Keeping up with the maintenance on your vehicle is important. To be fair, there comes a time when every car (no matter how well you’ve taken care of it) officially dies on you. It may be due to a bad accident that results in serious damage to the physical structure of the vehicle. Or, you may just have a repair need arise that would far outstrip the value of the actual car. In these kinds of scenarios, you’ll need to sell your junk car ASAP rather than sinking any more cash or time into it.
However, there are a lot of things you can do to delay the day when you eventually have to consign your vehicle to junk car status. If you’ve got a car that’s many years old and has quite a few miles on it, there’s still a good chance that you can get some more life out of it before it’s completely done for. There are all sorts of things to consider when trying to keep up with vehicle maintenance; but, we’ve put together this list of the top 3 ways that you can keep your car running longer to help you prioritize the most important things. Read on to learn more.
1) Change your vehicle’s oil
Everyone knows that they need to change their oil, right? Well, that may be true; but, the reality is that a lot of people neglect to perform this all-important component of routine maintenance on a regular, scheduled basis. Some people will see the date or mileage on their car windshield sticker approach and pass, and continue driving their vehicle without changing the oil. Don’t be one of those people.
The bottom line is that an older car engine running on old, dirty oil (or, even worse, low oil in the case of a slow leak) is bound to suffer damage at some point. You should aim to change your car’s oil once every 3,000 miles, or approximately every three months. You can check your car’s documentation to see what kind of oil the manufacturer recommends; however, synthetic blend oil is generally good for older cars.
2) Monitor fluid levels
Your car’s oil isn’t the only fluid keeping it running smoothly and prolonging its life. In fact, there are a number of other fluids under the hood that have to be monitored, topped off, and changed periodically, just like your oil.
When you change your oil, you’ll want to check the levels of other fluids, too. Be sure to take a look at your power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and coolant levels each and every time you change your oil. Low levels of fluid in any of these systems can cause serious damage to your car. Check your vehicle’s manufacturer recommendations to find out how often these fluids should be changed. While it will be far less frequently than your oil, you’ll also need to flush the system out when you change the fluid: for example, you’ll flush the transmission system before filling it up again.
3) Drive your car carefully
This may sound surprising, but the way that you drive your car can have a big impact on its mechanical lifespan. We consider cautious, gentle driving to be a form of preventive maintenance. Don’t put the pedal to the floor and peel out from every stop, or hit your brakes at the last second and screech to a halt. If you drive your car carefully, it’ll wear out much slower.
While these tips can help extend the life of your vehicle, some cars are simply beyond repair. If you’ve got an old, broken down vehicle that can’t be fixed, consider selling your junk car to Junk Car Traders. We pay cash for junk cars all around the country, and your vehicle may be worth more than you think. Visit JunkCarTraders.com for a free quote.
