The Top Tips for Maintaining Your Truck
Once you’ve customized your truck using the best aftermarket parts and lights, you’ll want to know the best truck maintenance tips to keep your vehicle in prime condition. Keeping your truck properly maintained does more than just ensuring that it looks its best at all times, but it will help you save money in the long-run.
If truck accessories and lights are properly maintained, you will have to replace them less frequently. Follow this truck maintenance check list to get the most out of your aftermarket lights and truck parts.
How to Maintain Your Truck
If you follow this list of top tips for maintaining your truck, you’ll be sure to get the most out of the accessories and lights you’ve purchased. Your truck will look great for years to come and you will be less likely to incur expensive repairs or replacements.
Inspect Your Truck Regularly
The best way to maintain your truck is to inspect the vehicle regularly. If you routinely check your aftermarket truck lights and accessories, you will be able to spot small problems before they become large problems. Look for cracks in your headlight and taillight covers that may be letting water into the installation. Water can lead to the erosion of wiring and metal, leading to what can be an expensive repair.
Follow this same approach with all the other parts and accessories on your truck. Regularly test your brake lights, turn signals, high beams, windshield wipers, and any aftermarket parts you have put on to ensure that they are working properly and fixed securely to your truck. If you catch a problem early you’re more likely to save yourself from a larger inconvenience down the road.
Keep Your Aftermarket Truck Lights Looking Their Best
Keeping your truck’s lights looking their best has little to do with the HID or LED truck headlights you’ve installed, and more to do with the headlight cover. Overtime, headlight covers can turn yellow and dull, dimming the shine of your bright new lights.
You can either have routine headlight restoration done at a shop, or use do-it-yourself methods at home. There are many headlight restoration kits available for sale at major brick and mortar stores and online retailers. Additionally, there are home remedies that truck enthusiasts swear by, such as cleaning the headlight covers with toothpaste or baking soda mixtures.
No matter which route you choose to go, keeping your headlights from turning yellow is an essential part of maintaining your truck looking like it’s brand new.
Keep Extra Aftermarket Truck Lights On-Hand
One of the best truck maintenance tips is to be prepared in advance, in the event that you do find yourself in need of a replacement bulb. Keep extras on-hand, either in your truck itself or in the garage at home. This way, if you notice that a light has gone out you can replace it right away. Otherwise, you’ll have to make another trip to the store or wait for another bulb to be delivered.
Along with keeping your lights lit up for aesthetic reasons, if a headlight or tail light goes out you’ll want to change it as soon as possible, as in most states it’s illegal to drive with a light out and can land you with an expensive ticket.
Clean the Exterior of Your Truck
Cleaning the exterior of your truck seems like a no-brainer, but a routine wash can do more than just give your truck that sparkly, shine-in-the-sun look. Ridding your truck of dirt, dust, and any small abrasive fragments will stop your paint, your lights, and any other aftermarket accessories such as an antenna, from incurring damage.
If you keep the exterior of your truck clean, you will prevent the chances of paint chipping, which can lead to rust and erosion. It’s key to keeping your vehicle looking its best for years. We recommend using high quality detailing products or having your truck cleaned professionally for the best results.
Don’t Run Your Battery If You Don’t Have To
If you’re looking to maintain your truck accessories and aftermarket parts, be careful about how frequently you run your battery. If you don’t need it running, it’s best to turn it off. When your battery is turned on, it’s powering your truck lights, and the lifespan of the bulbs is based greatly on how many hours they are used. Turning off your battery when it’s not needed can help preserve the life of your HID or LED headlights, meaning you’ll have to replace them less frequently.
Maintain All Other Elements of Your Truck
Of course, we can’t talk about proper truck maintenance tips without touching on the more general aspects as well. We know that you’re looking to keep your aftermarket truck accessories and lights looking and working their best, but don’t forget about the rest of regular maintenance.
This includes making sure your oil is changed regularly, the timing belt gets replaced when needed, and that you check your battery and spark plugs for damage or erosion. If you maintain your truck and all of its parts properly, you’ll be enjoying it for many years.
Upgrading Your Truck’s Aftermarket Lights and Accessories
Eventually, even with the best truck maintenance, the time will come for either a repair or an upgrade. Whether you need to replace a light or accessory that has reached the end of its life, or are looking to make a change to your truck’s appearance, shop RECON for the best aftermarket truck parts.
With a wide selection of HID and LED headlights, tail lights, cab roof lights, and a range of universal parts to go with any truck, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. You can also shop by make and model, and we offer handy installation guides for truck lovers who like to do the work themselves.