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Avoid making these car maintenance mistakes

Avoid making these car maintenance mistakes

Your car plays an important role in your life. It is used to transport the kids, to get to work, and in many other tasks. Taking care of it is an indispensable duty. Everything from critical engine parts to the paint on the exterior requires regular maintenance. It doesn’t matter if you’ve owned multiple cars or if you are a first-time car owner, avoid making the following mistakes when it comes to car maintenance.

Ignoring warning lights
Modern day vehicles are equipped with a comprehensive safety alert system. Lights installed on the dashboard flash to indicate electrical issues and problems with the engine or the battery. When the check engine light blinks consistently, you must drive straight to the service center and have a technician inspect the vehicle. Delaying these warnings can result in expensive repairs and part replacement that may or may not be covered under warranty.

Not getting the wheels aligned
Wheel alignment is a crucial maintenance task that needs to be done periodically. Driving conditions and terrain changes cause the wheels to wear out unevenly over time. Wheel alignment and rotation of the tires are done to ensure the car doesn’t oversteer or understeer in any direction due to misalignment. It is also important to monitor the tire pressure using the onboard systems, and regularly fill air for better traction and control.

Not changing the engine oil
Engine oil lubricates the pistons and all the moving parts in the internal combustion engine. A typical vehicle can run for 7,000 miles before you need to get the oil changed. Skimping on this task can cause sludge to form in the engine oil and affect its viscosity. Sludge causes friction and heat to build up and increases the risk of stalling the engine altogether. Additionally, the type and quality of engine oil needed for your car will differ as per its make and model. So ensure you change the engine oil as recommended in the drivers manual provided by the car manufacturer.

Not getting the filters changed
Vehicles need oil and air filters for the engine to run at optimum capacity. Air filters prevent any debris or particles from flowing into the air intake and entering the combustion chamber. Oil filters recycle the engine oil to prevent sludge and other debris from entering the pistons. Both filters work simultaneously to ensure clean air and fuel ignite within the engine chambers. These filters have a limited life span and need to be changed if you notice a dip in engine output and performance.

Buying cheap parts
Saving a few dollars by buying cheap knockoffs for engine or vehicle maintenance will only result in more expenses if the vehicle breaks down. You should always buy genuine manufacturer parts, and avoid getting your vehicle repaired from any unfamiliar garages. Authorized service centers employ trained inhouse technicians who also have access to special tools that are necessary for making the repairs.

Ignoring the exterior
The exterior is just as important when it comes to car maintenance. You must get your car washed regularly and check the paint for patches that indicate rust. Once a portion of your car develops rust, it can quickly spread, impacting the car’s structural integrity. These are all problems that can be easily identified during regular vehicle inspections.

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Stay at the top of your health game with these 4 tips

Stay at the top of your health game with these 4 tips

Think of the human body as a car. Pouring the cheapest gasoline (unhealthy food) in a car can damage the engine (bodily organs). Instead, if you can take care of yourself by committing to fitness via proper nutrition, it can take you a long way. In a recent study, it was found that approximately 55 percent of people derive daily calories from refined and processed foods. This can be counterproductive as these foods are full of unhealthy fats and devoid of essential nutrients. How are fitness and nutrition related to each other? Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand. Consuming foods containing healthy nutrients enables your body to function in a way conducive to physical and mental well-being. You may find yourself becoming more active, and burning calories off in a healthy manner. If you continue to maintain an exercise routine without getting adequate nutrition, it will have an adverse effect. So, here are some useful tips that can help you to be at the top of your health game: Keep a tab on your calories This is one of the smartest tips to stay healthy. Several diet plans focus on the number of calories that need to be eaten each day.
7 facts everyone must know about gout

