When we hear about car maintenance, most of the time our mind would immediately go for the supposedly more important parts, such as the engine, the differentiates axles, the chassis or more frequently, all kind of oils. And that's not wrong, it's fair to focus on the most essential parts of your car.

Focusing on your "big boys" is one thing, taking care of other siblings is another. Smaller as some of them may be, their roles on the overall condition of the car cannot be neglected. Weighing of the size of your eyes, your thumbs, or even your brain versus its significance to the body and you might get an insight into what we are talking about.

Check our three things you need your eyes on for a good radiator lifespan

The radiator is a part like that. Its main purpose is to keep track of the temperature of your car and therefore command the cooling system to do its due job - to cool your system. The heat generated from the combustion process from the engine, and also the friction generated by parts sliding onto each other, all need to be dissipated actively or else your car will overheat. The effect overheating can have on your engine is detrimental, some symptoms might display right away and some just lurk around, waiting for the tipping point, and before you know, your whole car collapses. By that time, only a big fat patch made of hundred of thousand of Nairas could fix it. 

So now you know how important it is, let's move on to the items and/or things we should mind:

1. Level of coolant

Always take a few minutes to look at the coolant level before attempting to drive your car anywhere. Keep it filled to the recommended level. The antifreeze fluid doesn't have to consist of pure coolant. 50 percent of water is an acceptable number.

All it takes is 20 seconds to open, take a look, fill it fully if necessary and close it up

2. Radiator cap

This tiny little thing should always be close and tighten, for the reason that the coolant inside the tube be sufficiently pressurized so that it can travel to heated parts in time to cool them down. 

Squeeze it tight or else the coolant cannot flow to where it's needed

3. The pipes

Do you know that coolant is a natural hydrophilic substance, and so it would attract water over time. Also, over time dust particles will find its way into the tube and accumulate there, so it's sensible to check the tube frequently and maybe have a fixed schedule to get it flushed.

Flush it periodically to prevent unwanted clogging