What Does it Take to Maintain a Vehicle?

By John R.

 The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the NorthStar Academy nor its writers. NorthStar Navigator does not claim to be an absolute authority on matters pertaining to cars.

I know what you’re thinking: “He ain’t a mechanic, why should I listen to him?” You’re right; you shouldn’t. I’m merely a student journalist trying to graduate with minimal brain damage. However, just  recently, I bought myself a car. And I learned many things the hard way, which prompted months of research. One thing to mention is that we will be focusing solely on gasoline powered cars here. 


The first time you open the hood of your car (outside the US it's called a bonnet) you may be very confused at just what you are looking at, and rightly so. A car engine has about 200 parts, all of which need to be properly maintained. In this section we will discuss how the engine actually works.

Most cars will either be a 4-cylinder or a 6-cylinder. However the vast majority of time it will be a 4-cylinder. In a 4-cylinder engine there are four pistons that move up and down very quickly. The pistons move due to mini explosions within the piston chambers. In each chamber there is a hose that feeds a fuel-to-air mixture in the form of flammable gas. A spark plug then ignites the mixture which explodes forcing the piston downwards to  create downward force helping to spin a central axle. This process happens thousands of times a minute in the four different chambers. All four of those pistons are helping to turn a central axle which then translates the power to the transmission which distributes the power to the specific gears. When the engine is a 6-cylinder it is happening with six pistons, not four.

In order to understand anything about wear and tear you must first learn about heat. Heat is the single largest cause of entropy: the act of everything being in a state of constant disrepair. The hotter something is, the faster it tends to deteriorate. This is why we use furnaces to break things down and cryo-chambers to preserve things. An engine is the same way. With sometimes up to 7000 mini explosions a minute, the engine gets extremely hot. This is where the radiator and the engine oil comes into play. The oil pan is located at the bottom of the car, and is circulated through almost like blood. Its job is to both lubricate the engine and transport the heat it generates away from sensitive parts. The radiator sucks air in through the engine to help cool it. When sucked through the radiator, it passes through the filter on the grill which has a mix of antifreeze and water running through it. This cools the air as it passes so it can in turn cool the engine. Also, when you turn the heater on in your car, the hot air you feel is air coming from the engine compartment. It has been forced out by cooler air and is recirculating into the cabin. This is why in case of an engine overheat, it is wise to turn the heater on full blast to cool the engine off as much as possible.

Let’s move onto what you would do when conducting regular car maintenance. First thing you want to check is the engine oil. In every car the location is different, but it will always be a long skinny tube sticking up with a round handle on it. It will be nestled in there, but is usually easy to find. However, if you are new to car engines you should consult the owner's manual before you go poking around just in case you mistake something for what it is not. You’re going to pull it out and wipe it on something like a junky rag or paper towel. Stick it all the way back in, and then pull it out. There will be two markings on the dipstick. A good oil level is right at the uppermost marking. If it's much lower than that, you may need to replace the oil soon. Keep in mind, there is a big difference between adding more oil fluid and doing a full oil change.

Next thing you should look at is the transmission fluid. This will be a similar process to the engine oil. Find the dipstick, pull out, wipe, put it back in, pull out, and check. If it needs more oil, find the cap of the container holding the oil and pour it in. Never put anything into the tubes the dipsticks sit in. After this, check the coolant levels and wiper fluid.

After you have checked the fluids, you should next examine all the belts and hoses and be sure they aren’t degrading. If you live in an area where mice and squirrels are a regular occurrence, this will be especially important as they are known to make nests in car engines and chew on the hoses.

These next items you will want to take the car to a professional to do.

It is recommended that you check your tires every season. Tires don’t last forever and can lose their tread and vitality. Check the tires for cracks, wear, and low tread. An overused tire is extremely likely to experience tire failure resulting in everything from loss of traction to the tire exploding. If you live in an area where it snows a lot or gets very icy in the fall and winter you may want to put a special set of winter tires on. You can get standard tires that are meant for winter conditions or you can get studded tires. The studs are sketchy, and, as contrary to popular opinion, they do not always give you extra traction. They are meant for snow, not regular roads. In fact, studded tires are illegal during certain seasons because they accelerate road degradation. To change tires you will have to take it to a mechanic, and usually it is pretty inexpensive.

Other things you should have a mechanic check on are the battery, front and rear differentials, spark plugs, shocks and struts, air filter, and tire pressure (you can do this yourself with a pressure gauge. Most cars will have an optimal tire pressure of anywhere between 30-32 psi).


This was a very basic overview of how to upkeep a car for those of you who aren’t mechanics. Those of you who are mechanics are probably yelling at the screen all the things I forgot to mention. But not everyone is a mechanic, and with over 30,000 parts going into a car and integral to its function, it becomes difficult to list them all. If 30k parts seems a lot for a car, allow me to point out that a Boeing 747, despite being relatively simple (on paper at least) has over 6 million parts.

John R is a two-year veteran of NSA and of the NorthStar Navigator. He currently lives on the West Coast of the United States. He is deeply interested in topics concerning international relations, geo-politics, military history, equipment, and tactics, law, and criminal justice. He plans on attending college and getting a degree needed to becoming a police officer. He loves the woods and the sea, and his favorite types of day are cloudy, windy, wet.

Popular, 🔎Informational, 🗣️AdviceEIC NSA2022-2023, February 2023 Publication