For most Americans, their vehicle is their first or second most valuable investment. However, many car owners continue to make maintenance mistakes that may affect their safety, the value of their investment as well as the look and feel of their automobile.

An often overlooked yet critical maintenance procedure is rotating and pressure checking your tires. Underinflated tires will hurt your fuel economy, wear out sooner and can be dangerous to drive on, says Tom Wilson of MSN Autos. Moreover, front and rear tires will wear differently and need to be rotated accordingly.

Also, while cleaning up your vehicle, there a few things that you should be aware of. Surprisingly, washing your car on a bright sunny day can actually be counterproductive.

When tepid water is applied to the scalding metal surface of your vehicle, the finish can actually be boiled off along with dirt and soap.

“The end result is not pretty,” says Eric Peters of AOL Autos. “Cosmetics aside, you’ve cut into the resale and trade-in value of your vehicle by flailing its finish. Only an expensive repaint will fix things.”

It is always best to wash your car in the shade, on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon when the sun’s rays are less strong.

When hosing down your new or used vehicle, always be certain to keep aggressive streams of water away from the engine. Although it may sound obvious, many owners will pressure wash under the hood to remove any debris that has accumulated.

In modern cars, strong jets of water can affect the sensitive electronics that are fitted to each computer-controlled engine.

“Excess moisture can short-out electrical parts, cause intermittent malfunctions (including stalling for no reason, hard-starting, rough-running) and make dashboard ‘check engine’ lights flash for no apparent reason,” says Peters.

He adds that it is reasonable to utilize a garden hose to keep your engine clean, but you should always avoid using a high-powered pressure sprayer as it can force water through rubber seals and weather stripping.

Finally, make sure to replace your wiper blades on a regular basis. If your blades are cracking, bent or simply not doing their job, replace them immediately.

For being one of the simpler and most inexpensive maintenance procedures, thousands of accidents occur each year due to driving with damaged wiper blades.

Since the beginning of the economic recession, fewer consumers are purchasing new cars than in years previous. In fact, in 2008, new car sales in the U.S. dropped by more than 18 percent compared to 2007.

Fewer new car sales means that more people are now buying used cars and are taking greater care of their purchase. If you plan on buying a used car in New Jersey, there are several key methods of protecting your investment.

Almost every expert will tell you that the best way to insure the health of your vehicle is to change the oil on a regular basis.

“Changing your vehicle’s oil is one of the most important things you can do to avoid bringing large bags of money to your mechanic later on,” says Cars.com.

Owner’s manual recommendations for oil changes will vary anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 miles. However, you may want to consider changing your oil more frequently if you drive aggressively, live in extremely hot or cold climates or commonly carry heavy loads, according to the news source.

Another great way to increase the life expectancy of a used car is to change the air filter on a regular basis.

An air filter, which costs roughly $15 at any auto parts store, should be changed every 15,000 miles, says AOL Autos.

“What people don’t realize is that [driving with an old filter is] like choking your engine,” says Lori Johnson, owner of Ladies Start Your Engines, an automotive repair class for women.

“If air can’t get into the engine because it’s blocked by this dirty air filter, then you’re not going to get as good of performance, and you might even feel hesitation when you’re driving, or it will just feel like the car is dragging,” she added.

Moreover, keeping a careful eye on your transmission is one of the best ways to save costly trips to the mechanic. An automatic transmission is one of the most complicated and least reliable parts of a car.

To save wear and tear on your transmission, you should never change gears until the car comes to a complete stop, always hold the brake down when shifting from park and regularly check your parking spot for leaks. Also, an automatic transmission can be damaged if your vehicle is improperly towed. Be certain to take your car out of four-wheel drive before it is taken away.