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1 Let's start with driving habits. avoiding hard braking when possible, avoiding jack rabbit starts when possible, avoiding potholes when possible. Also watch your RPM although the tachometer goes to 9 or 10 thousand RPM'S 4000 is my limit and that's entering an interstate. 95% of my driving is done between 1800 and 3000 RPM great for economy and engine life. Boring yes but 300,000 miles on your car with less then one thousand dollars in additional maintenance is like getting a BOGO Car. (buy one get one free)
1a Oil and filter changes at 5,000 miles never more will keep you car on the 300,000 mile longevity track. If your doing lots of short trips in the city or your car doing less then 500 miles a month I would seriously consider 3,000 mile oil and oil filter changes. No oil spots on the garage or the driveway and a 300,000 engine just for changing oil more frequently (that's right). I owned and drove Tractor Trailers and million million engines and drive trains are common place it's all about oil changes.
1b Tire air pressure check it once a month. Tire longevity and safety come into play here and over a lifetime it will pay off greatly. Most cars have sensors keeping watch on tire pressure for you. Some tire warnings will not reset or clear even after the tires are properly inflated. In that case look for low tire inflation warning reset in the car manual. Sometimes you will find the reset in the the glove box others require series of key turns and button presses. Check the forum and ask the question or go to you-tube lots of people have had the same problem and posted the answer on line. Tire pressures for your car are posted on the right side of the drivers doorway when you open the drivers door.
2 Buy a good service manual that covers your make and model car and familiarize yourself with both the book and the car. Think of the book as an extended owners manual. You will find manuals if your on a budget at alibris.com for as little as 5 bucks shipped.
3 Tightening all grounds on your car. The car can be 10 years old but if you just made the purchase it's new to you. Find them in your service manual and get tightening.
4 Re-seat all fuses and relays in the numerous locations which again you will find in your newly purchased service manual. I have a computer, electronic, electricity background both theoretical and hands on. Most electrical troubles begin with loose or oxidized connections. The unseen action of the relays being activated and deactivated causes a problem called "creep" in which a relay or a fuse works it's way loose from it original secure connection. Simply press each fuse or relay down to re-seat them individually. You will be surprised at the number of loose ones you find in each panels (take 5 minutes once or twice a year and pop them all beck into place).
5 Be careful using a high pressure water wand to clean the car they can damage the paint job. Most of those roofs and hoods that have rust and clear coat damage could have been avoided by following the manufactures recommendations on wash ans wax procedures. Be especially careful with high pressure wands in the engine compartments to all those electronic sensors water means trouble. I never spray my engine with water.
6 Inspect the plastic covers and replace the missing plastic push pin rivet style fasteners surrounding your cars engine where necessary. Those covers surrounding the engine being held in by these fasteners protect components from heat, rust, dirt, foreign road objects and more. These push pins fall out they are cheap replace so do it before unnecessary damage occurs. With my latest purchase of a new car after pulling the protective cover above the engine I found what looked like a rodent nest nestled into the space between the intake manifold inlets of two cylinders. That was a first and I'm glad I caught it. This lead to an interesting read on car wiring harness insulation partiality composed of soy. Read about the famous car made of soy on the internet.
7 Checking tightness. Same new car mentioned above gave me a clunk sound backing out of the driveway when the car was days old. Lucky for me I heard it and I am a curious kind of guy. I have driven for a living many years and knew that clunk. It was loose lug nuts on the front left wheel. Which brings me to checking tightness. This is something I do routinely on a new purchase whether its brand new, 10 year old, car or semi truck and trailer. You will be surprised at the things you will find.
8 Change the fluids a 30,000. As in transmission, cooling system, brake fluid and power steering fluid. Some manufactures recommend the same thing in their maintenance interval some don't. I find by using this practice I never had a car or truck overheat, never spin a bearing or have any kind of transmission problem. That goes for brake fluid as well. The few dollars in additional cost provides thousands of dollars in returned savings.
9 Change all your bulbs on the cars eight birthday. Next time you are out for a drive pay attention to to number of lights burned out in cars you are driving by or following. It's money well spent not having to ever think about lights. Stick with the incandescent bulbs and manufacturers recommendations on an older car because they last a long time and they are inexpensive. With the computers of todays cars and even in the older models (it is best not redesign your cars electrical system).
10 Buy a cheap obd2 code reader. This tool will allow you to make accurate assessments of engine warning lights and put these emergencies in their proper prospective. That service manual I mentioned earlier will then become the reference which can turn a $1500 repair into a $50 repair you do yourself. These readers can be found for very little money on ebay or even Walmart for15 bucks. If you in a pinch places like Advanced auto or Auto zone will read your code for you in hopes of selling you a part you a part.
10a Here is a summary of my current cars repairs over 15 years. I have had similar results with other cars in my life which have resulted in numerous car BOGO'S.
