Basic Car Care Rules We Often Break or We are Unaware Of
Excerpt from the article 74 Tips to Extend the Life of your car
From long Life For your Stuff
Full article can be found in www.rd.com.
Get your daily dose of tips to make your car’s useful life longer.
1. Patience is a virtue, even during the break-in period
• Keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) during the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
• Say no to heavy loads
• Devil finds work in idle hands. So in idle new cars.
The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
• for the first few hours of driving, use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000.
2. Driving should always be with care
• During start-up, do not race your car’s engine
• Accelerate slowly. The most wear occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
• Shift to neutral at red lights so that engine stops working while it’s stopped.
• Careful driving extends the life of your tires. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns; potholes and objects on the road.
• Do not hold your steering wheel in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds.
• Lessen short driving trips. If you can consolidate them, then do so, as most of the wear and tear takes place in the first few minutes of driving.
3. Buy gas from reputable service stations
Make sure the gas you buy is filtered at the pump. Ask about the station policy on regularly changing the pump filters. Some stations don’t have pump filters making you vulnerable to dirty gasoline.
4. If you see the tanker, come back another day or go to a different station
As with filling up an aquarium tank, the dirt or sediment in the case of a gasoline tanker is stirred up which can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors.
5. Keep your cool when you’re stuck
When stuck in mud, it may be cheaper to pay for tow truck service than trying to let loose by forcing the car from forward to reverse repeatedly. Doing so can cause trouble for transmissions, clutches and differentials.
6. Do not share your car key chains with a dozen more keys
The weight of the car key and the other keys when it’s in the ignition can wear out the tumblers inside which can eventually lead to ignition switch failure.
7. Choose only reputable car insurance company
Being safe is just not enough. Accident is a fact of life and it can happen at the most unexpected times. Reliable car insurance guarantees immediate repair of your vehicle and repair quality to the best possible standard.
8. Record your gas fill-ups and mileage
If it worsens, it may be an early warning sign that something is wrong with your car.
9. Preserve your car during long-term storage
Take note of the following, if you are not going to use your car for more than a month:
• Fill the gas tank. Add a fuel stabilizer and drive the car around a bit to distribute the additive to engine parts.
• Wash and wax the car thoroughly to protect the finish.
• Disengage the parking brake to help avoid brake corrosion.
• Put the car on jack stands to take the weight of the vehicle off the wheels and tires.
