Are you looking to get a new car? While there are a lot of excellent domestic cars available, there’s something extra special about a foreign car. It might have sleeker features than ones that are locally manufactured, which can make it the crown jewel of your car collection. It might be able to reach higher speeds than the domestic ones, which can make those Sunday drives even more exhilarating. You might find that they are much easier to handle when you’re out on the road. If you want it to run smoothly, you want to take excellent care of a foreign car. Here are some of the things you can do:
Find a Mechanic Who Specializes in Them
You might think you’re handy with cars. While you could have more knowledge than the average car owner, you should still leave repairs and overall maintenance work to the professionals. This is true with a domestic car, but doubly so for those who have ones that are made in other countries. If you don’t do that, you’re putting yourself at risk of having to pay a lot more than you’d like to have to fix an avoidable mistake.
When you bring your foreign car in for something like a broken transmission, you want to go to a shop that has a mechanic that specializes in these types of cars. They should know the specific regulations and settings that the cars have so that they will be able to properly fix them. You likely spent a good amount of money to get this car — you want to make sure that you hire the right person. Chances are good that someone who works at a fast food restaurant wouldn’t know how to make five-star gourmet meals. Do you want to risk your prime rib steak of a car being turned into a Whopper?
While you have your car there, you want to make sure that everything is as it should be. Other vital parts of taking care of a foreign car include checking on things like the oil levels, the engine coolant, the transmission pan gasket, and the transmission itself. Don’t forget about your brake fluid. It might not seem to be too different from what you should do with a domestic car, but you should take all of these steps.
Be Extra Diligent When It Comes to Maintenance
Like everything else, cars don’t work flawlessly forever. According to multiple sources, domestic cars are likely to start having issues once they’ve hit the 100,000-mile mark. Taking care of a foreign car can result in it having more longevity than domestic ones, which will allow it to zoom past the 100,000-mile mark with relative ease. Take it in for things like car brake repair, which will ensure that you’re able to stop whenever you need to.
That also includes other things like struts replacements. Have the experts check the hoses and belts. You want to make sure that the car is going to be able to handle the rigors of the road, especially if it’s going to be on terrain that’s going to be bumpier or rougher than if you were driving it where it was originally manufactured. It might even be a good idea to change things earlier than you normally would rather than later. You’ll greatly lessen the risks of having to call emergency roadside services to have them take your car to the shop.
The thing you don’t want to skimp on are the engine repair services. This is why you want to make sure that you find experts who thoroughly know how to take care of a foreign car. Do they have the correct parts for the engine? Foreign cars will require different ones than those that are made in your country. If the auto repair shop that you bring your car in to doesn’t have them, then you’re going to have to sit tight and wait while they order it. Ask them if they have loaners — that way, you’ll be able to do things like drive to and from work.
Also, don’t think that just because your foreign car has been working perfectly, it means that you should skip any recommended maintenance. Just like a cavity lurking in your teeth despite your brushing and flossing, something could be brewing inside your car, ready to worsen at the least opportune moment for you. As a result, you could be paying a lot more than you initially bargained for due to it needing a much more extensive repair than if it was found during maintenance. If you want to take care of a foreign car, you need to keep up the regular visits to the car shop.
Take Care of Your Tires
Be judicious when it comes to looking at local auto tires. They can also play a big part in terms of taking care of a foreign car. The tires are what allow you to make turns and stay stable while on the road. The last thing you want to do is attempt to save money in this area. Getting quality tires and making sure they are always filled with enough air to make your drive a smooth one.
Another thing you should do when it comes to your tires is that you should have them rotated on a regular basis. Whether you’re driving a luxury car or not, you want to make sure that your investment is going to be safe on the road. By rotating your tires, you greatly reduce the risks of them blowing out at a particular time — though this depends on the condition of the roads as well.
The state of your tires can also play a big part in how well your car runs. If your tires aren’t inflated well enough, then that can lead to poorer fuel economy. This means that you’re going to be going to the gas pump more often and pay more for that over the course of time. Don’t do that. Regularly check your tire pressure and adjust things accordingly. You might have to pay a nominal fee for air, but it’s going to be a lot less than if you kept having to pump more gas.
