As a vehicle owner, you’ll understand that this can be expensive, especially if repairs are ever required. Combined with the money you’ll have to pay for insurance, tax, and fuel, running a car is not a straightforward or affordable thing. Taking care of your vehicle is very important as repair costs can be devastating for many people, and the cost of replacing your car if it can’t be fixed is going to be even worse. While situations in which you must repair your car aren’t always avoidable, taking good care of your car can reduce the risk of this and make your car last a lot longer. Here are a few ways in which you can take better care of your car and increase its lifespan.
Develop Smoother Driving Techniques
One of the best ways you can take care of your vehicle is to ensure that you aren’t falling into bad habits when driving. Your technique and how you treat your car when driving has a huge impact on many of your car’s parts. Poor technique with changing gears, a lack of clutch control, failure to avoid potholes, and not slowing down enough for speed bumps can all cause significant wear and tear to your vehicle. These sorts of things will damage gearboxes, wheels, tyres, and the suspension of your car and will end up needing to be repaired or replaced much sooner than if you use smoother and more considered driving techniques.
Make Use Of Your Features
If you were to leave your car unused on the driveway for a year, it’s a safe assumption that it probably won’t start up when you turn the key. This same concept works for each individual feature in your car. For example, if you don’t regularly use your windshield wipers, the spray nozzles can get clogged up. It’s important then to make use of the features of your car to avoid having to get them replaced or repaired once they stop working due to being left to stagnate. The same thing can happen to your battery and air conditioning, to name a couple of things, so be aware of this when running your car.
Replace Your Spark Plugs
If your car is struggling to start when you turn the ignition, it’s not unfair to assume that you’ve got a problem with your battery. However, a common culprit in a situation like this is spark plugs, so replacing them when needed can be a good way to keep your car going for longer. Trying to start your car when the spark plugs are worn out can damage your engine over time, so delaying this change may result in a heftier payout later down the line. Replacing your spark plugs yourself is also going to save you a nice amount of money, as getting a professional at a garage to do it can easily set you back a few hundred pounds.
Regularly Get Your Car Serviced
Taking your car to the garage for a tune up is a smart idea and should be done at least once every year. If you drive a lot of miles, it’s recommended that you get a service for every ten thousand you drive, as well. Try to stick to this schedule as the professionals at the garage will be able to spot any issues with your car, fixing them before they develop into something serious. It can be hugely problematic from a financial standpoint if you have to get major work done to your car, but sadly this isn’t always avoidable, and this can be very costly. To help cover the costs, it’s worth considering a pay day loan from Sunny, allowing you to pay for the repair work, and then pay off the loan once you get your next pay check. Of course, you should be wary of using a payday loan and only get one if you’re certain you can afford to pay it off as soon as possible to avoid the huge interest payments.
Keep Fluids Topped Up
Letting your car’s fluids run down can be a dangerous oversight that can lead to catastrophic failures for your vehicle. Engine damage is common when oil levels are low, so it’s worth checking your oil every couple of weeks using the dipstick. Top up your oil if the level is below the recommended amount. As well as your oil levels, you’ll also want to ensure that your coolant reservoir is topped up with a combination of half antifreeze and half distilled water. You’ll also want to add a good quality screenwash to the windscreen washer bottle. Avoid using household cleaners and stick to a solution that is designed specifically for this purpose, or you risk damaging the exterior of your car.
Don’t Overload Your Vehicle
It’s relatively common knowledge that the heavier the vehicle, the more fuel it will consume when driven. This goes for both the weight of the vehicle itself and the load you add to it. If you overburden your car with a lot of items and passengers, you’re going to be adding a lot of strain to the vehicle, causing it to burn through its fuel much faster and also wear out certain parts of the vehicle faster. The parts that will suffer due to the car being overloaded include the suspension, wheels, and the engine itself, so you should do everything you can to avoid overloading your car regularly. Sometimes it isn’t avoidable, and you’re going to have to push your car to the limit, such as when moving house or going on holiday, but when you’re using your car for everyday activities, consider removing unnecessary items instead of using the boot of your car as a storage space.
Check Your Tires Regularly
It’s not uncommon for people to ignore the quality of their tires until it’s too late. Burst and ruptured tires are a frustrating occurrence and can lead to some serious issues on the road. When a tire is damaged while driving, it can be risky as it can cause you to lose control of the car, but it can also damage the wheel itself. A flat tire or one with low air pressure can increase the chances of the tire getting damaged, resulting in a brand-new tire being needed. You should check your tires’ air pressure regularly, checking that they are firm and refilling them with air if they seem soft. If your tire treads also seem worn down, you might need to replace them, as this will impact your grip on the roads. There is a legal minimum requirement for tread depth of 1.6mm, too, as worn tires are much more likely to blow out and increase the risk of you causing an accident on the road.
Clean Your Car Often
Keeping up with cleaning your car is more than just about keeping your car looking nice. In fact, a dirty car that is caked in mud and dust can actually succumb to problems like rusting, damaging the bodywork beyond repair. Debris and grit from the road can also fling up into the car’s chassis, damaging the car over time. This is why it’s important to spend time keeping your car as clean as possible, washing wheel arches, the body, and the underside of the car often to keep it in good condition. You’ll also want to consider applying a protective wax solution to the body of the car to help protect it against the elements as well as things like bird droppings which can be corrosive.
