Want to know what you could be doing better with your vehicle so you can learn how to make your car live longer? Let’s take a look.
Second to your home, your car is going to be one of the biggest purchasers you ever make. Whether you’re buying it outright. Or you’re paying for it on finance. You’re still going to find it expensive over time. You’re going to spend thousands making sure that your car is the car for you.
Not only do you have to pay all that money in car payments, plus a down payment, plus potentially a balloon payment. You also have to consider what you spend on repairs over time.
We all want to get the most from our cars. And it makes sense. If this is going to be such a big purchase, you really do want to make it sure that it’s worth it.
Your mission: Keep up to date with what keeps your car safe and avoid any unexpected costs along the way.
As with medicine, prevention is always worth more than a cure. So if you want to make your car live longer, you need the right oil catch cans, upgraded seats, better brake pads. All of these things matter to make sure that your car lasts as long as possible.
It doesn’t matter whether your car is classic or modern, you need to do what you can to keep it living for as long as possible, until it needs to go to the great scrap yard in the sky.
Understanding the vehicle scrap value calculator can be essential when considering the end-of-life options for your car, ensuring you make informed decisions about its final disposition.
You know that you need to keep your car’s tires upgraded, and you need to keep your battery maintained and charged. So what else could you be doing to make your car live longer? Let’s take a look.
We just mentioned that you need to maintain your car battery, and there’s a good reason for that. If you’re turning your car on and off all the time, or you’re just using your car for short journeys, you’re going to find that the battery is going to drain a lot faster. Instead of this being something that you worry about, you should ensure that you are keeping your car battery maintained. You make sure that you drive it for long enough so that the battery can be topped up correctly and you won’t have to worry. If your car is an electric car, keeping an eye on your minutes spent on the road before you need to be recharged is important.
Your car needs to have clean fuel, clean oil, and topped up with water to keep it running optimally and quietly.
The filters in you’ll stop any dirt or sludge from entering the engine, but these can become clogged overtime because of course that’s what their job is to filter out the nasties.
If they become clogged, fuel and air can’t pass through the systems properly, and that puts a bigger strain on your engine.
If you regularly change the filters, however, you will have an affordable and easy way to maintain the car, and the more frequently you do it, the more efficiently your car will be running.
As part of your basic car maintenance check up, you should be replenishing the fluids every couple of weeks. Engine oil and coolant should always be maintained and topped up. You could use the dipstick to measure the engine oil against the maximum and minimum markers so that you can ensure that it’s also the right colour and the right amount.
If you run a diesel car for oil it will be darker than a petrol car. So make sure that you’re aware of this when you start to dip the stick. When you top up the oil levels in your car, you’ll keep it running smoothly. And prevent it from overheating. Both of these things can end up with your engine being damaged if you don’t look after it properly.
It’s tempting to let your fuel run right down before you top up again. But it’s a bad idea to ride it on red. Drivers will always dread running out of fuel, especially when you are in the middle of nowhere and don’t have anywhere to top up.
However, If you keep a good level of fuel in the tank, you’ll be able to keep up with your driver maintenance. When your fuel levels are lower, the sediment and the debris that’s built up in the bottom of the fuel tank will start to clog the filters or the injectors. Not only does this prevent the car from starting, but it could burn out your engine. So you can’t use it at all.
When you use the ignition to light your car and get it going, the spark plugs are fired up and it’s a critical part of the system. Dirty spark plugs will cause misfires. Or they’ll reduce your fuel efficiency or your engine performance will be much poorer. It’s always a better idea than to check them regularly. A good sign that your spark plug is wearing down is a gap between the insulator and the electrode. This means that the spark has much further to travel before it can be used.
If you want to make sure that your car lives longer, you need to drive smoother. Avoiding fast acceleration and sudden breaking, as well as dodging in and out of cars on the highway, can lessen the amount of wear and tear on your card components.
Anticipating your next moves on the road and focusing on the drive. It’s something you can practice each time you’re on the road. Every now and then give your car a good Rev to clear any carbon deposit build up.
Tires that are both over or under inflated are a problem. You’ll have handling issues and the car will drive much less efficiently than you are used to. There are some manufacturers that will recommend different pressures for the front tires and the back tires.
But either way you have to ensure that the pressure is equal from left to right. With the right tread depth, your tires will be able to maintain their grip no matter the weather. So always check your spare. And always check whether or not your tires are able to keep up.
If you want your car to live a long, long life, then you need to keep it clean. You need to make sure that the car is free of salt in the winter and free of dirt all year round. Dirt inside the car can get into the air conditioning, and that’s going to cost you more money over time.
When your car does need an upgrade or replacement parts, don’t go shopping around for the cheapest option. Go to your manufacturer and shop for the best option, even if it’s more expensive. The rule of cheaper parts costing better for your wallet is great, but it’s going to cost you more overtime when you have to keep replacing those cheaper parts. Using the original parts is also critical, especially if you have a classic car that you are looking to maintain. You want to retain the quality, the value and the authenticity of your vehicle no matter what kind of age it is.
When was the last time you had a mechanic look at your car? Was it when you got your MOT? Don’t just wait for those important days of the year to go get your car serviced.
As we said earlier, prevention is way better than a cure. Even if you’re doing a good job at maintaining, you’ll call yourself, you should make sure that you have a qualified mechanic.
Have a look at it once a year or during your mileage milestones. A regular service can make a big difference to your car’s health.
If you don’t want to spend the money on a new electric vehicle, then you could look at seeing whether or not your current car can convert it to an electrical one. Electric cars have fewer moving parts, which means you won’t have to worry about constantly replacing parts inside your car. This is especially helpful if your car is a classic. Speak to your mechanic to see whether or not you can convert your existing car to electric. But it’s an increasingly popular option.
Your car should be something you’re proud of. Just like you would replace things in your house, you should look at replacing things in your car as needed. Don’t be afraid to get your hands a little bit dirty in inspections. And keep your tires moving well on the road.
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