Cars are expensive so it’s important to make them last as long as possible. Regardless of the manufacturer or the age of your vehicle, you’ll need to perform regular maintenance to ensure it doesn’t break down or need costly repairs in the near future.
With proper maintenance, your vehicle can last decades without needing any major repairs. Below, we’ve got four things that you can do to make your car last as long as possible.
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Look After the Battery
Most drivers don’t give a second thought to the battery inside their vehicle. However, without a fully functioning battery, your car won’t start and it won’t be going anywhere.
Preventative maintenance charging is essential to ensure your battery continues running efficiently. You should check the battery acid levels every six months or so and clean the battery if necessary to prevent corrosion.
If you find that you are constantly having to replace your car’s battery, the problem might be related to the alternator instead. You’ll need to get an alternator replacement if this is the case and this job can be easily undertaken by a mechanic.
Clean Your Car Inside and Out
For proper car maintenance, cleaning is essential. By this, we mean cleaning both the interior and exterior of your vehicle.
You’ll need to clean your vehicle’s exterior using car soap and warm water. You might also want to wax your vehicle to keep the paintwork in tip-top shape. Make sure you reach every crevice to remove built-up dirt from inside the car doors, aluminum rims, around the wing mirrors, and around the exhaust pipe.
Ideally, you should clean your car’s exterior every couple of months, and even more frequently if there has been torrential rainfall or snow.
Keeping the inside of your car clean is simple. Avoid leaving trash or old receipts in there, store the kid’s toys in a car tidy, and give the vehicle’s interior a wipe-down to keep the dust at bay.
Change the Car’s Filters Regularly
Your car has four main filters, two of which are the oil and air filters. They catch impurities in the air or fuel that is flowing through the vehicle, preventing potential damage to the engine or mechanics of the car.
The oil and air filters in your car can quickly become clogged if they aren’t cleaned regularly. You will need to replace your filters regularly too, but don’t worry, this is a pretty simple task. If you’re not sure how to change the filters yourself, a qualified mechanic can get the job for you quickly.
Use the Air Conditioning
This might sound unusual but failing to use the air conditioning system in your car can cause your vehicle to age more quickly. When you turn your air-con on, it reduces the risk of gas leaks and prevents you from paying for air conditioning re-gassing further down the line, which can be costly.
Even during winter, try and give your air-con system a blast every so often to prevent gas leaks. It might not be the most enjoyable thing to do in the middle of a frosty winter but it’s worth it to keep your car in the best shape!