Top 7 Corvette Maintenance Items You Can Do Yourself
Are you a bit of a novice when it comes to car maintenance? here's what you need to know to keep your Corvette on the road for the long haul.
1. Motor oil change
Although a professional oil change can help flush out your engine and address those hard-to-get details in the vehicle, an oil change at home isn't beyond your reach. After pulling and checking oil levels with your dipstick, you can gently funnel oil into the chamber without trouble, so long as you make sure not to overflow. Modern synthetic oil is typical of a higher quality than the older stuff, but also significantly more expensive. Keep in mind that older engines are best off having more frequent changes. If you own a classic Corvette, the recommended oil is Castrol 10W-30 or a German oil rated at 0W-40.
2. Tire rotation and pressure top-up
The weight of any car isn't evenly distributed among all four tires, and the same is true whenever we're talking about the Corvette. Rotating the tires around helps to more evenly distribute the load over a long-term stretch. Note that if your car is sitting on staggered wheels, (meaning the size of the front and wheels are different) then you will not be able to rotate your tires. Checking the tire pressure should be a thing you're already doing regularly. If the pressure on one of the tires has dropped significantly below the desired threshold, attach a pump to the nozzle and air it back to strength. For a Corvette, 32 PSI is the perfect measurement to read from your tires.
3. Changing to a new set of tires
If you're able to rotate your tires on your own, (with the help of a car jack, obviously) there's not much difference involved in changing tires. Sadly, getting tires changed is overlooked almost as much as rotating them. This is partially due to the fact that it takes a long time to get to the recommended 40,000 miles recommendation before changing tires. However, tires are worn down by time as well as well as use. Tires should be changed every 5-10 years regardless whether you've done the distance. A wrecked tire can cause much more damage to your Corvette if it's left unaddressed.
4. Proper car washing and waxing
If you own a Corvette, it makes sense from the get-go that you would want it to look as good as possible. However, regular washing and annual waxing of the 'Vette has the practical effect of protecting your car's paint from wear. A thin layer of gunk can gave an acidic effect on the paint job. This obviously isn't what you want with a high-prestige product like the Corvette. A yearly waxing in the Spring also helps to make the car look as good as it deserves.
5. Interior cleaning
A Corvette can still fall into a lot of the traps and regular procrastinations that cause someone's living room or kitchen to get messy. Whether you're a litterbug or as tidy as tidy gets, giving a regular cleaning of the vehicle's insides will keep it feeling as fresh as a luxury car like the Corvette deserves. Vacuuming the upholstered parts, cleaning interior windows and shaking out the mats can reinvent your car's interior within a couple of hours if the mess is bad enough.
6. Headlight restoration
Here's an example of a simple, overlooked maintenance task that even a layman could do from home. Applying a headlight restoring solution and rubbing it deeply into the headlights can get a stronger sheen out of it.
7. Some things are best left for a professional
Of course, most auto-related things will depend on your own experience when it comes to maintenance and other mechanic work. However, unless you have a full garage and mechanical expertise at your disposal, many of the more intricate things are better left to a garage. If you have a vintage model, it is worth it to get it looked after by a licensed Corvette specialist. 'Vette specialists tend to cost more than a regular garage, but you can rest assured the car will be the hands of someone who know exactly what they're doing.
For help keeping your Vette running right, see the how-to sections of CorvetteForum.com