The true cost of car ownership is greater than most people suspect. But you can get more life out your vehicle, can reduce your cost per mile, by following a few simple suggestions. eHow offers twelve tips to extend the life of your car.
- Change the oil regularly. If you’re frugal and handy, do it yourself. Otherwise pay somebody to do it every few thousand miles. (Check your owners manual for recommended intervals.) See also: Is the 3,000-mile oil change a scam?
- Change the air filter. Incredibly simple for even the most inept of mechanics.
- Flush the fluids every two years.
- Flush the cooling system every two years.
- Monitor your brake pad thickness. And remember: Squealing brakes don’t always signify the need to change brake pads. (Mine squeal when cold or wet.)
- Rotate the tires. Check your manual for recommended intervals.
- Keep the tires inflated properly. Check your tire pressure at least every month. It’s easy, and can save you gas money and wear on your vehicle.
- Keep the front end aligned. If your car shakes at high speeds, have the alignment checked.
- Start slowly, especially when the car is cold. Slow acceleration not only saves gas, but it’s also good for your vehicle.
- Use your parking brake. Yes, your automatic transmission will keep your car from rolling. Your transmission will last longer, though, if you use the parking brake. (Thanks to GRS-reader, Rich, for the correction!)
- Wash your car. A clean car is less susceptible to corrosion.
- Read your owners manual.
For more detail on these twelve steps, and for additional tips, check out the entire article.
[via lifehacker]
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“Click and Clack” (of Car Talk fame) have some pointers on tire rotation. Basically, be sure the cost of rotating the tires doesn’t exceed the savings of longer lasting tires:
http://cars.cartalk.com/content/advice/rotatingtires.html
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“Yes, your automatic transmission will keep your car from rolling. Your brakes will last longer, though, if you use the parking brake.”
It’s true that you should use your parking brake in an automatic, but saving your brakes isn’t one of the reasons — brakes don’t come into play when you *don’t* use your parking brake.
What using your parking brake does: it takes the load off of the tang in the transmission that keeps the car still in park, and it keeps the parking brake itself in shape for the situations in which you do need it (especially emergencies). When your hydraulic brakes go out, you don’t want to be without a mechanical backup, and when you put your parking brake on on that long hill, you don’t want to get back to your car to find it won’t release.
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[...] Extend the life of your car – This is an article that everyone I know should read. I’ll admit it, I don’t take the greatest care with my vehicles. They run, and they get me from place to place. When something breaks, I’ll fix it. Barring something really bad, I generally don’t do maintenance. After reading this article, that changed. With such a comprehensive set of tips, I find it hard to ignore them. [...]
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[...] Extend the Life of Your Car [...]
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