Winter is long gone and snow tires are a thing of the past. But just because the weather is in the clear, doesn’t mean your car is. It’s time for spring car care.

In general, spring car care means . . .

it’s the time of year to have a check-up on your vehicle. There are several things to look out for, but as Richard Sigouin — mechanic for 30 years and owner of Sigouin et Fils — said, it all depends on your ride.

“It all depends on the kind of car you’ve got,” he said. “Suspensions, breaks, you have to put summer tires on. If you do a lot of mileage, if you don’t do a lot of mileage, everyone varies a lot there.”

While it’s good to check up on your car every year to ensure it says in top shape, Sigouin noted that it’s important to keep track of your cars’ needs

“Do the maintenance, whatever’s required for your vehicle. Every vehicle has a maintenance schedule. Again it all depends on the car you’ve got. If you’ve got an all-wheel drive, a Subaru, it varies a lot from one car to another.”

However, one thing that Sigouin said is the most important for each and every vehicle is getting your oil changed; it’s what keeps your car alive.

“Do the oil change, that’s number one, that’s the most important thing. At least in your engine, that’s the heart of your car,” he said. “It’s the same thing as if you don’t eat regularly, it’s not good for you. If you don’t eat at all, you could put it like that, you’re not going to go far. Same thing with the oil change, if you don’t do an oil change you’re not going to go far because eventually the car’s just going to die.

“There’s a lot of different qualities of oils and you have to put what’s recommended in your car.”