. Most shops are reliable but some mechanics will find additional repairs to charge you more. Seek out shops that are reputable and are good with your vehicle’s make and model. These shops can better understand the needed repairs for your vehicle.

Ask friends for referrals. Your loved ones may give you some recommendations to simplify your search. You should still always do some research on the person they tell you about. At least look for reviews online.

Look on your dashboard for any hazard lights that go on. Your dashboard lights warn you of potential problems. Do not ignore them, as this can put your safety in danger.

Put reminders on your calendar that tell you when to have your oil changed. If you want your car to run the way it should, its oil needs to be changed regularly. Failing to get routine oil changes will shorten you car’s life, so set reminders if necessary.

Watch out for the type of shop that will take off your good tires and put old ones on. They profit from your oblivion. Prior to going there, you should put chalk on the tires so they’re marked. If the chalk isn’t there, you’ve been taken advantage of.

Read your owner’s manual when you get a new car. To better know your car, you should look over this manual. This little book holds a lot of information about your vehicle.

As previously stated, taking proper care of a car is crucial. You can save yourself a good amount of money if you even just know simple maintenance. Use what you have learned here the next time you find your car behaving strangely.