5 Ways to Keep Your New Jeep Fit

Many people revere Jeeps as high-quality off-roading vehicles. Though the vehicle can conquer some rough and tumble territory, it faces wear and tear just like any other car. If you plan to take your Jeep off-road, you should understand some of the ramifications that will affect its performance and some steps you can take to get the longest lifespan and best performance out of your Jeep.

1. Read Your Jeep’s Owner’s Manual

Unfortunately, many new owners see reading the owner’s manual as a tedious or overwhelming task, so they’ll stash it in the glove compartment or a drawer at home. It’s important though to understand the specific features of your new jeep and know how to best utilize them.

One of the features of your new Jeep may be a variety of Quadra-Trac® settings to choose from that optimize your vehicle for the specific terrain you’re dealing with. For example, these settings let the vehicle know exactly how to best perform in snow or mud.  You may also have a feature on your Jeep that allows you to adjust the height of your vehicle. A thorough understanding of this feature would allow you to avoid damaging the undercarriage if you’re off-roading. Reading the owner’s manual and understanding all the unique features of your new Jeep is a must.

• Tires

As with any vehicle, regular checkups of your tires is very important.  If you take your new Jeep off road, this becomes even more critical. Driving on different surfaces such as pavement, dirt, rocks, gravel, mud, etc. can be very hard on your tires and you don’t want to have a problem, especially if you’re off regular pavement and perhaps in a remote location.

A good idea would be to check the air pressure in your tires regularly. This will ensure that the tires will offer the best performance.  Incorrect tire pressure can not only damage your tires but can affect your fuel economy and handling.  Tires are what keep you safe on the road, and you need to be careful to properly maintain them.

• Check Your Wheel Alignment

If you’re primarily driving your new Jeep on paved roads, the wheel alignment can stay true for a long time. However, if you’re off roading a lot, that can change. All of the bumps and shocks that happen to your wheels off road will often cause the alignment to be change rapidly.  Having your wheels aligned regularly will make your tires last longer, wear more evenly, and will give you a more pleasant ride.

• Check Your Air Filter

The air filter in your new Jeep is overlooked by some, but it is an integral part of your fuel system. It filters the air that enters the engine, and when it’s not up to par, it can cause contaminants to enter the combustion chamber, reducing efficiency and even damaging the engine. Your Jeep owner’s manual will tell you that you should replace the air filter every 20,000 miles, but if you’re off road a lot, you may need to replace it more often.

• Replace Fluids in Your Differential

Proper differential fluids are essential to the performance of your new Jeep. If you drive your Jeep through water as deep as your wheel hubs, you should have these fluids checked to make sure they’re not contaminated. If anything other than the recommended fluids are in your differential, it will affect the performance of your transmission and could result in costly repairs.

To make the best use of your Jeep, you should be very intentional in having all of these maintenance items handled promptly according to Jeep’s recommendations. Your Jeep Dealer is the best source for all of these items and can best provide the most complete information and advice about your Jeeps upkeep.

For your auto repair needs, there are a lot of places you could go, but here at V & H Automotive, you’ll find we have you covered in a variety of ways. We are your one stop service shop for routine and complex auto repairs. Our Jeep factory trained technicians have the expertise and the tools to work on your new Jeep and we use only original Jeep parts in our service department.

For over 50 Years V&H Automotive has been serving Marshfield and Central Wisconsin with New Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM Trucks. Our service department is open six days a week for your convenience. From Wausau to Wisconsin Rapids, or Stevens Point to Medford – we’re a short drive from anywhere for friendly service and very competitive pricing. If you have any automotive needs, check out our website or contact us at 715-387-2545. Better yet, stop in for a visit!

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