Although the majority of American car owners have their wheel alignment checked by an auto care professional during routine mileage checkups, there are a few tips that can help you know whether or not it is time to have your vehicle inspected.

Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angle of the wheels so that they are completely perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other, Family Car Parts reports. While a recently purchased used car will be perfectly aligned, normal wear and stress can cause the front wheels to slowly become crooked, whether or not your vehicle is equipped with an adjustable or non-adjustable rear suspension.

The easiest way to assess whether your car is misaligned is to visually inspect the tire itself. If there is uneven or especially rapid tire wear, take your vehicle into the shop immediately. While tire wear is the simplest way to diagnose poor alignment, it is often the last symptom to appear. If you let the problem go unattended for too long, you may find yourself being forced to purchase four new tires.

When your vehicle is not aligned properly, you may also feel that it does not naturally drive in a straight line, or is pulling or drifting to one side of the road on its own.

A final, more comprehensive examination of your wheel alignment can be conducted using just a coin. Take a quarter and place it in the tread at the inside, outside and middle of the tire, the news source recommends.

If you find that the tread is deeper on one side of the tire than the other, it’s time to take your car to the shop. Also, if it is deeper on the edges, your tire is overinflated. If the treads are deeper in the center, you should inflate your tire as soon as possible.

Proper wheel alignment is important for a variety of reasons. Improper alignment can lead to premature tire wear, decreased gas mileage, poor handling and can even cause accidents, Hunter Engineering reports.

Industry experts recommend that you have your vehicle’s tires checked every 10,000 miles or once every year.

Even though there are still a few weeks left of winter, it is never too early to begin thinking about preparing your vehicle for the next season. When the days get longer and the temperature begins to rise, there are several car maintenance procedures that should be implemented.

Sometime within the next six weeks, every car owner living in the Northeast should check their tires. After taking off your winter chains, take out your pressure gauge and make sure that your tires are inflated to the level recommended by your owner’s manual. Tire pressure changes with the rising temperature and should be monitored accordingly.

An under-inflated tire will bulge outward and will put harmful pressure on the sidewalls of the tire, according to HowStuffWorks.com. On an especially hot day, a low tire can unexpectedly blow, creating an extremely dangerous driving situation.

Beyond being a safety concern, an improperly inflated or misaligned tire can cost you money at the pump. Appropriately inflated tires can increase your car’s fuel economy by as much as 3 percent, Kiplinger reports.

After de-winterizing your tires, get out your hose and thoroughly clean the undercarriage of your car. We have all seen what salt can do to the exterior of an otherwise well-maintained automobile, but it can be even more damaging to the underside of a car if not properly removed. Salt with slowly eat away at the essential parts of your vehicle and will make your engine and transmission run hotter.

Overall, the best way maintain the health of your automobile through the spring and summer is to keep your engine as cool as possible. After changing your radiator fluid and coolant, be certain to check all the hoses and belts that connect your car’s most vital components.

Visually check all your belts for cracks and damage, and make sure that the rubber material is firm and hasn’t started separating into different layers, according to the news source. The risk of belt failure tends to increase after 36,000 miles.

Finally, check and clean your battery. Although dead batteries are commonly associated with winter conditions, summer heat will accelerate the chemical reaction inside the battery, causing it to be overcharged. Cleaning your battery with a paste of baking soda can significantly add to its life.

Despite the gorgeous weather in many regions this weekend, spring is not yet officially upon us. With a few weeks of winter remaining, owners of used vehicles in New Jersey and New York should know that the majority of cars accidents occur when the weather is at its worst.

Knowing how to drive during the winter months is not an innate ability – it is an acquired skill. With a few helpful tips, we can all safely get through the final weeks of March and the inevitable last few snowstorms.

The best advice for driving in poor winter weather conditions is to avoid it if possible. Waiting until the snow plows and sand trucks have done their job will drastically reduce your chances of getting into an accident.

If you must drive in snowy or icy conditions, always make sure that you are well prepared. In any conditions, but especially when it is snowing, it is recommended to carry an emergency winter car kit, which should include a flashlight, first aid supplies, a fully charged cell phone, basic tools and road flares or a reflective triangle, according to Road and Travel Magazine. Other recommended items include warm clothes, jumper cables, an ice scrapper as well as carpet strips, sand or kitty litter for traction.

Meanwhile, when driving, leave plenty of room between your car and the vehicle in front of you. Experts recommend that you allow for at least four car lengths between yourself and other vehicles on the road for every 10 miles per hour.

Furthermore, make sure to brake before you enter a turn. You always want to slow down and then accelerate out of a corner to increase traction. Applying the brake while making a turn will force you to lose grip and control of your car.

