Extending Your Car’s Life
There are several ways for you to make sure your vehicle is in good condition, and while regular maintenance will be the most important step in extending the life, let’s talk about some of the other things you can do, first.
If you generally hop in the car without looking around and hustle out of the garage when you’ve arrived home, it’s time to rethink the way you travel. At least once a week, include a “preflight” and use your senses to look for leaks, make sure all the lights are working properly, and everything smells normal. Keeping an eye on the general wellbeing of your vehicle can save you big time if you manage to catch a potentially serious issue before it gets truly dire.
Keeping your car clean to avoid rust and unnecessary wear and tear is another important piece of the life-extension puzzle.
Another thing you can do is simply drive less, but especially avoid taking short trips. When your vehicle’s engine doesn’t have the chance to get up to operating temperature (trips less than five miles in normal temperatures and less than ten miles in freezing temperatures) you risk a noxious sludge of oil, water and fuel that doesn’t have the chance to get burned off like it would on a longer trip.
The Role Maintenance Plays To Make Your Car Last Longer
Truly, the key to keeping your car in the best shape as long as possible is by conducting important car maintenance. This includes getting the oil changed regularly, using synthetic oil, changing out the transmission fluid at least by the time you hit 100,000, and there’s no harm in doing so earlier.
According to Kiplinger, never do a full flush of the transmission system without first replacing the filter.
While your automotive owner manual will lay out a schedule for what constitutes “regular maintenance” for your vehicle, sometimes these guidelines fail as your vehicle gets higher in mileage. That’s why it’s important to come up with a custom schedule to meet your vehicle’s needs alongside a trusted mechanic who knows the details of your car’s history and health inside and out.
How to Use this Information
We hope this helps make your car last longer. And, if you have need of a little body work, or just need some dents removed or a new paint job to make your 100,000-mile car look as good as new, we can help! Call us at 303-344-2212 or contact us online.