Keep it Insured
You’re going to do everything that you can do to take care of a foreign car, but there are times when things happen. You can only control what you’re doing when you’re on the road, which means paying attention to the conditions — this includes the weather and if there are parts that are slippery. Unfortunately, you can’t control what other drivers do, and whether there are hidden dangers out there, such as black ice. That’s what car insurance is for — if something happens that they cover, then you can submit a claim and get reimbursed for any costs — possibly even for a replacement vehicle.
Be sure to discuss all aspects of the insurance with the agents. See if there are things that they might not be able to cover if it’s a foreign car. That way, if you do have something happen to your car that will fall into one of those loopholes, you’ll be able to see about finding alternate options to explore when it comes to handling those specific situations. One of the more important reasons behind how much your monthly premium is going to be is how expensive those replacement parts are going to be. If the company’s worried it’s going to have to pay more for those, then you’re going to be shelling out more money per month.
Still, it’s better to pay more and have a quality auto insurance policy that has coverage that will make it easier to take care of a foreign car. This is something you’re better off having and not needing than the other way around. You’ll find that it can be a very sound investment as time goes on.
Keep It Looking Great
You bought this foreign car for a reason — possibly several reasons. One of the main ones is likely that you liked how it looked, whether it was the design, the color, or both. Even if you don’t drive it very often and keep it covered, time and the elements can be rough on it. Fortunately, you have a lot of options to stave those things off. It’s another part of what you have to do to take care of a foreign car.
Everything we’ve talked about up until now has been about how to keep the nuts and bolts of your car operating as it should. But there’s another way to go about taking care of a foreign car — you’ve got to take care of the outside, along with parts of the interior, too. You can take it to a local auto detailer, and have them perform their magic to get your car to look like it just came right off the car dealership parking lot. This can mean everything from getting a ceramic coating put on to protect against the elements like dirt on the road to vacuuming the inside. They can also remove all specks of dust or dirt so that your car’s going to gleam in the sunlight.
There are also a lot of cleaning supplies on the market, with each one of them boasting that they are perfect for you to use to get your car looking squeaky clean. While you do have the option of taking it to a car wash, you can also use a hose, soap, and a microfiber towel to keep any abrasions away. There’s also something soothing about washing and wiping down a car. This is a great way to take care of a foreign car and also help keep your mind at ease. If you’re not sure about what to use, you can talk to some other foreign car owners whose judgment you trust.
Check the Owner’s Manual
The best thing to do is look through the owner’s manual. It’ll outline things like regular maintenanace schedules, and other things. Don’t think of it as being boring reading — there’s a lot of useful information in there. Also, you might want to look to see if you can find pages on social media dedicated on how to take care of a foreign car. There’s bound to be a lot of like-minded people whose goal is to enjoy sharing information that makes it easy to keep their car running as smoothly as possible.
Make sure that you know of a good car repair garage. Part of taking care of a foreign car is to know places that will be able to expeditiously get rid of any dents or dings or worse. They will also be able to take care of engine issues, and other things. But taking care of a foreign car means paying attention to everything about it. You always want people to think that you just got a brand-new car, even if you’ve had it for quite a few years. That way you can be proud to show off your pride and joy.
You can also be doing this to raise its value if you were to think about selling it later on. People are going to want to buy a well-cared-for car that looks like new. Although there may be a bit of depreciation, it also depends on what the market is for it. But you’ll be increasing your chances of getting a good return on your investment. Then you can go ahead and get another new foreign car and repeat the entire process
By doing the above things to take care of a foreign car, you’ll be able to be confident that every time you slip behind the wheel, you’ll have something that works perfectly. It could be a Kawasaki vehicle, or it could be another type — you’ll be as worry-free as possible that anything could happen. Then it’s time to go enjoy the open road as people watch you drive by. Then it’ll all be worth it for you.