3 Tips for Prolonging the Life of Your Car

There comes a time when every car finally bites the dust. At a certain point, there’s nothing to be done for it. Maybe it’s been in a wreck and it’s completely totaled. Or maybe it’s an older vehicle, and the cost of a major repair actually exceeds the value of the vehicle itself. In these kinds of situations, your best option is selling the car and getting what you can for it. That’s where Junk Car Traders comes in: we buy cars that are on their last leg, so that their owners can get something newer and more reliable. We buy cars all over the country, even in District of Columbia. 

That said, though, there are plenty of vehicles that have some life left in them. Your car may be more than a decade old and approaching 200,000 miles, but still have a couple of years left before it’s finally done for. In these cases, we encourage you to keep driving your vehicle if it makes sense for you to do so. And in this spirit, we’ve put together a list of our top three tips for prolonging the life of your vehicle. With the right techniques, you can maximize your car’s road life. And then, when it finally reaches junk car status, we’ll be here to help.

Ready to get started? Here are our top tips for keeping your car running for as many years as possible.

Change the oil

This is an obvious one, but it’s amazing how many people procrastinate or flat out ignore this essential aspect of routine car maintenance. Your car’s oil keeps the internal parts of the engine lubricated and running efficiently. If you skip oil changes, you’re asking for engine damage. Change your oil every 3,000 miles or once every 3 months (whichever comes first), and use whatever oil type is recommended by the manufacturer. For older cars, a synthetic blend can be a great option to increase engine life.

Check your fluids

Frequently, the shop performing an oil change will check your other fluids as well. However, you’ll want to ask to make sure that they do; and, if they don’t, be sure to do it yourself. Low levels of transmission, brake, or power steering fluid can damage the associated systems in your vehicle; and, perhaps worst of all, a lack of coolant can overheat your engine, resulting in a blown head gasket that’s incredibly expensive to repair. If you notice a fluid level is low, top it off and keep an eye on it. If the level goes down again in a short amount of time, you should take your car to a mechanic and have it serviced.

Take it easy

Believe it or not, the way you drive your car can have an effect on its life. If you take off like a shot every time the light turns from red to green, or wait until the last minute to slam on your brakes, you’ll wear out your engine and braking systems faster, along with related components. Drive your car gently, and you can greatly prolong the life of its various mechanical systems.

References

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/house-home/autocar/9-easy-ways-to-extend-the-life-of-your-car

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/top-10-ways-to-extend-the-life-of-your-car