Volkswagen Maintenance Tips

Adhering to your Volkswagen’s maintenance schedule is important for reaching the full lifecycle (we'll consider a "full lifecycle" to be 10 years or 200,000 miles) of your vehicle. Their maintenance schedule requires most vehicles to be serviced every 10,000 miles. During these service dates, technicians examine, replace, and repair important parts that are unique to the Volkswagen brand. These unique processes ensure that your Volkswagen drives as smoothly as the first day you purchased it.

With that said, there are some things owners can do to make sure that their Volkswagen is in pristine condition going into each service visit. Want to take better care of your car? Looking for other ways to improve the condition of your vehicle? Regardless of where you stand, check out the German Car Specialists recommendations for basic Volkswagen car maintenance when you're in-between visits.

Check Your Oil

You hear this advice all the time with other vehicle brands and that does not change with Volkswagen. Staying on top of your oil and recognizing when it's okay and when it needs a change is vital to keeping your engine running. A car with bad oil or no oil will cause the engine to wear out faster and leaves it vulnerable to overheating quicker. Ask your technician when you should change your oil but the average mileage is around 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

Don't Ignore Your Wiper Blades!

Out of all the tasks that are asked from a car owner, replacing wiper blades is the one thing most people wait too long to do. Wiper blades are an important part of maintaining clear visibility on your windshield and without them it could lead to some dangerous, or potentially fatal, accidents. Don't be like the majority and wait for a downpour to tell you, be proactive and determine the health of your wiper blades. Some signs that you need new wiper blades include:

• Streaking or smearing on your window
• The blades "clack" on the window
• The rubber squeegee appears damaged or rust starts to form on the blades

Inspect Your Tires

We talk about this a lot because it's so important to both driving quality and car health. Being able to maintain healthy tires and identify when your tires have gone bad will go a long way in "maxing out" the lifecycle of your vehicle. And before you ask, yes, we have some tips for how to make sure your tires are up to standard with the Volkswagen brand:

• PSI levels: make sure to keep your tires within proper PSI levels, though it varies from model to model most ideal tires will have PSI levels in between 30-35.
• Avoid under or over inflating your tires: under-inflation will place more stress on the engine as the car will require more energy to move. Over-inflation could cause the tire to expand beyond its limits and, with enough heat, it could cause the tire to explode.
• The quarter trick: a simple trick that'll help determine tire tread. Using a quarter, insert it (head first) in the outer, inner, and middle sections of the tire. If the head of George Washington pops up at any point than it's time for you to get new tires.