Having a car is a synonym of having freedom. The ability to go wherever you want, whenever you want is euphoric. You can drive your car for pleasure, to get to work, to go on holiday… the potential is endless. That is until you throw in mechanical anxiety. What if my car breaks down on a long trip? What if an accident occurs?
This is why maintenance on your vehicle is a must; the savings from putting off looking after your car are nothing compared to the potential loss of a major component of your car breaking.
Driving Efficiently
It’s worth mentioning that the way you drive seriously impacts the performance of your vehicle. Driving your car recklessly and aggressively is a quick way to break something, provided you don’t have an accident first. Slamming on the brakes constantly will wear down your brake pads, revving your engine into the red can overheat your engine and cause irreversible damage, and accelerating quickly at every traffic light will ruin your fuel economy. A car is a delicate machine that harnesses the power of hundreds of tiny explosions per second. When you think about it, you should treat the machine with the care it warrants. Driving sensibly will improve your fuel economy and increase the time between part replacements or trips to the dreaded mechanic.
Replacement Parts
Websites that have a network of car breakers who will take the working parts of a faulty or written-off vehicle and sell them on as spares and repairs are the life-line of mechanics. You can tap into this goldmine yourself to cut out the middleman (including their premium hourly rate) if you have the fortitude for some basic car maintenance. While some tasks are impossible without the proper tools and training, you can take care of some of the essential minor chores your car needs such as changing oil, coolant and brake fluid.
Take Care of Your Car
With a little investment from tutorials on the internet, it’s easy to learn how to replace smaller parts such as the oil filter, air filter, spark plugs and more. By doing this you not only save money, but you become more familiar with your car, allowing you to predict when work needs to be done. Cars are designed to be compartmental, so everything comes apart and can be replaced.
Get a Service
Only a professional with the proper equipment can replace the gears in the gearbox. Your vehicle must get a routine inspection by a trained professional as per your cars handbook. This usually includes replacing parts that are designed to wear down and be replaced to protect and lengthen the life of the more expensive and important parts of the car.
Check out Your Car’s Make and Model Online
Getting to know what your car’s weaknesses are is a great way to prevent a nasty breakdown or accident. Have a look at other people’s experiences online with what breaks first; what has a shorter or longer life as well as any possible remedies to negate the vehicles shortfalls.
In essence, making your car run longer involves the proper use and care of your car. Abusing one will impact the other, which is probably why a formula 1 car spends the majority of its time in a garage and your dad spends most of his time fawning over how clean his car is.
