Posted: 01/19/2023
These days, cars are expensive, and every year they keep going up in price. It’s a good financial move to ensure that your vehicle lasts as long as it possibly can to ensure you don’t end up with another car payment any sooner than you have to.
Besides avoiding accidents, how can you ensure that your vehicle lasts as long as it can before you part ways with it? Read on to learn what you need to know to get every potential mile out of your vehicle.
As a driver or vehicle owner, you know that there are a few different fluids that will need to be periodically replaced. Everyone knows that engine oil needs to be changed every 3-5,000 miles, and failing to do so can result in your engine taking a day off when it’s most inconvenient for you. Coolant is also critical to check periodically, but this is less about the state of the fluid and more about the quantity of it remaining in the reservoir.
In addition, you must also occasionally flush and replace transmission fluid, as the smooth operation of your transmission is a delicate dance performed every day, and a failing transmission is a universally expensive investment. Spend a little bit of money now, and you’ll save yourself thousands down the line. One key point to note, however, is that while most transmissions take standard automatic transmission fluid, some manual transmissions take conventional engine oil, so be sure to check your owner’s manual before you make any changes in that department.
Power steering fluid is another key fluid in the life of your vehicle. While running out of this fluid only means that steering will be more difficult, it can lead to extensive heat damage to everything located near the power steering system internally.
Coolant is one of the most important vehicle fluids to check, as an overheating engine is one of the quickest ways to reduce a car’s drivability to zero. Mechanical engine operation creates a lot of heat, and dispersing this heat is the full-time job of multiple systems within your engine. Be sure to check your coolant at least twice a month to ensure you can keep your car going.
Lastly, be sure to check your brake fluid from time to time, or when it seems like you’re losing braking power when coming to a stop. Be sure to clean the brake fluid tank’s opening before you open it, as contaminants in your braking system can ruin your braking performance. The last thing you want is finding out your brakes don’t work as you hurtle towards a stopped car, it’s worth it to do your due diligence to ensure a safe trip.
While we’d all like to make our cars last longer without paying more for them, some things on a vehicle need to be replaced to ensure the health of the engine. Oil filters, air filters, and fuel filters should all be replaced at appropriate intervals to make sure your vehicle is always working in optimal conditions. Every make and model has their own recommendations for how often these should be replaced, so be sure to consult your owner’s manual for reference on how often to replace these parts.
The filters in question are generally quite cheap, as far as auto parts go, and the problems they will prevent mean they will pay for themselves several times over. Your car relies on a supply of clean oil, air and fuel, and contamination in any of those factors will lead to engine damage.
If you live in an area that’s prone to snow, your vehicle knows all too well what the combination of salt and moisture can do. While it’s common knowledge that you should get your car washed throughout the winter to prevent the rust damage that salt and moisture can cause, there are several products that can help to rust-proof your car, saving you significant time and money.
Some products are to prevent rust, while others exist to try to cover and mitigate rust damage. The best time to deal with rust damage is well in advance of it starting, but if the rust has already started creeping in, a bottle of rust seal may be exactly what your car needs to maintain a longer life.
There are a variety of routine maintenance procedures that should be done regularly to ensure your car’s life is as long as its potential. Learning how to make your car last longer ultimately comes down to ensuring that your vehicle’s fluids are always in order, replaced when necessary, and paying active attention to how you actually drive the vehicle.
If you can’t find your owner’s manual, or would simply like to speak to an expert, stop by Arnold Motor Supply to find out what your car needs. We would be more than happy to point you in the direction of a long-lived car.
