Tips to extend the life of your car

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The last thing that you probably wish for is a car breaking down when you are in the middle of taking care of business. Moreover, it’s very unlikely for anyone who just bought a new car to think of servicing or maintenance on the first day!

Basic car maintenance tips such as changing the engine oil regularly can significantly help extend your car’s life, ensuring that it stays on shape for the longest time possible. In as much as cars depreciate in value, a well-maintained vehicle will not lose its resale value as much as an unmaintained car. It is common to see people trading in their cars to upgrade or just dispose of them! Therefore, it is more important than anything to ensure that your motor stays in top-condition to avoid unnecessary repairs that will otherwise make it look out of shape or depreciate in value real quick.

Here are some important tips to extend the life of your car:

Washing it regularly

Do you remember the first days of owning your car? The urge to keep its body sparkling clean was always there! However, that fades off with time amongst many car owners. Don’t let that enthusiasm dim as dirt, road salt, and pollution can build up within a few years to make your car old even when it’s actually not.

It is also important to build yourself a home garage covered with shade so that your car doesn’t have to stay in the sun for long after washing.

Interior vacuum cleaning

Some people clean the outside parts of the car and ignore the interior parts because they take longer to show some dirt. In fact, keeping the interior sparkling clean should be your norm if, in any case, you ever have the idea of reselling your car. Abrasive and corrosive food spills can reduce the lifespan of interior parts such as seat covers and mats.

Drive on inflated tires

It is common for tire-pressure to slip your mind every now and then, especially if it’s your first car. Properly inflated tires will last longer as they will wear and tear evenly. You should also make sure that you rotate your tires after every six months or 8, 000 miles.

Inflated tires make it easy to handle the car and are significantly economical in as far as fuel consumption is concerned. Moreover, under-inflated tires will also give you a hard time when driving through wet surfaces as the car will be skidding instead of moving.

Change your air filter

Things like air filters should be changed regularly to boost the car’s overall performance and reduce fuel consumption. The air filter should be changed after every 12 months, or 12,000 miles, whichever will come first. However, the same may not be true if you’re the access road to your home is off-road or you generally drive in dirty areas. It is just the same case with brake pads. Cars driven in the city traffic will wear off their brake pads faster than cars driven in the highways.