A lot of people determine the value of a car based on its age. Sure, depreciation hits personal vehicles quite hard, but it’s not the only factor involved. How often do you see a 10-year-old car that is better preserved than its 5 years younger counterpart? It all depends on how well the vehicle in question is maintained. This is an equal part of the skill, knowledge and dedication of the owner. So, here are five tips to help you figure this one out on your own.
Read your user’s manual
The first thing you need to do is find or download a user’s manual for your particular car model. This way, you will get all the information you need about the car maintenance of your vehicle. Any tip or advice that you read online or even get from your mechanic is only partially true. Every vehicle type is different, and while the majority of pointers may apply, what you need to do is learn the specifics. The simplest way to do so is to just read the user’s manual. You should read it once straight away and then skim through it when you have a specific question. After all, it’s not your job to memorize it all.
There’s maximum and there’s recommended
The next thing you need to understand is the fact that there’s maximum and there’s recommended, whenever you want to do something in terms of maintenance. For instance, when it comes to changing oil, the suggestion is that you should do it somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles. It’s clearly better to replace it after 6,000 miles than after 9,000. Sure, this is definitely more expensive and labor-intensive, but when it comes to prolonging the life of your car, there’s no question about which of these two methods gives you optimal results.
Small replacements rather than major service
Servicing your car is expensive and can be quite ineffective from a certain standpoint. You see, not all of your car’s parts deteriorate at the same speed. This means that, if you decide to do it all at once, you will leave some parts that will soon be due for a replacement or replace parts that still have months and years to go. Also, the very cost of this major effort makes people postpone it, which is a horrible habit on its own. This reduced cost of a major replacement can help you install quality parts instead of aiming for frugality. For instance, when replacing air filters, you can go for K&N filters instead of going for a bargain alternative.
Tend to your tires
Your car tires determine the health of your wheels, your fuel consumption, the amount of control that you have behind the wheel and much, much more. So, you need to make sure that they’re always in prime condition. First, you need to make sure that they’re always properly inflated. Second, make sure to replace them regularly and always have adequate tires on (depending on the season). Third, always, always have a spare. One trick that a lot of people don’t know about is the fact that depending on whether your car is FWD or RWD, your tires will get worn out at a different pace. So, in order to equalize this a bit, you might want to start rotating them every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (remember what we said about maximum vs. recommended).
Adjust your driving habits
Your driving habits are another thing that you need to take into consideration when it comes to the health and longevity of your personal vehicle. For instance, tailgating increases the chance of collision. Cruising helps your fuel economy and even allows your car to stay fresh for longer. Braking sharply deteriorates your tires more quickly, not to mention that it puts a strain on your brakes that you will have to replace sooner than you otherwise would. All in all, by adjusting your driving habits by just a bit, you can make a huge difference.
Conclusion
The very last thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that you need to listen to your car. You see, all the above-listed apply to regular conditions, where your vehicle is running flawlessly. However, what happens if you start hearing weird noises or if your vehicle starts acting strange. This is something that you, as a primary driver, will be first to notice. Ignoring this problem might not put you in a life-threatening situation (although this is a risk that you shouldn’t be taking), it is likely to cause a bigger (more expensive and harder to fix) problem, down the line. To sum it up, in order to keep your car in top shape for the longest period of time, you need to be both proactive and reactive at the same time.
