If your car has been feeling a little sluggish lately, there are some things you can do to get your motor running right again.

First change your oil and oil filter. Make sure to use the grade of oil that is recommended by the maker of your car. If you do not have the owner’s manual for your car, you can probably find out what grade of oil is recommended from the manufacturer’s website. Using the wrong grade of oil can reduce the performance of your car and its gas mileage.

Now that most gas stations no longer check the oil when they fill up our cars, most people rely on the check oil light to tell us if our car is low on oil. By the time that light goes on, some damage to your engine may already have been done. To prevent this damage, check the oil in your car often. When you check the oil, you should also check the brake fluid and transmission fluid levels in your car and top them off if necessary. Most car manufacturers recommend flushing the brake fluid, transmission fluid and coolant system every 2 years or 30,000 miles. Keeping fresh, clean fluids in your car will keep your motor running smoothly.

Two other things that will also help your motor run smoothly are replacing your air filter and fuel filter frequently. Clean filters will help keep dirt out of your fuel injectors, fuel pump and engine. That will help your car to run better and give you better gas mileage. If too much dirt accumulates, it will lead to expensive repairs.

You should also change your spark plugs every other year unless your car has long life plugs. Worn spark plugs will cause your engine to misfire and waste a lot of gas. While you are replacing the spark plugs, check the plug wires for signs of wear.

Also, check all the belts and hoses in your car, especially the timing belt or timing chain. If that breaks, it can destroy your engine. Many car makers suggest replacing the timing belt every 75,000 to 100,000 miles. When you do replace it, replace the water pump too since the procedure for each is the same.

You can do many of these maintenance procedures yourself. You do not have to be an ace mechanic or have a lot of experience. You just need the desire, a how to manual and a few tools. Then, when you get your motor running right, you can head on down the highway looking for adventure and be able to handle whatever comes your way.

If your car will no longer run on down the highway, please consider donating your car to charity. If you do donate your car, it will be picked up fast and free and you will get a tax deduction of at least $500 if you itemize on your federal tax return. The process is very easy and there are a great many charities that can benefit from your car donation. For complete details on how to donate car, just go to cars4charities.org.