4 Good-Practice Maintenance Tips To Follow To Avoid Off-Roading Vehicle Repair
Off-road vehicles can be dressed up to be real beasts out off the beaten path. However, these vehicles do often need repair. What you may not know is that certain good practices can help you avoid the need for unnecessary off-roading vehicle repair.
1. Clean up your vehicle after every off-road excursion.
Doing so can be a little time-consuming, but cleaning your vehicle after off-roading is ever important. Caked on mud, gunk, and leaves should be cleaned from the undercarriage, from under the hood, and off of the body. Leaving this residue hanging out to dry and harden can lead to issues with your exhaust, your radiator, and your rotors, brakes, and axle bearings.
2. Examine brake lines on lifted vehicles.
Having a lift kit on your vehicle places you in an advantageous position as an offroader. However, driving a lifted vehicle through thickets and branches can also mean certain components are more at risk of damage. The brake lines are a good example of important components easily damaged during off-roading in a lifted vehicle. Keep a close eye on your brake lines. Look for sharp bends, signs of corrosion, and signs of leaking brake fluid. If you spot problems, get your vehicle in for off-roading vehicle repair as quickly as possible.
3. Clean out your air filter and replace it as needed.
The air filter in your engine filters the air coming into the motor as it gets delivered to the fuel injectors. When you are spending time on a dusty backroad or offroad trails, the incoming air quality can naturally be a lot less desirable. Your air filter can clog up quickly due to this fact. Running your motor with a clogged air filter is a surefire way to end up broke down on a trail somewhere in need of repairs. After each trip, take a moment to pull out the air filter and clean it. And, if you see signs of deterioration, go ahead and get the filter replaced.
4. Check your fluid levels and keep them topped off.
Even though most vehicles will retain their fluids relatively well under normal driving conditions, off-roading can be a bit harder for the vehicle to handle. You may lose a little oil, use more water for in order to keep the engine cool, or you may even lose a bit of brake fluid. Of course, driving with low fluid levels could easily land you with an urgent need for vehicle repairs. For example, running a trail with low oil levels could be hard on the engine lifters and cause your engine to throw a rod.