11 Tips To Increase Longevity Of Your Car

In view of the present market, soaring of fuel prices along with your dream car getting more expensive by the day, is nothing unusual. So, you may want to get the most out of your beloved car while keeping its running and repair costs to the minimum.

You don’t have to be an auto expert to achieve that milestone. Instead, you need to learn few useful tips. So, here are some tips to increase your car’s longevity for a smooth ride ahead.

Choose the best
Firstly, while buying car one must always choose a model of good make. You must not compromise on this and purchase the best you can afford(To know more about tips on buying new car, click here).

Gentle start
Start up your car properly and drive conservatively. Jackrabbit starts and hard braking do more than wear the obvious parts more quickly, leading to more repairs down the road.

Drive regularly
The second trick is to driving regularly and as much as you can. Not driving your car regularly can be as damaging as driving it too hard and recklessly. If not more, it may weaken the battery of your car.

Minimize clutch usage
Avoid using the clutch as far as possible because holding on the clutch for extended periods or touching the clutch pedal unnecessarily may weaken clutch springs and also wear it prematurely, which is not cheap to replace.

Tyre inflation
Make a habit of checking tyre pressures, whenever you are out on a ride. Under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%, besides effecting stability during the drive. Excessive pressure, on the other hand, results in faster wear of treads, giving a hard and bumpy ride.

Keeping your tyres properly inflated, therefore, can increase fuel mileage and help reduce flats caused by uneven tyre wear.

Understand warning lights
Serious damage could also be caused if you don’t pay heed to the warning lights, such as the oil pressure light and charging light. These lights come up when you turn on the ignition and fade away after a few seconds of engine operation. You should sense a problem if either a light doesn’t come on during ignition or doesn’t go away even when the engine is started.

Tune engined
Keeping your engine tuned always helps. Also remove excessive items from the vehicle. Experts say an extra 100 pound in your car could reduce MPG by up to 2%, while piling a lot of luggage on the roof rack can reduce fuel economy by up to 5%.

Idling
Prolonged idling creates excess emissions and wastes fuel. According to a conservative estimate, fuel worth Rs 1,000 crore is wasted every year in Delhi alone by vehicles idling at its 600 traffic signals. Therefore, start the car and immediately drive away.

Regular maintenance
To top it all is regular maintenance, particularly changing the engine oil. Oil and air filters prevent dirt and harmful particles from damaging the engine and should be changed at least twice a year or every 3,000-5,000 km. Also, the engine should maintain the amount of oil it is programmed to receive. Negligence in this aspect will lead to a deteriorating engine performance, resulting in falling mileage.

Servicing on-time
Modern cars, in fact, are believed to be exceptionally well made. In the past decade alone, maintenance intervals for things such as spark plugs, emission and cooling systems have been stretched out to 100,000 miles. Still the need for periodic maintenance hasn’t changed.

Vehicle care
Vehicle maintenance is the most important aspects to its safety, longevity and value. Your owner’s manual lists specific time or mileage intervals between major and minor services. Make sure all these jobs are done in time.

Moreover, in a country such as India driving conditions are poor in rural and Sub-urban areas, which lead to a fast wear and tear of your vehicle. This can be prevented only by proper maintenance. A well maintained vehicle will not desert you when you need it most!