7 facts everyone must know about gout

Affecting an incredible eight million-plus people in the United States, Gout is a serious form of arthritis that causes insurmountable pain in the joints. The condition, which is one of the oldest prevailing medical illness in society, develops due to the accumulation of uric acid in the joints, mostly troubling overweight adults and men. Delving further, here are seven must-know facts about this condition. In women, it is more common after menopause Gout basically occurs due to the accumulation of uric acid, which then forms needle-shaped structures in the joints and leads to pain, inflammation, and redness. Estrogen, a hormone found in women, naturally leads to uric acid being released through urine. However, after menopause, their estrogen levels start to drop, which makes the uric acid content in their blood rise. Gout can take birth even with normal levels of uric acid While most patients suffering from gout have a high concentration of uric acid in their bloodstream, some gout attacks can even occur with normal uric acid levels — a rare condition termed as asymptomatic hyperuricemia. Alcohol increases its risk Along with meat, fish, and poultry, alcohol consumption drastically increases the chances of developing gout. This is because alcohol has a high content of purine, a chemical compound that breaks down into urea in the body.
Top 4 reasons for unnatural hair loss patterns

Top 4 reasons for unnatural hair loss patterns

Hair loss is a natural process that automatically gets rid of old tissue and hair to promote new growth. So don’t be alarmed when you do find a few strands of hair tangled in your comb. However, a clearly visible scalp and a receding hairline are indicative of developing the problem of permanent hair loss. There are several internal and external factors that can accelerate hair fall, leading to pattern baldness in both men and women. Here are the top four reasons that trigger unnatural hair fall. Stress Stress ranks among the top risk factors associated with many medical conditions. In fact, one way or the other, taking physical or psychological stress harms the body more than you can imagine. For hair loss, especially, excessive shedding starts right after the body undergoes physical or psychological distress. A few examples include experiencing high fever, blood loss due to accident or injury, or even post-surgery recovery can result in stress that causes hair loss. Stress, coupled with anxiety, results in accelerated hair loss. To cope with this problem and reduce its effects, stress management is of crucial importance. Hormonal changes Men and women both experience hormonal changes throughout their lifetime. However, an imbalance associated with various conditions can trigger hair loss.
Learn about these 3 types of hearing loss

Learn about these 3 types of hearing loss

Hearing loss, deafness, or impairment is the partial or total inability to hear sounds. People with low to moderate hearing impairment face challenges in understanding what the other person is saying in a noisy environment. Whereas, people with severe deafness cannot hear anything, and rely completely on lip-reading and sign language skills. There are three main types of hearing loss: sensorineural, conductive, and a combination of both. Let’s understand these types in detail and learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of each type. Sensorineural hearing loss It’s the most common type of hearing loss. Sensorineural is permanent hearing loss often caused by damage to the tiny hair cells that line the inner ear or the auditory nerve. The damage stops or weakens the transfers of nerve signals to the brain. These signals are essentially the intensity and clarity of sounds. Causes: Aging and exposure to loud noises for a long period of time are the most common cause of the damage. Certain medications and illnesses can also increase risks. It can even be genetic, and pass on to the child in the mother’s womb. Treatment: There is no medical or surgical treatment available to repair the tiny hair cells once they’re damaged.
Simple lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of heart diseases

Simple lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of heart diseases

The heart is the most crucial organ in the body and as the system will cease to function if the heart stops or loses momentum pumping fresh oxygenated blood. This is why it is vital to not neglect your heart health at all and responsibly maintain a healthy, stress-free, and more importantly, a happy lifestyle. Here are a few simple lifestyle changes that will help support a healthy heart function. Switch to a healthy diet Avoid eating foods that are rich in trans and saturated fats. Most foods you find on the shelves of the supermarket contain large quantities of one or the other. Instead, switch to low-fat high fiber alternatives to help manage cholesterol. Maintaining a healthy cholesterol level in the body automatically reduces the risk of heart diseases. The simple reason for this is that fats that normally block major arteries and blood vessels are eliminated from these foods choices. It is also advisable to limit the salt (sodium) intake to control blood pressure and sugar to reduce the risk of diabetes simultaneously. Change certain lifestyle habits Reduce the number of alcoholic or carbonated drinks you have regularly. For men, it is advisable to have not more than two drinks and day and women must have only one.

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