How To Make Your Car Last Forever (Or Close To It)

February 4th, 2008 Posted in , ,

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

oldcars There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get at least 12 years and 150,000 trouble-free miles out of a new car today — and that can make your initial "investment" (on average, $24,000 today) a lot easier to swallow.

But the key element is proper care — and proper driving. Cars are a lot like our bodies; live like Elvis — and don’t expect to live very long. But treat your body (and your car) with care and respect — and both should last a very long time. 

To enjoy the benefits of a long-live car, keep in mind — and try to live by — the following rules:

1) Regular maintenance per the factory recommendations
Not just oil changes, but general maintenance, including periodic service of the brake system, cooling system, transmission — and so on. Most automakers provide a service schedule with their new cars, listing what should be done (and when) according to mileage accrued or time passed. These are not "suggestions" — they are there for a reason. Ignore them at your peril. As an example: Failure to have an ABS brake system periodically flushed can lead to the premature failure of major (and expensive) parts like the ABS pump. 

2) Understand the difference between "Normal" and "Severe" use
Unless you read the fine print, you may be under the impression you only need to have oil and filter changes and so on done once every six months or 6,000 miles, when in fact the driving you do qualifies as "severe use" — and the intervals are actually much shorter. The automakers tout their "normal" service intervals — which are typically pretty generous these days — making it seem like the need for routine service has almost  gone away (implicitly  saving you time and money). But if you live in a city/suburban area and your driving includes a lot of stop-and-go duty, then you usually qualify for the "severe" (or "heavy duty") intervals, which tend to be much shorter. It’s important to follow the right schedule, in either case. Even if you do end up spending an extra $40 or $50 per year on oil and filter changes, that’s a lot less expensive than a prematurely tired engine — and the bill for a new car to replace your old one. 

3) Competent service by trained technicians
Today’s cars are more complex than ever and "do-it-yourself" work can result in botched repairs or (or worse, improperly done service that accelerates wear and tear). Make sure the person  under  the hood knows what they’re doing — and avoid the temptation to fiddle with things yourself unless you understand what you’re doing and have the right tools to d the job.

4) Driving style
This last one’s often the deal breaker. Frequent full-throttle starts, late (and hard) braking, throwing the car around corners — it’s all lots of fun, but in addition to killing your gas mileage and prematurely wearing out your tires, it also means a shorter life for your engine, transmission, brakes, suspension parts and so on. Smooth, steady driving will extend the life of all these components — and the car as a whole. You’ll also save on gas and tires.

A few parting suggestions:

If you have a manual transmission, engage the clutch smoothly — without "riding" it (which will wear it out faster.)
Do not hold the clutch in while idling at a light; this places excess strain on it — which can lead to early failure. Instead, depress the clutch, put the transmission in neutral and wait for the light to change. Then engage the clutch, put the vehicle in gear and drive on.

If you have an automatic transmission use the parking brake when leaving the vehicle.
Throwing it into "Park" without first applying the paring brake can put excess strain on the transmission, lock it in gear, and can even cause expensive damage that will require a tow. 

If you have a a truck or SUV with part-time four-wheel-drive, avoid engaging the 4WD on dry, smooth pavement.
Never, ever engage the 4WD Low setting (or differential lock) on dry, paved roads. (If you have a vehicle with AWD, the system will adjust itself automatically for given conditions.)

Use the proper grade of fuel specified by the manufacturer.
Even though modern cars can self-adjust for lower-octane fuel (preventing damage from "knocking" that might otherwise occur) you’ll still suffer decreased mileage and lower performance as a consequence. Also, off-brand fuels may not have the same amount of detergents and fuel system additives of name-brand gas. Avoid filing up at out-of-the-way stations, where old (or water-laced) fuel may be a problem.

Comments?
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  1. 15 Responses to “How To Make Your Car Last Forever (Or Close To It)”

  2. By Baja Joes on Aug 8, 2008

    I want to add my voice in praise of Synthetic oil. Homer and Frank are “RightON”!
    One suggestion, Buy it by the Gallon instead of Quart. It’s cheaper and you’ll have some left over to add when needed. I use AMSOIL.

  3. By LUIS R. MORALES on Jul 3, 2008

    I HAVE 2002 4X4 HYUNDAI GALLOPER DIESEL, IM VERY PLEASED WITH ITS PERFORMANCE AND I HAVE FOLLOWED MAINTNANCE SCHEDULE AS NEEDED. I LIVE IN PANAMA , WEATHERWISE ITS STRICTLY TROPICAL, THEREFORE I HAD USED ONLY STRAIGHT 40 GRADE OIL INSTEAD OF MULTIGRADE, I AM CORRECT TO HAVE DONE
    IT IN SUCH A MANNER,? BASED STRICTLY ON OUR GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION? I WOULD APPRECIATE COMMENTS ON THIS MATTER. ON ACCOUNT THAT THAT IM IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING ANOTHER SUV DIESEL, THANKS FOR YOUR ASSITANCE.

