8 Tips for Extending Your Car's Life

Your car may be one of the most valuable items that you have. You would thus definitely want to take care of it. If you are an owner of a car, here are a few tips for you on extending your car's life. 

• Always make sure to read the manual that you get with your car after purchase and schedule a maintenance accordingly with an automotive service centre in South Headland. Recommended car maintenance schedule may help you avoid costly car problems that are related your cooling system, suspension, drive train and other parts.

• Try to avoid short trips. Drive your car at least every week because if the car sits for long, other problems may arise like fluids gradually draining out of the system and so on.

• Change oil regularly. It is going to improve the gas mileage & protect the engine. To know when to change the oil, go through the car's manual. Also change oil filter. There is even no use in pouring clean oil using a dirty filter.

• Check the level of your oil, antifreeze, power steering fluid, transmission fluid and brake fluid quite regularly. You must also check the colour of some fluids. Never mix various types of antifreeze. If you do not know the colour of antifreeze the car has, purchase a universal brand.

• Have a close look at the thickness of your brake pad and do not let pads wear down to the metal. This is going to damage the brake rotors and the calipers. Calipers and rotors are a lot more costlier than the pads. You cannot even clean the brake pad when its still on the car. Friction between rotor and pad can eliminate any kind of outside substance immediately.

• Keep your car's tires inflated. Under-inflated tires may reduce the life of the tire by fifteen percent and can decease the gas mileage slightly, say by ten percent.

• Changing the position of the tire is important. It lessens uneven wear & tear on tread extending tires life. Change the position of the tire twice each year or at least every six thousand miles.

• Wash your car regularly. Sludge, road salt and pollution can damage the body. You may start noticing rust on bottom of the doors within a few years. There can even be other rust-related problems with your car if you do not wash it.