3 Essential Car Fluids You Need to Know

Besides fuelling up, you may not think much about the fluids that go into your vehicle, but without that knowledge, your vehicle could develop serious problems. To keep your vehicle road-ready, we’ve broken down three essential fluids any vehicle needs and how you can go about maintaining them.

Engine oil (also known as motor oil) is the lubricant that helps keep all vital engine parts moving smoothly and prevents them from overheating. Without engine oil, all the internal parts would create friction. This then wears the parts down faster and causes damage throughout your engine.

Your engine may burn off some oil over time. But if you think you can just get away with topping up your engine oil without changing it — think again! As you drive, the oil filter catches particles and other debris from the engine. If you continue to drive without changing the oil, the particles will start to collect and eventually clog the oil filter and potentially damage vital engine parts.

There are many other reasons why you need to get regular oil changes from your mechanic or certified lube technician. It’s also vital to check your own oil regularly to make sure it’s clear and filled right to the line. If it’s low or dirty, it’s certainly time for an oil change.

It may seem obvious but without brake fluid, your brakes wouldn’t work. Brake fluid works to transfer force into pressure, therefore amplifying the pressure put onto the brakes, which causes them to stop your vehicle firmly and smoothly. Over time, this fluid can degrade and weaken, putting unnecessary pressure on the braking system. If you’re finding it harder to brake — as in you need to use more force to get your car to slow down — it could mean you have low brake fluid, air bubbles in the brake line, or your brake fluid has reached a high boiling point. This means moisture has entered it and converted it into a gas.

Your mechanic should check for low brake fluid at each inspection and flush out and replace all the brake fluid once every year or two.

Much like with brake fluid, power steering fluid works to apply pressure from the steering wheel to the steering system. This is what helps to move your vehicle smoothly and with ease.

If the power steering fluid is not maintained, it too can get contaminated, meaning the steering system will need to work harder — and will eventually fail. It’s not uncommon to get leaks in the system, either, due to weakened or old seals. So checking the power steering fluid regularly will help to determine if the whole system is working the way it should.

As you can tell, to get the best performance from your vehicle as well as get ahead of costly repairs, your fluid levels should be checked regularly. At Enviro Lube, our certified lube technicians will give your vehicle a 21 multi-point inspection to check these fluids — and a whole lot more. Stop by our location in downtown Whitehorse today for your 15-minute oil change — no appointment needed!