Extend the life of your vehicle

Especially in today's economy, people don't have the extra money to spend on a new vehicle regularly like they used to. In order to get the most out of your vehicle, there are many things that you can do in order to extend your vehicle's life and make sure it runs well. 

1. Make sure to check all fluids regularly: This can be one of the easiest way to lessen your vehicle's life. The most important of all of these in your oil. In order to keep your engine running smoothly and cleanly, be sure to change your oil every couple thousand miles. Be sure to check your owner's manual for the recommended amount of miles and type of oil. Be sure to also check all other fluid levels. Whether it be anti freeze or power steering fluid, there is always a recommended level in order to keep everything running smoothly. In a high millage car, it is also a good idea to flush the brake fluid and transmission fluid every 50,000-100,000 miles depending on the make and condition of the car.

2. Allow your car to warm up: Although allowing your car to warm up for half and hour is excessive, try not to just start up and drive. Cold starts are not only hard on your engine, but also on the environment and your MPG. When you start your car on a colder day, condensation builds up in the exhaust. If you don't allow your car to run and evaporate all of the condensation in your muffler, the condensation can build up and cause a hole to rust in your muffler. 

3. Change or clean your air filter: Changing or cleaning your air filter regularly is very important to extend the life of your car and something many people forget about. Air filters filter all the air entering through your vehicles intake in order to supply your engine with the cleanest air possible. If a filter is old or clogged, the car will lose power and your MPG will drop.

4. Tire and wheel care: An easy way to increase MPG is to make sure your tires are always inflated to the recommended level. This can be found in your owner's manual, door panel or even right on the tires. Another important way to extend your tires life is to rotate your tires every 5000-7000 miles. This makes sure that the tires all wear evenly and should be rotated diagonally meaning front right to rear left. Another way to extend the life of your car is to change your brake pads and rotors every 50,000 miles or when needed. This not only creates less brake dust, but will make sure your car stops when you need to in order to prevent an accident.

5. Clean your car: Possibly the easiest way to extend the life of your car is to wash is regularly, especially if you live in a cold climate where it snows. Road salt, dirt and grime can cause your car to rust quickly if they are left on the car. Even a new car can start to rust after a couple years if it is not kept clean. Not only does this make your vehicle look bad, it can become a big safety hazard if left unchecked. Key components of your vehicle such as your brake lines or muffler can become rusted and even fall off. So make sure to not only clean your car on a regular basis, but also to clean all of it including the underside.