Finally, if you do find yourself skidding out of control, you need to go against your natural tendencies, says Jerry Pearl, general manager of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, according to Edmunds.com.

“Turn into the skid,” he adds. “You also need to accelerate – people don’t think about accelerating to control the car.”

Simply releasing the brake and gently accelerating while turning into the skid can help you regain control your vehicle. At that point, slow down and turn back into the road.

With a sluggish economy and the consistently high cost of fuel, many owners of used trucks in New Jersey may be looking for ways to save money at the pump. With preventative car maintenance and some simple driving techniques, pickup truck drivers can increase their fuel economy by as much as 10 percent.

The best, and possibly most overlooked way of improving your truck’s fuel efficiency is checking and changing your oil, fuel filters and air filters on a regular basis. Clean oil can reduce friction, remove harmful substances and will ensure that your engine is running at peak performance, according to Car Junky. Routinely changing your vehicle’s fluids and filters can increase your gas mileage by more than 5 percent.

In addition, you should consistently check your tires to make certain that they are aligned and fully inflated. Low tires can decrease your truck’s mileage by as much as 3 percent.

Before putting the first drop of gasoline into your used truck, consult your owner’s manual to find out which type of fuel the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle. The majority of pickups run best with regular gasoline – filling your vehicle up with premium grade gas will not improve your truck’s performance, reliability or fuel economy.

Another underrated way to enhance your fuel efficiency is to make your truck is as aerodynamic as possible. Installing a truck bed or liner can decrease your vehicle’s drag and gas consumption, About.com reports. Also, either remove your truck’s roof rack or keep it as empty as possible unless you are actively hauling something. Unnecessary weight in your roof rack, truck bed or cargo area can significantly alter your vehicle’s fuel economy.

Finally, with spring just around the corner, remember to only use your air conditioning unless you absolutely need it. AC makes your truck use more gas – simply rolling down your window can save more money at the pump than one would think.

“Reduce the AC’s load by parking in the shade so that the truck doesn’t heat up as much during short stops,” says the news source. “Leave the windows or sunroof cracked slightly if you’ll be right back or if you’re close enough to run out and shut them if a rain shower erupts.”

By making these minor changes to your routine, you can increase your gas mileage significantly.

The extensive delays at last weekend’s Daytona 500 stand as an abrupt reminder that pothole season is just around the corner. To avoid considerable repair costs, it is crucial to know how to drive through potholes and how to best react after doing so.

If you are driving at a fast enough speed where you cannot avoid hitting a pothole, there are a few things that you should do before impact to save your car from unnecessary damage.

Although it may sound simple, the best thing that you can do before hitting a pothole is slow down. Many drivers subscribe to the theory that one can avoid a pothole by flying over it with great speed, but unfortunately the laws of gravity rarely allow this theory to come into play.

After slowing your vehicle as best as you can, make sure to take your foot off of the brake before impact.

“That will increase the damage severely,” said Larry Rubenstein, owner of Route 1 Auto Service in Peabody, Massachusetts, quoted by the Boston.com. “Now, in addition to the wall stopping the wheel, your brakes are stopping it, too. You’re just going to have to ride the pothole out.”

Also, to avoid losing control of your vehicle, be certain to tightly hold the steering wheel with two hands before entering a pothole.

“Hitting a pothole when you’ve got a loose grip on the wheel can snap the wheel left or right, and your car into another car, or off the road,” says Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council, quoted by AOL Autos.

Meanwhile, after hitting a pothole, it is important to do a quick quality check of your vehicle’s major systems. If your car is pulling in one direction or the other, you may have an alignment problem, a common occurrence after a violent impact.

“Also, if you feel a loss of control, if you feel the car bottoming out or bouncing excessively on rough roads, those are indicators that the steering and suspension may have been damaged,” adds White.

If your car does incur damage, contact your insurance company to see if you are covered. Local and state-maintained roads have different statutes concerning public liability.

With each year that goes by, a plethora of new automotive care products come on the market promising improved performance and reliability. The difficulty, of course, is differentiating which premium products are worth the cost and which are not.

There are a select few areas of car care where investing in a premium product makes sense. With wiper blades, buying a generic low-cost replacement is never advisable.

“There is a noticeable performance difference in low-cost wiper blades versus those specifically designed for rough weather conditions,” says CarJunky.com. “Premium wiper blades are significantly sturdier and more durable than low-priced blades.”

If you live in an extreme climate where rain and snow are commonplace, upgrading to high-quality wiper blades can actually save you money in the long run.

Moreover, you can increase the durability of your windshield wipers by taking proper care of them. Each time you wash your car, you should be cleaning your wipers.

