Important things to know about car maintenance include when to schedule recurring car maintenance service and how to notice signs when something more serious is wrong with your vehicle. A regular engine tune-up, and appointments to change oil and filter parts keep your car sounding and running smoothly for quite a long time. 

Routine vehicle maintenance appointments scheduled every nine-months/9,000 miles are further helpful to check on some more integral parts, systems and components in your car. Certain elements in a vehicle are logical to check on frequently because they experience the most wear-and-tear damage and use. Your tires are a prime example of vehicle parts to check on regularly.

Your battery is another, because a dried-out battery can leave you stranded in the most inconvenient of ways. Do you live in an area of the U.S. where there is a lot of rain, snow or even dusty weather? You might need to check your windshield wiper fluid more frequent than in three-month/3,000-mile intervals.

Is your Check Engine light on?

The spark plugs and ignition system in your vehicle should be checked every nine-months/9,000 miles to make sure everything is firing and connected properly when you start your engine. Higher-quality spark plugs might only need to be actually replaced every 100,000 miles, but cheaper plugs often need to be replaced after 30,000 miles of use.

Checking your spark plugs every 9,000 miles helps keep them clean and connected without needing replacements for significantly longer periods of time.

Dirty or dried-up power steering fluid makes your steering wheel dangerously difficult to operate. It is also capable of causing your Check Engine light to turn on. A timing belt is another part capable of causing a Check Engine light to activate. This is because a broken timing belt is also capable of totaling an engine. If a timing belt snaps/breaks while you are driving your vehicle, a serious accident could occur. 

Timing belts generally only need to be replaced every 75,000-90,000 miles, but having yours regularly checked for defects helps prevent dangerous damage and extend the life of the belt. Every nine-months/9,000 miles it is also important to check all hoses, lights and cables and replace/repair whatever is required.