We all love getting value for money. After your home, your car will likely be your second biggest investment. The more you can get out of it, the better it is. Today we are going to give you 11 ways that you can make your car last longer.

Smooth Driving

We all love to put our foot down now and again, but we wouldn’t do it if we could see money pouring out of the back! Yet, this is exactly what you could be doing. Having a ‘heavy right foot’ puts wear on tear on the steering, brakes and your tyres.

Keep it smooth, and you’ll get much longer use out of your vehicle. 

Use your Air Con

While you might save money short term, air conditioning systems don’t like being left inactive for long periods. Refrigerant leaks and getting the gas replaced costs a lot of money.

Be sure to give it a quick blast from time to time. 

Regular Servicing

Unlike an MOT (a basic roadworthiness check), a car service will be checking (and sometimes replacing) essential parts to keep your vehicle in tip-top condition. Don’t let your car overrun its service checks. 

Check Your Fluids

Oil is the lifeblood of an engine. Suppose your oil is of poor quality, or severely depleted in quantity. In that case, it won’t take long at all for the engine to suffer permanent damage. Inspect your oil at least once a month. Check whether it is a reasonable colour. If you spot metallic fragments or swarf on your dipstick, stop driving it immediately.

Cover Up!

UV light damages paintwork, interior trim and is particularly harmful to rubber tyres. If you have the option, ensure that your car is kept out of direct sunlight, garages and carports are ideal. Still, you could also consider investing in a car cover.

Avoid Potholes

There’s no worse a feeling than feeling the rim of your tyre make contact with a large pothole. This can damage your wheels but also cause untold damage to your tyres. Most bulges and structural weakness in tyres is caused by potholes.

Where you can, avoid them. 

Avoid Engine Braking

It is vitally important that you use the brakes and only the brakes to slow your car down. Changing down a gear to get your car to the correct speed results in more clutch presses and damages the gearbox over time.

No Coasting!

Freewheeling the car with the clutch depressed might make life easy. But it will cost you in the long run (pun intended). By coasting, you are wearing your clutch and also causing the clutch cable to be stretched. A new clutch isn’t cheap, and if it isn’t doing its job properly, it could also damage your gearbox.

Keep it Topped Up!

Are you the kind of driver whose fuel policy is ‘keep it nearly empty and add a fiver at the last possible minute’? Yeah, us too, or at least, we used to be. By keeping your fuel tank relatively empty, you could be shortening the lifespan of your car.

Why?

Two reasons.

First, the engine will be drawing the ‘dregs’ of sediment, mould and other debris found at the very bottom of your fuel tank. These deposits can eventually accumulate in key parts of your engine, leading to bigger problems.

Second, you will start to get condensation by leaving a substantial air gap at the top of your tank. This will eventually lead to corrosion, rust and can cause a buildup of the deposits given above. 

Pay Attention to Warning Lights

Back in the day, you had to inspect your car regularly for signs of deterioration and damage. The good news is that technology will tell you about a problem long before you would have spotted it.

But.

You’ve got to pay attention to it! Dashboard warning lights offer loads of information as to the health of your car. They tell you everything from bulbs being blown to a serious developing problem with your ECU and everything in between. If you spot a warning light, be sure to find out what it means before continuing to drive your vehicle. 

Check Your Tyres

Quite possibly your car’s biggest safety feature. Tyres that are in better condition allow for shorter stopping distances, better acceleration and massively increased fuel economy. On top of all of the above, they are about the only thing keeping you in contact with the road.

Car tyres can be one of the easiest things on the vehicle to replace. By using a quality service like Motokiki, it couldn’t be simpler. Visit our website, input your registration and be presented with a list of options to suit all budgets, specific to your exact vehicle. 

Tyres don’t have to be expensive. By replacing them, you are also protecting things like your brakes, suspension and steering. If you wonder how to make your car last longer, this can be a pretty cost-effective investment.