Taking care of your car is important no matter where you live, but living here on the North Oregon or Southwest Washington coast presents some special challenges. The water, the salt air, the rain, the wind they all take their toll on any vehicle.

I checked in with Tony Richeson of Chrome Dome Automotive Repair (having seen Tonys dome one-on-one, I think I know where the name originated) in Ocean Park, Wash., for some sound maintenance advice for us coasties and our wheels. Heres what he had to suggest.

Keeping your cool

In this corrosive environment its really important to get your coolant checked and replaced at least every three years because the whole system will just corrode away the salt air will destroy it. A lot of people let it go and the next thing you know the radiator is blown out, or the heater core is blown, or theres a hole in the side of the block … its so corrosive. When the coolant cycles through the engine, it creates a small electrical charge, and with these new aluminum engines, the electrolysis will eventually eat them away. Manufacturers say every 100,000 miles, but I dont agree with that. With everything else, you can follow the manufacturers recommendations, but the coolant? No, do it every three years.

Putting on the brakes

Again, because of our corrosive environment, you have to stay on top of the brakes. It can cause calipers to lock up and seize. Wherever you take your car, ask them to check your brakes every year. Know your brake wear and when you get down to about 25 percent, its time to get some new ones. If you let it go until its metal-to-metal, a $100 brake job can easily turn into a $500 brake job.

Keep on rollin

I suggest all-weather, all-season radial tires, not the regular street or snow tires. Lots of times, theres standing water on our roads, so get good ones that will channel water away. Ask your tire dealer what kind of tire you should use for this area. Also, get those tires rotated every other oil change youll get twice as much wear out of them.

Clean body, clean mind, clean car

Wash your vehicle at least once a month just to get the salt off. I cant stress this enough. Salt is what destroys cars. If you can wash underneath, clean the wheel wells and the running gear, wash as much of the underbody as you can. Use your hose or go to the car wash and use a spray wand to reach underneath the car. Turn your wheels left and right to expose the springs, shocks and running gear. Its really important to get those clean because of the environment were in.

Love the salt air … NOT!

Unless you absolutely have to, never drive your car on the beach. In time, youll have a rusty hulk. I see a lot of cars and all too often theres sand all over the top of the motor from beach driving. I see brakes that are completely corroded. You cant get any engine components apart without breaking bolts. Ive seen freeze plugs that rusted out. Ive seen vehicles only two or three years old like that. Never, ever drive on the beach.

Water, water everywhere

Cars here are very susceptible to water leaks around doors, or in the trunk, or up front. We get a lot of sideways rain, wind and rain combined, and it can hit the car at weird angles. We get so much rain it just wears them down. Its such a damp environment that once the water gets into your cars crevices, into a closed wet environment, it starts to grow mold. Eventually it can ruin your carpets and seats, and worse, its unhealthy. Its very hard to ever get it cleaned out completely. Keep checking all your water seals for damage or anything that might let water in. If you ever see water leaking in your car, get it in right away and get that fixed.

Not just another pretty face

Wax your car once a year. Thats what the manufacturer recommends, and I agree. The salt air around here can destroy a finish very quickly and wax helps protect your vehicle. Im a fan of using a good carnuba wax and a buffer. As far as chrome goes, keep it clean thats the best you can do. Most cars have a good heavy chrome finish, so keep it clean and you wont have any issues. I see people using tire dressing products, but that stuff just dries out the rubber. Unless you keep putting it on all the time, youll start seeing cracks in the rubber, so I dont recommend tire dressings.

Captain, we have a leak

If youve got very, very low coolant, or you see leakage under your car, have it checked (water evaporation under your car from your air conditioner is normal and not a coolant leak). But apart from the loss of fluids from your car, there is another consideration, especially here on the Peninsula. We only have a six-inch water table, so if you have an oil or coolant leak dripping onto the ground, it immediately gets into the water and that means it may wind up in our drinking water or the ocean. Where we live, its especially important to be a steward of the environment. If you notice a leak, get it fixed right away and keep a pan under the leak until you can get it to the shop.

Keeping things straight

You should get an alignment once a year. It only takes hitting the curb once to throw your vehicle out of alignment. In general, front end parts wear a lot from the heavy use and the constant turning. When you get an annual alignment, whoever is doing it can point out issues like ball joint wear so you can take care of them right away.

Timing is everything

A lot of the newer vehicles have timing belts. Most of those cars are foreign-made and those engines are expensive. [If a timing belt goes out] it can crack the pistons and bend the valves and that pretty much wipes out the motor. A good rule of thumb is to have your timing belt changed every 100,000 miles. In many cases, the water pump is driven by the timing belt, so youll want to replace that at the same time.

Keep that appointment

Todays vehicles are built to last a lot longer, so following the manufacturers service schedule makes them run better and takes advantage of that longer life. In your owners manual, there is a service schedule, but a lot of people dont follow it like they should. I like to follow the factory schedule in my shop. One exception is the recommended 3,000-mile oil change. On newer cars, 5,000 miles between oil changes is not unreasonable. However, check the oil level periodically because you might need to add some oil during that time.

Thanks, Tony. There it is … be good to your car and follow the advice of a man who knows the coast and knows his cars. Keep it maintained, keep it washed, keep it waxed, stay off the beach and above all, drive safely.