A new vehicle is estimated to last, on average, around 150,000 miles or 8 years. However, with careful care and maintenance, it’s possible to double your car’s life expectancy, and by mastering care tips at home, you can improve its performance and prolong its life without running up enormous bills at the repair shop.
Take Care Of The Interior
Focusing on maintenance of the engine and exterior at the expense of the interior is a mistake if you want to prolong the life of your car overall. Keeping the inside in good condition is just as important in terms of keeping the vehicle healthy, and it’s easy to perform simple caretaking tasks at home. Dirt and spilled liquids can cause damage to the inside of your car, so each time you wash it, vacuum and wipe down the interior too. Wipe down hard surfaces with a mild detergent diluted with water, using a soft cloth to clean the glass or plastic on your dashboard. Hose down and dry floor mats to prevent dirt from building up and damaging them, and use rug cleaner on the carpeting to remove stains. Fabric upholstery should be periodically protected with a fabric protectant to prolong its life. For leather upholstery, use a leather cleaner and apply leather protectant to prevent cracks appearing in the future.
Give The Body Some Love
Regular washing and waxing of your vehicle isn’t just cosmetic: this will prevent corrosion and damage that can be caused by a buildup of dirt and grime. It will also allow you to see any nicks in the paintwork straight away. AutomotiveTouchup advise touching up damaged paintwork immediately in order to avoid costly trips to the repair shop in the future. Colors can be matched exactly to your vehicle, and spray cans make restoring damaged paintwork easy to do at home. Regular cleaning will also help you keep an eye on door and window seals: if it is damaged, leaking can cause problems for your vehicle. Seam sealers can be used to repair small leaks, and a trim adhesive can easily be applied to loose segments. If you notice damage that goes beyond touch up jobs, foam rods can be easily inserted, and new weatherstripping can be matched to your car’s original and applied at home. Consult your car manual and make use of online tutorials to help you approach the task with confidence.
Keep An Eye On The Wheels
Online videos will help you with confident application of paint, body repairs and tyre work, which can be intimidating to many car owners. While wheel-related tasks may seem like a job for the mechanic, there are several things you can do at home to keep costs down while prolonging the life of your vehicle. Keep an eye on your wheel guards to ensure that your engine is not exposed to damage when water splashes up from the road. These can be easily secured and replaced when needed, and go along way towards extending the life of your engine. Ensure that tire valves always have their caps, and replace them as soon as you notice they’re missing: these prevent dirt from getting inside and causing leaks.
A tyre pressure gauge is worth the investment, and will enable you to keep the tires inflated to the manufacturer’s recommendations at all times, ultimately prolonging their lifespan. Be alert to worn out tire tread so that you’re able to replace the tires as soon as it’s necessary, and rotate them to distribute wear evenly – your car’s manual will tell you how often your vehicle needs this procedure. During rotation, take the opportunity to lubricate the lug nuts to prevent them from freezing in position and making it difficult for you to change the tire in the future.
Keeping on top of simple maintenance tasks will ensure your vehicle is in peak condition for as long as possible. By consulting your manual and referring to online tutorials, there’s a lot you can do at home to keep you from running up costs at the mechanic’s in the process.
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