My current car was bought new and always serviced by myself. 3000 mile oil and filter changes and 30,000 manual transmission oil changes and antifreeze changes. Air Cleaner filters were changed once a year. The car is a Florida car so lucky for me no rust. I changed the struts front and rear at 200,000 and both the VVT solenoid and it's separate filter at around the same time. After having changed those items the car ran and felt like new again. Three more items I changed which were important and inexpensive were: the valve cover gasket (while putting in the second set of plugs at 200,000 plus miles), the oil pan gasket at 150,000 (oil light came on) and the A/C clutch relay. If you are a D.I.Y. person cars can be more then budget friendly. Same clutch at 230,000 plus miles but I drive as if I had an egg between my feet and the pedals. (If you break the egg you have a lot to learn about safe driving). Alternator and starter were also changed at 200,000 miles just as a preventive maintenance measure as was the water pump. All told the cost of additional maintenance over the years has been much less then the tax that would been added to a new car so I have been fortunate. The interior is still close to new looking due to regular cleaning. If I had to do it over again I would have taken better care of the exterior paint by waxing the car once a year but the car just turned 16 so I can't complain about fading
Remember these are simple preventive maintenance techniques I use and have been very profitable for me over a lifetime, not recommendations, they may not be for everyone. You also have to read manuals both operator and service to advance your skill level in both repair and safety techniques as part of your own training in what I call my hobby . Good luck.
It's not for everybody of course. Lots of people prefer to pay up so they can just turn the key and go. But that costs a LOT of money over time. With good maintenance your vehicle costs can be very low. My own ride is well over 300,000 miles... and this is a car that I paid $2600 for. 13 years ago.
A couple of things I'd add: I give the car a good inspection with every oil change. Check for leaks, make sure suspension bushings and brakes are in good condition. Make sure the lights work, tires look good, and pressure is correct. Inspections go a long way... if you know what you're doing, you can often spot problems long before they can cause a breakdown. Repairs are *always* cheaper and more effective if you catch them early.
Also, I do all my own repairs... so when I put *anything* back together, I keep in mind that I'm going to be the one working on it next time. That means I clean stuff. Most bolts get antiseize put on them when reassembling (unless there's a reason to use locktite or do something else). Electrical connections get dielectric grease. Wires/hoses get tied up out of the way so they can't rub through or fatigue.
In cases where there's been a repeat failure... it generally gets some kind of upgrade or modification so I don't have to deal with it again. When I rebuilt the engine back in the spring at 297,000 miles, it went back together with improved head gaskets, cam bearings, intake gaskets, oil pump drive o-ring, rear crank seal... probably a few other things. I've re-routed the wiring for the cruise control switch because I got tired of repairing broken wires. Modified the left side axle shaft seal so it'll quit leaking (yes, oil seals can be tightened. I'll bore you with details if you want). Sealed foam around the outside of the radiator so that *all* airflow goes through the radiator and a/c condensor. Upgraded the transmission to synthetic ATF. Installed a transmission cooler and external spin-on filter. Upgraded headlight bulbs because the stock ones are inadequate. I've even modified the blinker switch on this car because I got tired of replacing it
It's not for everybody of course. Lots of people prefer to pay up so they can just turn the key and go. But that costs a LOT of money over time. With good maintenance your vehicle costs can be very low. My own ride is well over 300,000 miles... and this is a car that I paid $2600 for. 13 years ago.
A couple of things I'd add: I give the car a good inspection with every oil change. Check for leaks, make sure suspension bushings and brakes are in good condition. Make sure the lights work, tires look good, and pressure is correct. Inspections go a long way... if you know what you're doing, you can often spot problems long before they can cause a breakdown. Repairs are *always* cheaper and more effective if you catch them early.
Also, I do all my own repairs... so when I put *anything* back together, I keep in mind that I'm going to be the one working on it next time. That means I clean stuff. Most bolts get antiseize put on them when reassembling (unless there's a reason to use locktite or do something else). Electrical connections get dielectric grease. Wires/hoses get tied up out of the way so they can't rub through or fatigue.
In cases where there's been a repeat failure... it generally gets some kind of upgrade or modification so I don't have to deal with it again. When I rebuilt the engine back in the spring at 297,000 miles, it went back together with improved head gaskets, cam bearings, intake gaskets, oil pump drive o-ring, rear crank seal... probably a few other things. I've re-routed the wiring for the cruise control switch because I got tired of repairing broken wires. Modified the left side axle shaft seal so it'll quit leaking (yes, oil seals can be tightened. I'll bore you with details if you want). Sealed foam around the outside of the radiator so that *all* airflow goes through the radiator and a/c condensor. Upgraded the transmission to synthetic ATF. Installed a transmission cooler and external spin-on filter. Upgraded headlight bulbs because the stock ones are inadequate. I've even modified the blinker switch on this car because I got tired of replacing it
Talk about attention to detail
Thanks for the for the rebuild and redesign tips. Your old school methods and coupled with your tenacity and innovation have kept your vehicle in better then new condition. Car manufacturing always needed a lot more combination quality control / innovators on the payroll. Like you said it is not for everyone but it sure helps pay the bills when you pay attention to your car. Your improvement on air flow and inspections detail was certainly worth the read. Here' to more blinker modifications.
Attention to detail is the key if you want to keep a vehicle running for a LONG time. Ever notice that there are a lot of 10-15 year old cars where the a/c doesn't work, the interior is dirty, multiple lights are burned out, the engine has a miss, wipers streak, tires are shot, etc?
