How to prep your car for long term usage?

Amongst all the assets that you own, buying an automobile can instead become a liability when you don’t prepare your automobile with the intent of long term usage!

If you don’t keep your car running or skip the scheduled automobile servicing according to the owner’s manual, your car may die out sooner than estimated. Here are some of the top ways with which you can prep your car for long term usage:

1. Car Servicing

Always keep an eye on the vehicle owner’s guide so that your engine can remain in a good shape. If you are planning to keep your vehicle idle for a longer duration, then you should go for a car servicing and ask your car mechanic to change the fluids of the transmission, brakes, and the windshield washer fluid, to count the least.

Maintaining the auto servicing schedule can help you stay away from costly car repairs, such as replacement of suspension, cooling system and other components. Some of the fluids that need to be completely flushed out and replaced (at least after every two years) are: brake fluid, anti-freeze, transmission fluid, power steering fluid etc.

2. Keeping it protected

Protect your vehicle from dust, wind, sun and the snow by keeping it under shade or covering it up. The practice prevents damage to your car’s leather upholstery and interiors as well as the metallic surface of your car.

3. Driving the right way

If you are a busy office goer and a city explorer who needs to make frequent stops, then beware that your vehicle can age much faster than when you choose to drive on the highways. Frequent brakes put pressure on your engine and wears off your tyres far quickly. While driving, you must also try and avoid sharp turns and speeding up your car above the optimal level.

4. Changing the air filters and the oil

Your car’s air filters need to be replaced after every 12, 000 km. Dust and other microparticles get accumulated in the air filters of your car. Just like what lungs do to our body, choked air filters can damage the health of your vehicle’s engine in the long run. Additionally, you must also go for an oil change, ideally after every 6, 000 to 8, 000 km or once in every six months. If you regularly drive under harsh conditions, you would require increasing the frequency of the oil changes.

5. Taking care during snow

Your vehicle is probably worst hit in the winter months. If you aren’t going to take out your ride too frequently in the cold, you should feed your automobile with an ant-freeze (like dex cool). Ask a certified car mechanic to use a dipstick to find out the colour of your car’s fluid to help diagnose the cause of your car’s problem.

6. Keeping an eye on the tyres

To ensure even wearing off your car’s tyres, make sure that you rotate the tyres about every 2 months. Also, beware that under-inflated tyres (less than the recommended value), not only decreases the life span of your tyres by up to 15%, but they can let you lose control under stressed driving conditions as well.

To prolong the life of your car, ask a qualified car mechanic to do a thorough inspection of your car’s vital stats. Diagnose important issues at the earliest so that you can save money over costly car repairs.