Being caught off-guard by having to negotiate the innards of your own car can be humbling. Unfortunately, car repair is foreign to most of us and can put even the smartest consumer at a disadvantage when dealing with car mechanics.

But many visits to the mechanic are preventable. With regular check-ups, break-downs, build-ups or mishaps that can be prevented to save you time, money and anxiety. After all, for many of us, a car will be one of the biggest investments of our life--there’s no reason to voluntarily accelerate its depreciation.

Top 5 Auto Maintenance Practices

1. Check Engine Oil: At the most basic level, you should always know how to check and change your engine oil after every 5,000 miles; it lubricates the vehicle’s moving parts and prevents corrosion. Without the appropriate amount of clean engine oil, you run the risk of incurring severe engine damage. Another healthy automotive practice to maintain is allowing your car time to heat up during winter. While the oil won’t freeze, its viscosity (or density) will increase, preventing it from circulating to all the parts of the engine; just let the engine run for a few minutes before you start weaving through traffic at 60 mph.

How: Lift the dipstick out of the engine oil (consult the car’s manual if you can’t find it) and wipe any oil clean, taking notice of the oils color (the lighter, the better). Dip the cleaned dipstick into the oil and lift it out. If it reaches the “Full” mark, you’re good. If not, either consult Edmunds.com to see how to do it yourself, consult a professional, or drive to your local gas station and they’ll probably do it for pretty cheap. Reminder: only use oil suggested by the carmaker.

2. Check Tires (Pressure, Tread): Your tires are the only physical connection between your vehicle and the road. Tire pressure can affect gas mileage and impose premature wear; worn tires provide little defense between you and extreme weather conditions or rubber piercing rubbish on the asphalt. If the treads on your tires are too thin then the tire will have trouble driving through excess water or snow. Also, changing a tire is an essential maintenance skill to operating a vehicle; Edmunds.com offers a comprehensive primer on how to do so.

How: Purchase a handheld tire pressure checker. They’re cheap and easy to read. Follow the optimal tire pressure listed in the car owner’s manual. While tire inflators are purchasable for personal use, gas stations often have tire inflators for use at the cost of a quarter (or several). And the rule of thumb for checking the tread depth of your tires is to insert a quarter into the groove and if you can see above Washington’s head then the tires need be replaced.

3. Windshield Wiper Blades and Washer Fluid: Though not under the hood and relatively simple to understand, windshield wipers are absolutely critical pieces of equipment when driving under serious weather conditions. Depending on use and local weather, one should really change their wipers every year or two. Streaking and chattering are common signs of worn or rigid blades and can result in wipers that don’t effectively clear debris, water, etc. from your windshield. The same goes for wiper fluid. You could have the best wipers ever made, but without having that alcohol and ammonia-based cleaning fluid, your windshield will collect difficult debris like the sound of an accident attracts people.

How: Consult your car’s manual to locate the small container that holds windshield washer fluid—again, it should be fairly easy to locate. The same goes for your blades.

4. Brakes Pads and Fluid: Another entirely crucial cog in the safe operation and maintenance of your vehicle is its ability to stop itself. It’s very important to maintain optimum break pad thickness as well as an adequate supply of brake fluid in your car’s brake hydraulic system.

How: As inspecting and replacing break pads is fairly technical, you may want to consult a professional. Edmunds.com also presents a good “how-to” guide for this. Regarding brake fluid, your owner’s manual should point you towards the break fluid reservoir under the hood, what level fluid should be at, and what kind of brake fluid should be used.

5. Battery Upkeep: How many times have you left your car in the parking lot with the headlights, or interior cabin lights on? Or seen some other unfortunate driver do so? A battery is your car’s energy, so treat it well. Keep an eye out for signs of depleted battery juice, such as slow engine turnover, dimming headlights (or any other car lights for that matter). Though too-often believed by the layman to be the solution to every car break-down, a jump start is a vital practice to know how to do.

How: At every oil change or so, make sure all the cables and clamps attached to the battery are clean and intact. Corroded connections can lead to a loss of power. Popular Mechanics offers a good primer on how to change a batter if its dead.

Keep in mind these are just tips; please don’t read these steps and attempt to prep your car for a drag race. Should your car brake down, don’t hesitate to contact professional help or AAA. Footing an occasional auto mechanic bill should never take precedence over your safety.

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