When at a gas station, wet a paper towel with windshield cleaner and run it along the edges of the blades, HubPages.com recommends. Also, from time to time, use rubbing alcohol and a clean rag to remove the salt and dirt that accumulates on your wipers.

Another good place to invest your money is in your engine. Over the last few years, there have been significant improvements in synthetic motor oil technology. High-performance long-life motor oils can save money and time as well as improve fuel economy by as much as 3 percent, Car Junky reports.

Make sure to read your owner’s manual to find out which oil viscosity you should be using. Do not use a non-recommended viscosity unless the engine is very worn. In that case, always favor a thicker oil.

Finally, when it comes to gasoline, do not purchase premium grade unless your owner’s manual specifies that you do so.

“The bottom line is that if you use higher octane against manufacturer’s recommendations, you could be paying up to 40 cents more a gallon, which could add up to over $300 a year in extra expenses with no added benefits,” says the news source.

Remember, investing in your vehicle can save you money in the long run, but be careful. There are many premium products on the market today that won’t necessarily help the performance of your car.

For most Americans, their vehicle is their first or second most valuable investment. However, many car owners continue to make maintenance mistakes that may affect their safety, the value of their investment as well as the look and feel of their automobile.

An often overlooked yet critical maintenance procedure is rotating and pressure checking your tires. Underinflated tires will hurt your fuel economy, wear out sooner and can be dangerous to drive on, says Tom Wilson of MSN Autos. Moreover, front and rear tires will wear differently and need to be rotated accordingly.

Also, while cleaning up your vehicle, there a few things that you should be aware of. Surprisingly, washing your car on a bright sunny day can actually be counterproductive.

When tepid water is applied to the scalding metal surface of your vehicle, the finish can actually be boiled off along with dirt and soap.

“The end result is not pretty,” says Eric Peters of AOL Autos. “Cosmetics aside, you’ve cut into the resale and trade-in value of your vehicle by flailing its finish. Only an expensive repaint will fix things.”

It is always best to wash your car in the shade, on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon when the sun’s rays are less strong.

When hosing down your new or used vehicle, always be certain to keep aggressive streams of water away from the engine. Although it may sound obvious, many owners will pressure wash under the hood to remove any debris that has accumulated.

In modern cars, strong jets of water can affect the sensitive electronics that are fitted to each computer-controlled engine.

“Excess moisture can short-out electrical parts, cause intermittent malfunctions (including stalling for no reason, hard-starting, rough-running) and make dashboard ‘check engine’ lights flash for no apparent reason,” says Peters.

He adds that it is reasonable to utilize a garden hose to keep your engine clean, but you should always avoid using a high-powered pressure sprayer as it can force water through rubber seals and weather stripping.

Finally, make sure to replace your wiper blades on a regular basis. If your blades are cracking, bent or simply not doing their job, replace them immediately.

For being one of the simpler and most inexpensive maintenance procedures, thousands of accidents occur each year due to driving with damaged wiper blades.

Since the beginning of the economic recession, fewer consumers are purchasing new cars than in years previous. In fact, in 2008, new car sales in the U.S. dropped by more than 18 percent compared to 2007.

Fewer new car sales means that more people are now buying used cars and are taking greater care of their purchase. If you plan on buying a used car in New Jersey, there are several key methods of protecting your investment.

Almost every expert will tell you that the best way to insure the health of your vehicle is to change the oil on a regular basis.

“Changing your vehicle’s oil is one of the most important things you can do to avoid bringing large bags of money to your mechanic later on,” says Cars.com.

Owner’s manual recommendations for oil changes will vary anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 miles. However, you may want to consider changing your oil more frequently if you drive aggressively, live in extremely hot or cold climates or commonly carry heavy loads, according to the news source.

Another great way to increase the life expectancy of a used car is to change the air filter on a regular basis.

An air filter, which costs roughly $15 at any auto parts store, should be changed every 15,000 miles, says AOL Autos.

“What people don’t realize is that [driving with an old filter is] like choking your engine,” says Lori Johnson, owner of Ladies Start Your Engines, an automotive repair class for women.

“If air can’t get into the engine because it’s blocked by this dirty air filter, then you’re not going to get as good of performance, and you might even feel hesitation when you’re driving, or it will just feel like the car is dragging,” she added.

Moreover, keeping a careful eye on your transmission is one of the best ways to save costly trips to the mechanic. An automatic transmission is one of the most complicated and least reliable parts of a car.

To save wear and tear on your transmission, you should never change gears until the car comes to a complete stop, always hold the brake down when shifting from park and regularly check your parking spot for leaks. Also, an automatic transmission can be damaged if your vehicle is improperly towed. Be certain to take your car out of four-wheel drive before it is taken away.