Your car is a major investment, and it also gets you where you need to go. As such, it deserves proper care and maintenance to keep it running well. Many accidents are due to car problems that could be easily prevented with a little simple vehicle maintenance. You can perform many routine checks on your car yourself, and for many of them, you can also handle them without having to be a mechanic.

If you take good care of your car in this way, you're going to make it last longer for you, too. You'll also get better gas mileage, less in the way of exhaust problems, and extended tire life. Routine checks in your car will also mean that you're going to be able to see small problems before they become big ones that could cost you a lot of money or even be dangerous. Keep up with your car's maintenance schedules so that these problems can be detected and repaired. This will lower your car expense bills, too.

What should you do to take the best care of your car? Here are some things you should keep in mind:

Begin with the basics. Check your car owner's manual and follow the recommendations concerning oil changes, tune-ups and other routine maintenance tasks.

Change oil and oil filters as needed. For many cars, you'll need to change your oil and oil filters about every 3000 miles, while other cars may allow more mileage between changes.

Check fluid levels for several different applications weekly. Check your oil, brake fluid, transmission and power steering fluid, overflow tank and radiator fluid every week. Check to see that you have enough windshield washing solution or water every week, too. Take a few minutes to top off any fluids that are low.

Check your tires at least once a month. However, check tire pressures at least once a week. Under or over inflated tires could make your car less fuel-efficient, and could even be dangerous.

You can also inspect the amount of tread showing, the wear pattern, and also make sure there are no tacks or nails lodged in the tires that could be creating a slow leak. Take a couple of extra minutes to ascertain that the hub caps and lug nuts are securely fastened.

Schedule and take your car in for regular tuneups. If your spark plugs or fuel injection are causing problems, your fuel mileage could be reduced by as much as 35%. It may be tempting to postpone tuneups, and a lot of people do especially if their cars appear to be running fine, but don't. Take your car to a professional mechanic so that your engine is thoroughly inspected for any problems that are small now, but that could be bigger later.

Your chassis, too, should be regularly lubricated. This will help keep your car's suspension in tiptop shape. Usually, when you have your oil changed at a shop or garage, your chassis is also inspected and lubricated as part of the service.

Your battery's an important part of your car and of course can't run without it. Make sure you keep a watch on it, especially the posts and cables. If you notice corrosion building up, you can clean it off with a wire brush. Connections should be secure; failing to do these checks can mean you end up with a dead battery, which of course is something you don't want.

Windshield wiper blades should be changed at least yearly and should be inspected every month to make sure that they are still in good working order and don't have cracks or other problems. You can apply a protective coating like Rain-X to your windshield every two weeks, to improve visibility when it's raining heavily.

Do not forget to check your headlights, turn signals and tail lights at least once a week to make certain that there are no burned out bulbs. This is a preventive measure that can help you avoid accidents on the road.

If you will follow these tips concerning car maintenance you will soon notice that the checks become second nature. A little pro-active care for your car can keep your vehicle looking better, performing better, and you will also be able to keep it on the road longer.