Best to touch up nicks sooner rather than later.

Touch-up paint won’t adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.

Don’t underestimate those tiny chips in your windshield.

Do you currently have a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to your dealer or a trusted windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones. The repairs not only keep the chips and cracks from spreading and restore structural integrity, they also improve clarity.

How you can avoid the hassles caused by damaged or aging hoses under your car’s hood.

Check the hoses under your hood every month or two to avoid the hassle of a broken hose while you’re on the road. With the car cool and off, squeeze the hoses. If they are hard or make a crunching sound, replace them. The same goes if they are extremely soft or sticky. With the car warm but off, examine hoses for bulges and collapsed sections. If you find any, this means the hose walls are weak, and it’s time to replace the hose. Never drive with a ruptured coolant hose, or you are liable to overheat the engine and damage it. Other hoses are crucial to operation of your power brakes and cruise-control systems.