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Our cars are made up of some pretty amazing components.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been designed to last for a long time within a set of parameters by which most of us can adhere to.\u00a0 Turn the key, and the engine fires up; travel for at least 10,000 km before most new cars need a service; they can take a certain number of people from A-to-B and back again in comfort for years without a hitch; they\u2019ll soak up the bumps we find on a typical road for over 100,000 km before suspension components require replacement.\u00a0 The cars we drive are pretty well-built; and they need to be, especially as they are often one of the most expensive items that we buy (more than once) over the extent of our lifetime.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips to help make your car last for longer:<\/p>\n
Wash Your Car<\/p>\n
Did you know that one of the toughest substances for your car\u2019s paintwork is bird poop?\u00a0 If you let this sit on your car\u2019s paintwork for over a week in the sun, it\u2019ll start to work into the paint layers and cause discolouration and marks to appear on those spots.\u00a0 To a lesser extent tree sap will affect paint surfaces, but it\u2019s also a real pain to get off if it\u2019s been left to bake on for any lengthy period.\u00a0 So washing your car regularly and polishing it up with a good coat of wax will help your paintwork last much longer and look much nicer.<\/p>\n
Avoid Lots of Revs When Cold<\/p>\n
Revving your engine a lot when the car engine is cold after it\u2019s been sitting for a long period (like overnight) is a sure way to shorten the engine\u2019s life span.\u00a0 The oil in your car’s engine is necessary to prevent wear between moving parts, and the problem with revving when the engine is cold is that lubrication doesn’t work as well when the car is cold. The solution is an easy one, and one which is backed by manufacturer recommendations, and that is to always allow your engine to warm up for at least 10-to-15 seconds before starting off.\u00a0 This allows the oil to get pumped up from out of the sump and to start circulating through the engine components.\u00a0 The next thing is to avoid fast and heavy acceleration for at least a minute or so, while the engine has that time to warm up.\u00a0 If you follow these guidelines, then, as the automotive engineers suggest, your car will last many, many thousands of km longer.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Shift Into Drive When Moving<\/p>\n
Most of us drive automatic vehicles these days, and it\u2019s just so easy to flick the car into drive after backing out of a driveway or parking spot while the vehicle is still rolling backward.\u00a0 This bad habit puts the transmission components under stress and will shorten the life of your gearbox.\u00a0 Always bring the car to a complete stop before selecting gear and driving off.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Ignore Servicing and Oil Changes<\/p>\n
Do keep an eye on the oil level on your dipstick. \u00a0Keep your oil topped up on the dipstick and change it according to your owner’s manual recommendations.\u00a0 Most modern cars, if well-maintained, won\u2019t even need top ups between services.\u00a0 However, it is always good to check the oil level and to top up accordingly.\u00a0 Make sure the oil filter gets changed when the oil is changed too.\u00a0 Oil changes are part of the servicing requirements and, quite simply, it\u2019s cheap maintenance and cheap insurance for your engine.<\/p>\n
Do Avoid the Potholes and Big Bumps<\/p>\n
All the suspension components, particularly at the front-end of your car, are precisely aligned.\u00a0 When this alignment is disrupted by hitting a big pothole or large speedbump at speed, the misalignment afterwards causes major wear on the steering gear and other moving parts, accelerating the wear and the need for replacement.<\/p>\n
Water Keeps It Cool<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re getting your car serviced on time, then the mechanic will know when each new lubricant and fluid change is due, including the radiator coolant.\u00a0 However, if you\u2019re doing a lot of the servicing yourself, then one of the items that\u2019s easy to overlook is the changing of the radiator coolant.\u00a0 The coolant that you put in your car does more than just cool the engine down.\u00a0 The water should be mixed with antifreeze so that the coolant doesn\u2019t freeze inside the pipes but also to prevent corrosion in the depths of the engine.\u00a0 A good antifreeze has special corrosion inhibitors in it to stop any galvanic corrosion from occurring.<\/p>\n
And there you have it; some handy tips for the holiday season ahead of us.\u00a0 It might also be a good idea to get your vehicle serviced before you tackle any big roadie, especially if the service is due anytime soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our cars are made up of some pretty amazing components.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been designed to last for a long time within a set of parameters by which most of us can adhere to.\u00a0 Turn the key, and the engine fires up; travel for at least 10,000 km before most new cars need a service; they can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,58,4014,3071],"tags":[1755,3008,6751],"class_list":["post-13090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-driving","category-sustainabilitygreen","category-technical","tag-basic-car-care","tag-basic-car-maintenance","tag-car-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13092,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13090\/revisions\/13092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}