If you own a high performance vehicle, the chances are it’s your pride and joy. There’s something so special about owning a car that’s both good-looking and powerful, especially if it’s a vehicle you have dreamed of owning for a long time. When you do finally achieve your dream of owning a performance vehicle, it’s vital to keep it in the best possible condition. Taking care of your performance vehicle will ensure that driving remains an exciting experience and its performance on the road isn’t compromised. Aside from ensuring that the engine keeps on purring, keeping your vehicle in the best condition will also help you preserve its value and keep its depreciation rate low.
So, you know taking care of your high-performance car is a must. But the big question is, how do you take the best care of a performance vehicle to ensure its performance isn’t compromised and that it retains its value? Keep reading to discover some top tips to help you do just that.
Be Alert to Potential Issues
Your performance car may be a finely tuned vehicle and a pleasure to drive. However, it can still encounter performance issues. Being alert to potential issues with your car is absolutely essential to ensuring it performs at its best. It will also help you spot potential problems before they progress further and cause even more issues.
It’s essential to always pay attention to how your car usually sounds and performs. This enables you to spot the signs of a problem so much faster. Signs of potential issues to look out for include the following:
- Warning lights coming on – this is the most obvious sign of a potential issue, and shouldn’t be ignored. If you notice any warning lights come on in your vehicle, it’s wise to refer to the manual for further guidance, and if needed, book it in for a diagnostic check.
- Vehicle making noises – unusual noises coming from your vehicle signals potential issues. Try to establish the type of noise your car is producing, as this will provide clues as to where the issue may lie. Grinding, knocking, tapping, or rattling noises commonly indicate some kind of mechanical problem.
- Reduced performance or power – if your vehicle starts to become slower at accelerating or shows signs of losing power, it’s important to deal with this quickly. These issues can become potentially dangerous, especially if you lose power on a high-speed highway or when trying to overtake another vehicle. There are many potential issues that can cause reduced performance or loss of power, some of these are serious, others are simple to fix. The important thing is that you don’t ignore them and get the issue fixed quickly.
- Lower fuel efficiency – if you notice you’re needing to fill up more often despite driving the same distances, it’s worth getting your vehicle checked out. A clogged fuel injector could be to blame, or your vehicle could simply need a tune-up, either way, it’s best to get this issue resolved so you stop spending more than you need at the filling station, and before it causes any further problems.
Never Skip a Service
Servicing is an essential annual activity for every car. But when you own a high-performance vehicle, keeping up with servicing is even more important. Regular servicing will help to keep your vehicle’s performance at its best, but will also ensure its value is preserved, and its longevity is maximized.
Simple maintenance tasks need to be carried out more frequently, especially if you cover a lot of miles in your vehicle. Checking tire pressures and the tread will help to keep you within legal limits as well as helping you to boost your fuel economy. Regularly checking fluid levels is also essential to keep your vehicle performing well for longer, and avoiding potential damage. If you’re topping up the oil or changing it completely, it’s essential that you use the recommended oil for your engine. The correct oil will ensure the optimum functioning of your performance vehicle and avoid any potential damage to the engine.
Cleaning and changing filters when needed is absolutely vital to ensure a smooth drive and to improve the vehicle’s overall performance. Make sure you’re familiar with the manufacturer’s maintenance and service schedule for your exact car model to keep it in prime working order, and to avoid depleting its value.
Choose Parts Carefully
A high performance vehicle needs high performance parts. So, if your performance car needs repairs, only the best parts will do. It may be tempting to buy parts based on price in a bid to save yourself money on repairs. However, when you own a performance vehicle, buying cheap parts is often a false economy and could compromise your car’s performance and your driving experience.
Instead of focusing on price, it’s important to shop around for parts that deliver both on price and quality. For example, finding a manufacturer who can provide the highest quality Ford performance parts at a competitive price will ensure you don’t need to compromise on quality or performance.
Keep on Top of Washing and Polishing
Your car may be your pride and joy, but it’s still easy to fall behind on washing and polishing it. Keeping up with cleaning the exterior of your car is absolutely essential if you want to keep it in top condition.
Unfortunately, your vehicle’s paintwork is exposed to many different factors each day. From the sun’s harsh UV rays to tree sap, and bird poop, your car’s paint job is faced with many threats every day. If ignored, the acidity of tree sap and bird poop coming into contact with your paint can soon cause issues. You may be left with patches of discolored paint from sap and poop. Prolonged UV exposure can also damage your paintwork, causing it to oxidise and lose its colour.
Removing tree sap and bird poop from your car as soon as you can is vital to reduce the potential damage it can cause. But it’s not as simple as just washing it regularly with warm, soapy water. How, when and what you wash your car with will make a huge difference to the way it looks, and the condition of your paintwork.
There are a few key tips to follow when washing your car. If you’re concerned about the sun oxidising your paintwork, it’s essential you never wash your vehicle when the sun is shining brightly, as this can exacerbate the issue. Avoid using drive through car washes, as these can cause scratches on your paintwork. It’s also important to use a specialist car shampoo, sponges, or special car washing mitt, rather than simply using washing up liquid or the cheapest car shampoo you can find. Don’t forget to use a microfiber cloth or chamois to dry your car afterward, as this will help to avoid streaks.
Protect Paint and Bodywork
Keeping your car clean and removing potentially harmful substances from its exterior as soon as you can is a must. However, it’s also vital to go a step further and take more action to protect your car’s paint and bodywork.
If you have a garage or carport, parking your vehicle under this will help to protect it from the elements. If you don’t, you may want to consider investing in a car cover. Car covers can be particularly helpful if you don’t drive your vehicle every day or your car is parked in a particularly exposed area.
Aside from giving your vehicle shelter when it’s parked at home, it’s also essential to consider how you can protect it when you’re out and about. Unfortunately, there are a lot of inconsiderate parking lot users out there who will happily park too close to your vehicle, open their doors onto your car’s bodywork, or simply knock into it when walking past. Each of these situations can cause extensive damage to your car’s bodywork and paintwork, which is incredibly frustrating. It may be impossible to completely avoid your car being around inconsiderate drivers and pedestrians. However, it is possible for you to try and eliminate the chances of it becoming damaged. Where possible, avoiding tight parking spaces, and parking away from other road users is a great way to minimize the likelihood of your car being damaged.
As you can see, owning a high performance vehicle means you need to pay special care and attention to your car. A performance car can easily retain its value and become a future classic, but it does need the highest level of maintenance and regular servicing to achieve this.
If you own a performance vehicle, you may find it takes extra work to keep it delivering optimum performance each time you drive it. But as a car enthusiast, you will likely need no excuse to spend more time with your vehicle, even if you’re simply washing and waxing it as you can be sure all the hard work you put in is more than worth it.