After years of saving and imagining it since you were a kid, you finally own your dream car. Congratulations! Now that you have it, and have spent a decent amount of time playing with it, it’s time to settle into everyday life with your prized possession. If you want your dream car to stay in pristine condition, you’re going to have to work at taking care of it. Cars, especially nice ones, require a bit of upkeep.

If you want to keep your car in good condition, get your money’s worth out of the purchase and just really enjoy using your vehicle, it’s important to stay on top of maintaining your car.

Here are a few simple tips you can follow to keep you out on the open road.

Take it in for regular servicing.

Taking your car in to be serviced regularly is like going to the doctor for a checkup and to a massage therapist all in one. It allows them to catch any potential issues early while also giving it a bit of a tune up. You might take your car to a specific mechanic, the dealer you bought it from or to a specialist European car services in Melbourne. When you regularly take your car in to be serviced, it will drive consistently well and you will experience less potentially devastating issues in the long run.

Keep the inside clean.

Regularly cleaning the inside of your car is a great habit to get into.

It’s tempting to use the back seat as a garbage can, but if you want to keep your car in good condition, you should minimize the amount of trash and random stuff you keep in it as well as regularly cleaning everything. Vacuum out the entire interior to start. Then dust all of the surfaces such as the dashboard, windshield, center console and doors. Wipe out cup holders as they often get sticky from drink cups.

Check the tyre pressure regularly.

Maintaining proper tyre pressure is both good for your car and keeping you safe on the road.

You should really check this every other time you refuel. The best time to do this is first thing in the morning at the closest petrol station to your home. You can find the recommended tyre pressure for your car in the manual. Stick to the recommendation for your car, regardless of the brand of tyres.

Clean the windshield every other time you refuel.

When you stop to refuel your car, give your windshield a wipedown as well.

Keeping your windshield clean is a good safety precaution as bugs, leaves and other substances can become stuck to your windshield and obscure your line of vision when you’re driving.

Your windshield wipers can take care of this in a pinch technically, but sometimes it makes it worse and you risk not being able to see. Regularly cleaning your windshield also is an easy way to keep your car looking nice.

Cover and protect it when not in use.

When you aren’t using your car, cover it and if possible store it in a garage.

This will protect it from weather, bugs and other elements that could make it dirty or cause damages. Covering your car will also keep it cleaner and you won’t have to wash it as often.

While it might be a bit of work managing consistent upkeep on your vehicle, it will be worth it every time you take it out for a drive.