6 Essential Car Fluids and How to Check Them

Do you know how to check essential fluids in your car? If you’re like many Brooklyn drivers, you might not know what are considered essential car fluids in the first place. Don’t worry, because Spitzer Buick GMC Parma is here to help you learn how and when to check car fluids and keep your ride running smoothly! To start, these are the 6 essential fluids that should be inspected regularly:

• Engine oil
• Brake fluid
• Engine coolant
• Transmission fluid
• Power steering fluid
• Windshield wiper fluid

Read below to learn what these fluids do and how to check them.

How to Check Essential Fluids in Your Car

Whether it’s windshield wiper fluid or brake fluid, regard every essential car fluid with equal importance for the safety and performance of your vehicle on the Brook Park roads. Read below to learn when to check car fluids and how to check essential fluids in your car:

Note: If you’ve just driven your vehicle, allow at least 30 minutes for the engine to cool down before popping the hood to check these essential car fluids, except transmission fluid, which should be checked warm.

Motor Oil

• What does motor oil do?: It regulates the engine temperature and lubricates the moving parts to prevent friction.
• When to change motor oil:Change your motor oil every 7,500 to 10,000 miles or every 6 months.
• How to check motor oil: Locate the oil dipstick — the handle is often yellow or orange — then pull it out of its housing. Check that the oil level lines up with the marking on the dipstick, and check the color and consistency of the oil.

Brake Fluid

• What does brake fluid do?: Takes the force of your foot on the brake pedal and converts it to pressure on the brakes.
• How often to replace brake fluid: Every 30,000 miles or 2 years.
• How to check brake fluid: The brake fluid reservoir is transparent, so you can visually check the fluid level against the maximum fluid line.

Engine Coolant

• What does engine coolant do?: Prevents the engine from overheating.
• When to replace engine coolant: Every 50,000 miles.
• How to check engine coolant: Like brake fluid, the engine coolant reservoir is slightly transparent. All you need to do is check that the fluid level reaches the maximum line on the reservoir.

Transmission Fluid

• What does transmission fluid do?: Lubricates the transmission’s moving parts to make gear shifts smoother.
• When to replace transmission fluid (automatic transmission): Every 30,000 to 60,000 miles.
• How to check transmission fluid (automatic transmission): Locate the transmission fluid dipstick, situated close to where the back of the engine meets the transmission. Pull the dipstick out to check the fluid level against the marker, and check that the color is a translucent dark red. If you can’t find a dipstick, you likely have a sealed transmission that needs to be checked at a service center near Independence.

Power Steering Fluid

• What does power steering fluid do?: Power steering fluid is the fluid that makes it easy to steer and turn your vehicle.
• When to replace power steering fluid: As needed, when it becomes difficult to steer and turn or the power steering system is experiencing frequent problems.
• How to check power steering fluid: The fluid reservoir’s cap should have a ‘power steering fluid’ label and/or a steering wheel symbol. Check that the fluid line is at the marked level.

Windshield Wiper Fluid

• What does windshield wiper fluid do?: Cleans your windshield when it’s too dirty to see out of.
• When to replace windshield wiper fluid: As needed, when little or no fluid is coming out of the windshield sprayers.
• How to check windshield wiper fluid: The fluid reservoir’s cap has a windshield washer symbol on it. The reservoir is transparent, so you can see how much fluid is in it.

Learn More at Spitzer Buick GMC Parma!

Do you have additional questions about when to check car fluids? Our service team has the answers! Contact us anytime to ask about essential car fluids or schedule an appointment if one of the fluids we discussed today needs to be replaced. We make routine automotive care simple for Parma-area drivers.