Findings have shown that a lot of Nigerians, and even some arms of government, lack maintenance culture; a situation that makes us, as individuals or a nation, spend more on replacing quite prematurely, damaged items or property. And in milder terms, a situation that warrants early repairs.
Many items are, however, acquired with accompanying insurance or warranties, which saves the owner a lot within the period. Often times, Nigerians do not take cognisance of assets’ functionality in order to prepare, configure and maintain them for use, which enables you to manage assets as they are moved around for use in multiple settings.
At various intervals, all assets require some degree of maintenance, such as routine mechanics for private or company vehicles or repainting or refurbishing a building or an office, etc. Scheduling and tracking this type of maintenance provides a more complete picture of the true costs and revenues associated with these assets.
Whenever an asset requires maintenance, you can track exactly when the maintenance takes place, how long it will take, and how it will affect cost and performance. For example, a vehicle that requires several quarts of oil more often than every 1,000 miles may have more severe underlying problems. Similarly, a piece of equipment that requires repeated repair or replacement of a particular part, may be defective and should be replaced. Some of the assets that worth to be maintained are as follows.
The braking systems of modern cars are designed to be replaced periodically to maintain maximum braking efficiency. If you notice any problem with the brakes, take your car to have the brakes checked immediately
EXPERTS’ ADVICE
With so much emphasis on car buying, few people consider the maintenance requirements of an automobile with the modern car having as many as 75,000 parts, and the malfunction of just one can make your
car behave very strangely. Maintaining a car in good condition will help you to keep it safe, drive it for a long time, and make it sell for a good price. So to maintain your car, all you need is to establish a simple plan of attack by using your owner’s manual, to establish a schedule for your car.
The Chief Executive Officer, Auto Clinic Limited, Mr. Bola Adeniji, advised that you must make sure that your tyres are properly inflated since tyre gauges are cheap and easy to use. Check your tyres every other day for pressure and every week for wear or damage. Also having them replaced when they become worn beyond acceptable limits is essential, he counseled.
Here is his recipe for a car’s maintenance, for instance: “Since oil is the blood of your car, without it, the car is not going far or quietly. Has your mechanic checked the oil regularly, about once a week, and changed the oil or has he changed it when you reach the 4,000–4,500 mile (6,400–7,200 km) limit. Make sure that all windows, mirrors and lights are clean and not broken. Replace any broken lights or mirrors as soon as possible.
“The braking systems of modern cars are designed to be replaced periodically to maintain maximum braking efficiency. If you notice any problem with the brakes, take your car to have the brakes checked immediately because if the brakes fail, you can have a very serious crash.
“The other lifeblood of the car are the fluids that the drive train must have. Coolant, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, windshield washer fluid, brake fluid, and other fluids need to be checked at a minimum of once per week. Ask your mechanic to demonstrate the method to check these. You can check your own lights if you have someplace you can park near reflective glass windows, or you can ask a friend to walk around your car while you turn on different lights. Make sure to check your headlights, taillights, reverse lights, brake lights, and turn signals.”
An Information Technology expert, Mr. David Osho, believes that when it comes to the maintenance of your electronics, especially computer, dust is just unattractive because it can potentially damage or even destroy parts of your computer. Cleaning your computer regularly will help you keep it working properly and avoid expensive repairs.
According to him, food, liquid, and other particles can get stuck underneath the keys on your keyboard, which can prevent it from working properly.
“Ensure you unplug the keyboard and the mouse from the Universal Serial Bus port and if the keyboard is plugged into the port, you will need to shut down the computer before unplugging it. Use a can of compressed air to clean between the keys. Moisten a cotton cloth or paper towel with rubbing alcohol and use it to clean the tops of the keys. Do not pour alcohol or any other liquid directly onto the keys,” he advised.
“When it comes to the maintenance of your monitor, do not use glass cleaner to clean a monitor because many screens have anti-glare coatings that can be damaged by glass cleaner, endeavor to unplug the monitor from the power while doing this.
“If you are using a laptop, always keep it cool by not restricting airflow around your computer. A computer can generate a lot of heat that is why the casing has fans that keep it from overheating.
“Similarly, home maintenance is not restricted to repairs. In fact, certain tasks when performed regularly, may actually prevent things from breaking in the first place. But when things do go wrong and it’s inevitable that they do, there must be some backup plans that you can try before you grab the phone to call for professional help.
“Appliances and plumbing are the most frequent offenders; but they also often can be the simplest to care for. From the drainage to the living room carpet, there are ‘must do’ maintenance activities for keeping every part of your home clean, safe, and well maintained.
“Test all the ground fault circuit interrupter outlets monthly. Press the test button and use a voltage tester to make sure the power goes off. Clean leaves and debris from the condenser of a central air conditioner seasonally. Once a year, vacuum the refrigerator coils underneath the appliance.
“When choosing a tap for your kitchen, bathroom and toilets, endeavour to use open-mouthed taps with high-pressure
streams of water, which will rinse the gutters clean,” he counselled.
