Maintenance 101

While not an immediate threat, sap can etch through the paint's clear coat after some time, leading to discoloring and staining.

A general recommendation is to replace the positive crankcase ventilation, or PCV, valve every 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

A cabin air filter cleans the air coming into your car’s interior through the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

The amount of oil consumption that is considered “normal” varies by manufacturer, what kind of driving you do and the number of miles the car has traveled.

The check-engine light is a signal that the onboard diagnostics system (or OBD II) has detected a malfunction in the vehicle's emissions, ignition or fuel systems.

Although a typical interval is 5,000 to 10,000 miles, you may want to have tires rotated before it’s called for if you notice uneven tread wear that results in vibration or noise.

One indication that the power-steering fluid level should at least be checked is if the steering wheel becomes harder to turn or you hear a whining noise coming from the power-steering pump.

To keep your car in good shape, every two to three weeks is a good rule of thumb for how often you should drive your car.

If you live in a place where the temperature never gets down to freezing, you might be able to get by with plain water in place of windshield wiper fluid.

Vehicles have an adjustment screw or bolt on the headlight assembly for adjusting headlight height, and some also have a screw for horizontal aim.