Times are tougher and guys are holding on to their cars longer. Which means performing preventative maintenance to keep it running problem free as long as possible. Let someone else put your mechanic's kids through college. And with your car about to take a beating from extreme winter weather, now is the best time to give her some preventive love.

1. Most often ignored are dirty air filters. These should be changed at regular intervals suggested by your owners manual for improved fuel mileage and engine power.

2. Tires, like balloons, don't hold air forever. Check your tire pressure at least once a month to make sure tires are not under or over-inflated. If your tires are over inflated that will increase wear, decrease traction, and obviously shorten your tire's life. If your tires are under-inflated that will reduce your fuel consumption.

3. Rigid, cracked or torn wiper blades can greatly reduce visibility when driving in rain and snow, and greatly increase your chance of getting in an accident. Don't wait until you're in a heavy downpour to realize your wiper blades need to be replaced. These can generally be replaced easily, so you don't even have to pay a mechanic to do this basic work.

4. Old and dirty oil reduces engine protection and increases engine wear, while low oil levels can lead to overheating.

5. Changing automatic transmission fluid at the recommended intervals will keep your ride shifting smoothly and extend the life of the transmission.

Source: The Bachelor Guy