[Jean Smith]

Most of us here are car owners. I mean, we can all relate to this. What are the things we need to consider in order to prolong our car's life?

 

[Streamline]

Preventative maintenance is key. Do your oil changes on time, if not sooner. Change brakes right before they need to be changed, not after they should have been. Ensure all of you're fluids are clean and well topped up, if not, top them up or flush them with dealership approved fluids. Inspect all rubber hoses, and belts. All electrical connections you can see as well. One huge, huge, thing - Clean the car regularly. Don't let dirt and salt sit on the paint, or stick to the underbody. Remember, there are lines running from front to rear underneath the vehicle, these can and will get damaged if not maintained properly either. Lubricate hinges, clean nooks and crannies like around the fuel filler, door jambs, etc.

If you do these things regularly, it won't seem like a hassle and will save you tons of money in the long run (paying for repairs wise, and resale value wise)

 

[Jean Smith]

Preventative maintenance is key. Do your oil changes on time, if not sooner. Change brakes right before they need to be changed, not after they should have been. Ensure all of you're fluids are clean and well topped up, if not, top them up or flush them with dealership approved fluids. Inspect all rubber hoses, and belts. All electrical connections you can see as well. One huge, huge, thing - Clean the car regularly. Don't let dirt and salt sit on the paint, or stick to the underbody. Remember, there are lines running from front to rear underneath the vehicle, these can and will get damaged if not maintained properly either. Lubricate hinges, clean nooks and crannies like around the fuel filler, door jambs, etc.

If you do these things regularly, it won't seem like a hassle and will save you tons of money in the long run (paying for repairs wise, and resale value wise)

Well thanks to this advice. It seems that this thing will pay off soon. The most common thing I've heard is changing the oil time after time

 

[John Bauer]

@Streamline You've got a great point there. Prevention is better than cure. It's really important to have a proper car maintenance. It's the little things that makes the big impact

 

[Streamline]

Yupp. A lot of people wait for something to go bad first, before tending to it. But what they forget is that when one part goes bad, it starts affecting the other parts around it. For example, bad brake pads, the heat build up and horrible friction material starts ruining the rotors and if the pads get bad enough, the heat could cease up the calipers as well. Instead of spending a few hundred dollars on pads, you're now out potentially thousands of dollars.

 

[John Benedict]

Yupp. A lot of people wait for something to go bad first, before tending to it. But what they forget is that when one part goes bad, it starts affecting the other parts around it. For example, bad brake pads, the heat build up and horrible friction material starts ruining the rotors and if the pads get bad enough, the heat could cease up the calipers as well. Instead of spending a few hundred dollars on pads, you're now out potentially thousands of dollars.

Well, this is a great topic. The parts of the car are interconnected with each other. If one part is malfunctioning, it will affect the overall performance of the car. It's important to give importance to each part

 

[Streamline]

Yes sir. Other than that.. the only things I can really think of is utilizing products like anti-seize, grease, lube, wherever you can to help keep things moving freely and keep everything clean. There's honestly really not much to it. Once you take care of it regularly, you won't get bombarded with a whopping list of things to do that will end up taking a ton more time and money.

 

[Kingpin]

As an apprentice at BMW, during every oil service they would lube all the hinges and door locks, along with trunk and hood struts. Having seen vehicles with hinges, locks, and struts that were in poor operating condition before their usual life span was up, it will be a good idea for you guys to do this.

Best of all, all that lube will run you $30-40 and last 6months-1 year, depending on frequency.

 

[Jean Smith]

As an apprentice at BMW, during every oil service they would lube all the hinges and door locks, along with trunk and hood struts. Having seen vehicles with hinges, locks, and struts that were in poor operating condition before their usual life span was up, it will be a good idea for you guys to do this.

Best of all, all that lube will run you $30-40 and last 6months-1 year, depending on frequency.

Well, I would consider this one. Thanks Buddy!

 

[Streamline]

@Kingpin , ahh that is definitely something I forgot about, good looking out. At least we know your an apprentice that actually does some proper maintenance on peoples vehicles opposed to a lot of other techs out there that just leave it ! Forgetting to lube your hinges could definitely introduce some issues for you. They start getting notchy and noisy and it's just not fun.

 

[NewLester de Rocin]

Here's a piece of psychology we don't think about enough: DRIVE you car like you actually like being a driver.
If you get in your car everyday (especially true of we who commute and transport kids), you take your steering and your pedal-work for granted. You're focused on your watch, your phone, your arguments, your resentment at the discourteous jerks in their cars, and you're abusing YOUR car's internals way more than regular driving would. Your smooth touch just isn't there. It's the same as murdering the car through thousands of little stab wounds over a 3-year period.

If you put on your favorite emotional music (not your tune-out-from-people itunes stuff), test your commute route on a weekend so that you know some easier streets for your next weekday, and REALLY put yourself into that drive (hands on wheel, smooth footwork, remembering how much you like driving a stylish car)... you'll get 20 years out of that car, and everyone will be scratching their heads why the engine is still so quiet and problem-free...
I know it's hard to do. For some of us who live in certain parts of the world, it's out of the question impossible to do. But for most of us, we do have the ability to practice being "smooth groovy drivers" instead of just hurriedly "taking the car again today".

 

[Streamline]

Here's a piece of psychology we don't think about enough: DRIVE you car like you actually like being a driver.
If you get in your car everyday (especially true of we who commute and transport kids), you take your steering and your pedal-work for granted. You're focused on your watch, your phone, your arguments, your resentment at the discourteous jerks in their cars, and you're abusing YOUR car's internals way more than regular driving would. Your smooth touch just isn't there. It's the same as murdering the car through thousands of little stab wounds over a 3-year period.

If you put on your favorite emotional music (not your tune-out-from-people itunes stuff), test your commute route on a weekend so that you know some easier streets for your next weekday, and REALLY put yourself into that drive (hands on wheel, smooth footwork, remembering how much you like driving a stylish car)... you'll get 20 years out of that car, and everyone will be scratching their heads why the engine is still so quiet and problem-free...
I know it's hard to do. For some of us who live in certain parts of the world, it's out of the question impossible to do. But for most of us, we do have the ability to practice being "smooth groovy drivers" instead of just hurriedly "taking the car again today".

Can't disagree with that at all and that's a very good point. To condense that essentially, your driving habit plays a huge part in the longevity of a vehicle. As smooth of an experience you can make it will help you long time. Don't be those guys that floor the pedal, hop off really quickly and stomp on the break only to judder back over to the accelerator and make the whole experience a jacked up roller coaster.