  4. By Jeff Strudwick on Jun 7, 2008

    As an englishman living in france the above comments on oil are interesting, I run a Mercedes Benz C Class Estate C220CDI (Diesel) this car has what is known as a euroIV engine (ie it’equiped with a particulate filter in the exhaust system).This means the oil requirements are very specific a full synth to MB 229.31 or 51 these are low ash oils and if you in North America start to use modern diesels they should also be available to you. In europe there are several manufacturer specific oil grades eg for VW BMW MB OPEL etc
    regards

  5. By John on May 30, 2008

    Service depts DO have full synth, you just have to ask for it and be prepared to be savaged like a rabid hamster on the price.

    And not all synth is equal. The top stuff still comes from Europe. I use Pentosynth 5w40 in my 2.7 twin turbo A6. Used to use mobil 1 0w40, but some claim the formula got lowered from being a group 4 to 3.

  6. By connie on Apr 12, 2008

    Ever since I read an article about synthetic oil verses blends I have used synthetic oil. Wal-mart has the best price for this lube and oil service. I also read that we should always use the parking brake when parked. I do this as well. I bought my toyota corolla new in 04 with the idea that I will drive it until I stop running.

  7. By JJ Peterson on Apr 12, 2008

    Besides oil changes and that, I change my air filter every oil change. I feel that it helps with keeping the engine clean. It’s a small price to pay and worth every Penny. Some will say that those 40 dollar air filters work best but i just change the paper filters regularly, It works for me .

  8. By Mark on Apr 12, 2008

    Show stopper!

    Visiting my local oil change service center, I was asked the routine, “Do you need wipers?” more then likely $30 for replacements, I can get them at Walmart for $15. “You have a light out above your license plate, would you like us to replace them?” $20, “No” again was my reply. But this top’s em’ all, I was asked if I wanted a nitrogen fill for my tires! Huh? Curious, I listened to this guys pitch. No cracked or wearing inside the tire. No loss of pressure, if it does bring back and we’ll fill it again. There was a nice brochure with the pitch, and of course my answer was no. Has anyone ever heard of this? What have we come to?

  9. By Jim Lankford on Apr 4, 2008

    “why do the dealer’s service depts. not use synthetic oil if it is much better than regular oil”

    Because they are in the auto service and repair bussiness !!!
    No bussiness, no money !!!

  10. By K.Smith on Feb 29, 2008

    why do the dealer’s service depts. not use synthetic oil if it is much better than regular oil

  11. By Ftrank Peterson on Feb 15, 2008

    “…..use a FULL synthetic oil in everything that moves….engine, transmission, differential(s), gear boxes and power steering…..”

    I’ve been using synthetics in my vehicles for 15 years. There’s no doubt about, it works!!! I think an engine will almost run forever using sysnthetic oil. (Well, maybe not forever.)

    Anyway, try it….You’ll like it !!!

  12. By Steve on Feb 13, 2008

    I have a 93 Toyota Landcruiser with 292k miles and although the interior leather was not well protected by the previous owners, it runs as good as a new car and for a fraction of the original purchase price. Buying top of the line, originally a 45k car for only 12k and just running until it dies works well for me. As long as i keep changing the oil and getting good gas, it should easily go much much farther.

  13. By Homer Peters on Feb 13, 2008

    As an old gearhead I’ve taken maintenance to the extreme…but if there’s one thing you can do to make one last AND improve your gas mileage it’s use a full synthetic oil in everything that moves….engine, transmission, differential(s), gear boxes and power steering. I personally use Amsoil because I’ve done all the homework, but any FULL synthetic beats a petroleum based oil. In a ‘97 Mustang Cobra (137K) and several Suzuki Sidekicks the improvements were substantial. I don’t track mileage in my ‘65 F100 but with 300,000 on it I don’t care, it gets what it gets…and still runs great.

  14. By R. Millman CPA on Feb 13, 2008

    My wife has a 1993 Honda Civic with 255,000 miles. Runs great. She has followed all the above suggestions, and it has paid off.

    I have a 1998 Ford Windstar with 135,000 miles. Runs like new. Just regular maintenance has paid off.

  15. By Terry Regennitter on Feb 9, 2008

    I use an uper cylinder lube and you have the same benifits as a diesel . A small amount of 2 cycle engine oil should give you 3000,000 on a gas engine. Works for my car and motorhome.

  16. By David on Feb 5, 2008

    Just purchased a 1989 Mercedes Benz 300 SE.
    290,600 miles, An older woman drove it for 14 years from 1000 Oaks to Pasadena for work (100 mls rt) daily. Super clean, no rips in dash, seats are perfect. Rebuilt transmission 100,000 miles ago. Even passed the smog test! New heads in the engine, same engine though. It is a straight 6 cylinder gas. It takes it’s time on the take off at lights. But it is very heavy and just cruises. It is my second car and looks killer. Black on Black. Everything works, except 2 windows do not work. Huge sunroof, AC perfect & heater HOT! Love it especially on the Westside of LA. Everybody checks it out. It is a timeless classic. It starts and runs fine.

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