When you drive your car every day, normal wear and tear is to be expected. But over time, that wear and tear can take time off of your car’s life expectancy if you don’t take proper care of it. If you’re looking to maximize your car’s time on the road, we’re sharing 10 tips to prolong your car’s life. This week, we’ll dig into 5 of them, so check back in two weeks to catch the last 5!
How to Prolong Your Car's Lifetime
Check in with the manual
While it may not seem like the most entertaining light reading, checking in with your owner’s manual will set you and your vehicle up for success. It will give you a maintenance schedule including when you’ll need oil changes, tire rotations, and other routine maintenance so you can stay on top of your vehicle’s upkeep. If you can stay on top of your manual’s advice, you can help take steps to not only increase the longevity of your vehicle, but also to avoid costly repairs and breakdowns.
Don’t fall behind on oil changes
Oil is vital to your car’s operation and failing to keep up on your oil changes can do some serious damage to your engine. If you’ve read up on your owner’s manual, it usually recommends when you should get your oil changed, so it’s just as easy as watching your miles and taking it in for service.
Keep an eye on your fluids
Oil is just one of several important fluids that keep your car up and running. You’ve still got brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and coolant to be aware of, and that’s not even all of them! All this maintenance might feel a little overwhelming, but don’t worry. Nowadays, most of our cars have dedicated warning lights to let you know what needs attending to. To be on the safe side though, it’s a good idea to check them yourself as your owner manual suggests, to make sure you don’t run into any surprise problems.
Watch your tires
Especially during changing seasons, it’s important to watch your tires and tire pressure. Keeping your tires at the correct pressure extends the life of your tires, keeps you safe on the road with better traction, helps to avoid blowouts, and helps you with your fuel economy. For all these benefits, all you have to do is monitor and maintain your tire pressure!
Let your car breathe
Your car’s air filters are kind of like its lungs. As your vehicle runs, it ‘breathes’ in dirt and dust from the environment, and the air filters catch these outside elements to protect the engine and keep it running smoothly. Air filters aren’t the only filters to watch though, there are also oil and fuel filters that protect your car by trapping unwelcome sediments. These filters increase your fuel efficiency, reduce your emissions, and help to extend your engine’s life. Plus, they’re fairly cheap to replace, and your owner’s manual will tell you when it’s time to do so.
