5 Essential Tips on Making Your Car Last

If you take good car of your car, it can last a long time! These days, cars are made to last BUT with a few tips, you can have your car well into the 100,000 to 300,00 miles range! With the help of Nationwide, here are 5 Essential Tips on Making Your Car Last.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nationwide provided me with information regarding its blog post.

1. Use Only the Best By using a high-grade filter and high-quality synthetic oil, you can extend the life of your engine. While this may be a bit more expensive, it’s worth it! Changing your oil regularly is an important step in making your car last longer. In cold weather and hot, this helps maintain the oil’s fluidity which is less likely to break down your engine when it gets hot. Double check to make sure these products are appropriate for your car.

2. Keep an Eye On Fluids It’s a good idea to check your power steering, brake fluids and coolant every 20,000 miles. If you check them yourself, look for consistency of the fluids. Any that smell burnt or are gritty, change. Also if your orange coolant is now dark red, it’s time for a change. Cloudy in color is another sign it needs changed. Don’t hesitate to change your transmission fluid every 35,000 miles or so. Make sure to replace it with a high-quality synthetic transmission fluid to offer better protection and help the transmission las longer.

3. Coddle Your Car from the Start If your car has been parked for a while, don’t drive it immediately. Wait 30 seconds or so and give the engine time to warm up on its own before driving off. This gives the oil a chance to lubricate the engine parts and allow the oil pump to work well!

4. Clean, Clean, Clean  Washing and waxing your car can actually extend its life. This is particularly a good idea when your car is full of road salt in the winter when the roads are icy and snowy. Road salt can even affect your breaks. Make sure to use an underbody wash to limit the damage caused by road salt and get it extra clean. Using a good wax that is effective at lower temperatures in fall and mid-winter can create a barrier against salt. Waxing during warmer seasons can protect against normal sand and dirt, as well!

5. Keep it Cool Driving your car at an even speed will take stress off of your car that can make it age faster than necessary. Not going from zero to 60 in record time and stomping on the breaks at every light will keep your car in good running order. By following these 5 Essential Tips for Keeping Your Car Running Longer – keeping up on car maintenance and treating your car right – can help to keep your car running several hundred thousand miles more than you ever thought possible!

Check out Nationwide’s original article 5 Essential Tips on Making Your Car Last for more information on how to make your car last longer!