When a car gets to that point, *of course* people are going to just replace it. But none of those repairs are a big thing on their own. If you make those minor repairs as they come up... you can keep a vehicle running perfectly well, way past the point where normal people would've traded it off.
Most people would rather make a car payment of several hundred dollars per month for something new and shiny with all the latest bells and whistles. And that's their business. But those car payments add up... if that money is invested with continuously compounding interest (and mine is ), we are talking about *hundreds of thousands* of $$$$$ over the decades. That car payment alone can make the difference between financial security and living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Now there's nothing wrong with teevee or video games as a hobby, if that's what interests you. Hundreds of millions of people do that. But myself, I prefer tinkering in the garage as a hobby. And over time it pays a lot better than most people would think.
This sort of thing doesn't just apply to vehicles. I do all my own home repairs. I repair appliances, plumbing, house wiring, computers, lawnmowers, garage door openers, heating and air conditioning, tractors, cabinets, well pumps... you name it; I've probably fixed it.
It's a good hobby if you have an obsessive personality
Short trips and oil changes. Don't do short trips. Take the long way home if you have to, but get the oil up to temperature every day before putting the car up for the night.
LED replacement bulbs. My old Scirocco, the electrical system to the external bulbs, including headlights, was IMHO marginal when new, and new was 1982. LED lights all together only draw one amp. The headlights I put on relays, the Bosch relay sets that any good import parts store will have, originally intended to cure hot start problems on German cars. The ability to deal with electrical gremlins on a DIY basis, and my experience is that they are mostly mechanical joints in wires, terminals, etc - is a key to playing the old car game to win.
Agree, fixing stuff yourself is satisfying and profitable. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Buy good tools though. Old Craftsman, from pawn shops, is better than what is on Sears shelves now. Or Ace Hardware. Snap-On seems to be just as good as ever, and are priced accordingly. But they are mostly lifetime tools for a pro who uses them hard every day, and will last several DIY people's lifetimes easily.
Having 2-3 old cars IMHO is a better deal than one new car. Even a new car will need some time in the shop. When I have one old car in my own shop, I have several others to drive so I don't need to rush the repair.
It gets old when you get older I’m close to 64 years old and I’m not worried about keeping a vehicle forever like i did when i was young. I can’t do things like i use to you will find out when you get older also. I do home repair but not like i use to just like working on a vehicle you’re mind is willing but you’re body isn’t. You’re list is good for you younger people but us boomers not so much, now most of us have it done and i lease anyway.
Attention to detail is the key if you want to keep a vehicle running for a LONG time. Ever notice that there are a lot of 10-15 year old cars where the a/c doesn't work, the interior is dirty, multiple lights are burned out, the engine has a miss, wipers streak, tires are shot, etc?
When a car gets to that point, *of course* people are going to just replace it. But none of those repairs are a big thing on their own. If you make those minor repairs as they come up... you can keep a vehicle running perfectly well, way past the point where normal people would've traded it off.
Most people would rather make a car payment of several hundred dollars per month for something new and shiny with all the latest bells and whistles. And that's their business. But those car payments add up... if that money is invested with continuously compounding interest (and mine is ), we are talking about *hundreds of thousands* of $$$$$ over the decades. That car payment alone can make the difference between financial security and living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Now there's nothing wrong with teevee or video games as a hobby, if that's what interests you. Hundreds of millions of people do that. But myself, I prefer tinkering in the garage as a hobby. And over time it pays a lot better than most people would think.
This sort of thing doesn't just apply to vehicles. I do all my own home repairs. I repair appliances, plumbing, house wiring, computers, lawnmowers, garage door openers, heating and air conditioning, tractors, cabinets, well pumps... you name it; I've probably fixed it.
It's a good hobby if you have an obsessive personality
Attention to detail, none of work that needs to be done is beyond anyone's ability for the most part. It's an each to his own thing. Where money is concerned you are right, you can spend or save a fortune on cars over a lifetime. As for my cars I just follow the owners manual and add a few more details to my inspections. The inspections tell me when I should do replacements of (normal wear items).
I have always worked on my cars and the work becomes a repetitious cycle over 100,000's of miles on the same car or truck. The funny part of all this is that I owned and operated big trucks years ago and a million plus miles on a truck is common place. There's only a few significant differences exist between cars and big trucks engines for the most part. One difference is the amount of oil as a ratio between engine size of commercial vehicle vs personal vehicle.
Another difference is a secondary oil filter on a big truck, so between more oil and more filtering of the oil that is the secret to super longevity of an engine. Of course it goes without saying the filters and oil have to be changed as prescribed by the owners manual just like any car. Kits for both secondary oil filters and larger capacity oil pans exist on the auto parts market. That' how the race cars do it.
On the more pricey European cars and trucks they also do the same thing as the big trucks by using bigger oil filters and adding more oil capacity to the oil pan. In my case I am frugal so I make my car last as if it were a commercial vehicle by simply changing the oil and filter a little more often.
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Priceless car upkeep tips.
