Preserving Your Automobile Investment

Preserving Your Automobile Investment
You could simply replace your car once every year or two. That is one kind of maintenance plan. If you grow tired of a car that often or bored or just have lots of money that might be the best plan for you.

However if you are like most people you will need to keep you car a little longer than that. Truck Tech Auto and RV has a few maintenance tips that will allow you to keep your car till the paint fades and the upholstery dry rots. Then you can trade it – sell it – give it away – whatever…..

1) Change your oil often. Follow the guidelines in our Myth of the 3000 mile oil change article. That is the true life of your vehicle. Just remember that there are oils in other systems other than the engine.

2)Change fuel filter every 25,000 miles.

3)Change Transmission fluid every 25,000 miles.

4)Change coolant every 2 years.

5)Have a shop flush out the old brake fluid and install fresh fluid every 3 years.

6)Lube front end – steering if any grease fittings are there to grease.

7)Lube with spray lithium grease (not penetrating oil) door strikers and hinges – hood and trunk strikers and hinges.

8)Lube with silicone spray sway bar bushings and links.

9)Keep a close check on tire pressures at least once a month. Remember that temperatures between season change the pressure in your tires (remember you science class – hot air expands and cool air contracts?).

10)Watch for feathering on the inside and outside edges of your tires. If tires were recently rotated and this feathering reoccured quickly it could indicate an alignment issue. Misalignment not only wears out your tires but it drags the tire sideways making fuel mileage suffer and puts extra strain on front end components causing premature failure of those parts. Make sure the alignment shop you choose has 4 wheel alignment capabilities. Most front wheel drive cars have wheel adjustments on all 4 wheels.

11)Replace all engine belts and cooling system hoses every 5 years – regardless of mileage. This will prevent breakdowns from these parts failing which will come soon after 5 years.

12)If you can afford to replace you battery at 4 years you can avoid that dreaded not starting at the mall someday syndrome. True some batteries last 5 or 6 years but some fail at 4. I always replace mine at 4.

13)Listen to your car. Turn off the radio and cellphone – air conditioning and roll down the window once in a while and listen for any unusual squeaks – squeals – rattles. It may be your car trying to tell you something (they talk you know). Write these down and try to list scenario when the noise occured (turning – decelerating – accelerating – braking – etc) and relay this info to your technician. Any info you can relate to him the better you assist him to assist you and your car repairs.

14)Check back on this blog – we will be adding some things along. Get started with these ideas and get on the preventative maintenance bandwagon.