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Once a month, check your tires, fluids, lights and wipers, and give the car a quick clean. Each season, add a few bigger jobs, and let your owner’s manual set the schedule for anything with a mileage interval, like oil changes.
This checklist fills the gaps between services. It catches the small problems you can see for yourself, and it doesn’t replace the maintenance schedule in your manual. Each car has its own, and it beats any general rule.
Time: A short session each month, with a longer one when the seasons change.
Difficulty: Easy. You don’t need any mechanical skills for this list.
What you need
- Your owner’s manual
- Basic wash supplies (what’s worth buying)
- A tire pressure gauge (search for one here)
- A clean rag and a flashlight
- A helper for checking lights, or a reflective wall or garage door
The monthly check
Do this at the start of the month, or pair it with something else you do on a regular basis. Run through these in order, and do the tires first thing, before you’ve driven far.
- Check tire pressure. NHTSA says to check at least once a month, and before long trips, with the tires cold. Use the pressure on the placard on your door edge or doorpost, or in your owner’s manual, not the maximum printed on the tire. Include the spare if you have one.
- Look over the tires. Check the tread and look for cuts, bulges or nails. The tire pressure and tread guide shows how.
- Check your fluids. Look at oil, coolant, brake fluid and washer fluid. The fluid check guide walks through each one safely, and it explains which readings need a mechanic.
- Test the lights. Check headlights, high beams, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
- Test the wipers. Run them with washer fluid. If they streak, chatter or skip, it’s time to replace your wiper blades.
- Scan the dash. Start the car and note any warning light that stays on. Your manual explains what each one means.
- Look underneath. Check the ground where you park for fresh spots or drips.
- Clear the cabin. Remove trash, shake out the mats, and vacuum if it needs it. When the mats go back in, make sure the driver’s mat is secured and clear of the pedals.
The seasonal schedule
| Season | Add these to your list |
|---|---|
| Spring | Wash off winter salt, including the underside and wheel wells. Clean the carpets and mats. Swap back from winter tires if you use them. Check for recalls. |
| Summer | Check coolant and tire pressure before road trips. Test the air conditioning. Wash off bird droppings and bugs quickly. Check that your emergency supplies are still in the car. |
| Fall | Have the battery tested. Check the heater and defroster. Fit new wiper blades if yours are worn. Clean the glass inside and out, ready for lower sun and shorter days. Check for recalls. |
| Winter | Fill up with winter washer fluid. Recheck tire pressure as temperatures fall. Rinse road salt off regularly. Keep an emergency kit in the car. |
If you wash at home, rules on where the water can go vary by place, so check with your city or county.
The winter prep list
Winter is when skipped maintenance catches up with you. NHTSA’s winter advice covers the main jobs:
- Battery. Cold weather is hard on batteries, so have a mechanic test the battery, charging system and belts.
- Washer fluid. Fill the reservoir with a de-icer winter fluid before the first storm.
- Wipers and defrosters. Make sure they work, and replace worn blades.
- Coolant. Make sure there’s enough, and that it meets the specification in your owner’s manual.
- Tires. Pressure drops as temperatures fall. Inflate to your car’s recommended pressure.
- Emergency kit. Carry a snow shovel, broom, ice scraper, blankets, flares or emergency markers, a phone charger, water, food and any medicine you need.
Twice a year: check for recalls
This is quick and free. NHTSA recommends checking for open safety recalls at least twice a year, and it suggests pairing the check with the clock changes in spring and fall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls.
Follow your manual for these
These all depend on your car, so this page won’t give you a number. Look them up in your manual’s maintenance schedule:
- Oil and oil filter changes
- Tire rotation
- Engine air filter and cabin air filter replacement
- Brake fluid, coolant and transmission service
- Timing belt, if your engine has one
- Spark plugs
Write down what you did and when, either in a notebook kept in the glove box or in your phone. It makes the next service easier, and it’s useful when you sell the car.
Common mistakes
- Checking tires after a long drive. Warm tires read high, so check them cold.
- Inflating to the number on the tire. That’s the maximum, not your target.
- Ignoring a warning light because the car drives fine. Check your manual and get it looked at.
- Topping up fluids without asking why they’re low. Low brake fluid or coolant can point to a real problem.
- Using someone else’s schedule. Your neighbor’s car and a generic online list may not match your manual.
- Skipping the spare. You’ll only find out it’s flat when you need it.
- Leaving road salt on the car all winter. Rinse it off regularly.
When to hire a pro
The checks on this page are for spotting problems. Fixing many of them is a mechanic’s job, so book one if you find:
- A warning light that stays on
- Low brake fluid, or fluid that keeps dropping
- A tire with a bulge, a cut or worn tread
- A battery that tests weak or is slow to start the car
- Anything that sounds, smells or feels different from normal
Cleaning is different. If the washing and interior jobs on this list keep getting pushed back, that’s easy to hand off. Find a car wash or detailer near you.