Tips and Tricks to Extend the Life of Your Vehicle

You work hard for your money, so you want to get the most out of it when you buy something. The more you spend, the more you want the item to last. Therefore, naturally, you want to extend the life of your vehicle. At Spokane Hyundai, we want your ownership experience to be enjoyable and last. That’s why we created this list of tips so your new car operates longer at its best.

Change Your Oil

Image via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 by Crown Star Images

Perhaps nothing can be more important than changing the engine oil in your car. Your engine relies on the oil to keep it lubricated and protected from high operating temperatures. Unfortunately, the heat from internal combustion will eventually degrade the oil. Other by-products from combustion collect in the oil over time, further aggravating the problem. To add, running your engine with old oil or without enough oil damages the many moving parts within the engine.

Experts previously suggested changing your oil every 3,000-5,000 miles to prevent these issues. However, advancements in engine and oil technology have lengthened the intervals between oil changes. In some cases, cars can go up to 10,000 miles or more between oil changes. Therefore, we advise you check your owner’s manual for the correct interval.

Also, if you change the engine oil at home rather than at a garage, you need to use the proper oil. Many types of oil exist, from regular to synthetic and synthetic blends, all with different viscosity ratings and operating qualities. Yes, DIY is admirable, but check your owner’s manual first to ensure you give your engine the protection it deserves.

Lastly, we recommend checking your oil regularly between oil changes. Mistakes can occur, even at a garage. For example, your mechanic may not have used the right oil or, worse, failed to tighten the drain plug or oil filter. These situations can accelerate oil breakdown or induce system leakage. By checking your oil level often, you can catch these mistakes before they lead to more costly repairs.

Tire Care

Your vehicle’s tires play a critical role in your overall driving safety. The tires on your car are the only part in contact with the road. They provide traction during acceleration, braking, and steering. In fact, your tires provide grip under various surface and weather conditions. Their indispensability for commuting and safety, thus, demands you carry out certain tasks to prolong their useful life and, by extension, that of your automobile.

First off, rotating your tires will spread the inevitable wear more evenly over all four tires. You see, your front tires are exposed to different operating and load conditions than those on the rear. This uneven work grinds away the front and rear tires at different rates. Besides preserving your tires for longer, tire rotation improves safety and vehicle efficiency. We recommend rotating your tires every other oil change or around 10,000 miles.

Checking the air pressure in your tires will also enhance safety and efficiency and prolong their life. We suggest keeping a small, cheap pressure gauge in your center console and using it while you fill your gas tank. It takes a few seconds per tire, and if you need to add air, you’re already at a gas station with an air pump handy.

Tune-ups and Regular Service

Modern vehicles don’t require tune-ups like older cars. Still, some regular maintenance procedures are necessary to keep your vehicle running in tip-top shape. Manufacturers recommend replacing spark plugs, air filters, fluid exchanges, fuel injection cleaning, and more at specific mileage points. You should check your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s required maintenance. In some cases, failing to perform these services can void your warranty.

Even if you haven’t reached a particular milestone for service, go ahead and perform maintenance early. Granted, the manufacturer recommends these at certain points. But how you drive, weather, and road conditions all contribute to wear and make regular maintenance necessary. If you’ve noticed a drop in performance or efficiency, your ride will likely benefit from a tune-up or other routine maintenance, even if it’s early.

Check Your Fluid Levels

Your vehicle relies on various fluids to operate, such as transmission, brake, anti-freeze, and power steering fluids. Low levels of on any of these fluids can reduce performance and, in some instances, compromise safety. In addition, most of your car’s fluids operate in sealed systems that don’t leak. Unfortunately, leaks could still occur, perhaps from wear, an accident, or another incident that could jar parts loose.

What’s more, rubber hoses become brittle over time and can crack. Seals also dry out, causing a leak. Checking your fluids regularly can help you spot these issues early before they worsen. We recommend checking your fluids once every month. If you prefer a professional to monitor your car’s fluids, our service center technicians can do this while changing your oil and rotating your tires.

Inspect Your Brakes

It takes a professional mechanic to inspect your brake system properly. Brake pads sit behind your wheels, making it difficult to examine how worn they are. That aside, your brake system should be checked every year, though you should inspect your brake pads every tire rotation. When you have your tires rotated at our service center, our technicians will inspect your pads and report their findings free of charge.

And suppose you hear a squealing or squeaking sound while braking. That sound could be a symptom of a faulty brake system, soyou should have your brakes inspected immediately. Grinding sounds, vibrations, or thumping noises indicate more severe problems, often the result of ignoring the initial squealing or squeaking.

Wash, Wax, and Detail Your Car

Cleaning your car does more than beautifying it. Via this process, you wash away the dirt and chemicals that build up over time. Plus, waxing after washing keeps your vehicle’s paint from fading by creating a protective layer against future dirt, debris, and weather.

Detailing the inside also protects the soft-touch surfaces from abrasive dirt that can scratch and wear these materials over time. A good auto detailer will apply a protectant to these surfaces to help prevent fading and scratching, in much the same way as waxing helps the exterior.

At Spokane Hyundai, we understand you invested a lot of money in your new car and want to ensure it lasts, looks great, and performs at its peak. We hope you found this article helpful. And if you have a trick you’d like us to add, send us an email.