How to Keep Your Car on the Road for 200k Miles

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How to Keep Your Car on the Road for 200k Miles
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Give your car a chance at going for the long haul
by following these important tips. Whether
you're looking for a new or used vehicle, buying
a car is a big financial commitment. But the
purchase price is only part of the equation when
it comes to getting the most value for your
money. An equally important factor is how much
use you get out of the car over the long haul.
That last part is up to you! Here are some of
the best ways to give your vehicle a better
chance of filling up the odometer before it has
to be crushed or towed off to the
junkyard. Choose Wisely Pick the Right
Car The first step in maximizing the value of
your new or used car purchase is to select a make
and model of vehicle that's likely to go the
distance with you. Many of today's cars are
manufactured to go at least 200,000 miles, but
thats not a guarantee. Some models tend to have
recurring defects as they roll off of the factory
floor.
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Look for any industry news that indicates a
particular model year might not be built for the
long haul -- for example, in terms of the engine
build, the positioning of parts like the manifold
or catalytic converter.   Keep an Eye on the
Oil   On the list of car maintenance must-do's
this is at the top. Changing the oil is the most
important part of engine maintenance. It's a
major factor in whether your car will keep
chugging along up to the 200,000 mile mark, or
end up with the engine failing because of low oil
or engine wear related to oil contaminants and
sludge.   A lot of mechanics would agree that the
goal is to keep an abundance of oil in the engine
as it ages, and that the type of oil that you use
doesn't make as much of a difference. 5W or 10W?
Conventional or synthetic? Today's oils are
manufactured for a wide temperature range and
diverse conditions. The type of oil doesn't make
as much of a difference as the oil cleanliness,
regular oil changes and above all, adding oil if
the dipstick is low.   As your vehicle gets
older, its likely to burn or leak oil, which is
why you have to constantly be checking to make
sure the oil is up near the fill line. At the end
of the day, the most important piece of advice is
just to use the type of oil recommended in your
vehicles owners manual.
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Help Your Car Stand Up to the Elements Another
big part of preserving your vehicle involves
those natural predators like rain, snow, sleet,
hail and ice, as well as drastic temperature and
humidity changes. First, a garage-kept car is
going to last longer. You can also preserve the
body better with some routine washing and waxing.
One of your key goals should be to prevent rust.
A reason that many cars eventually go to the
junkyard is because rust has eaten away at
panels, fender wells or anywhere else that
compromises the cars structure and would be too
expensive to repair. In addition, you want to
pay attention to your cars belts, hoses and
other connectors. Try to limit desert driving,
and keep plenty of coolant in the vehicle in hot
climates to prevent a lot of wear on parts like
the water pump and radiator system. Pump Up the
Tires In addition to keeping oil in the engine, a
lot of auto experts suggest inflating your tires
properly. Good tire inflation saves on fuel, but
in some ways, it also promotes longer life for
the vehicle while keeping drivers and passengers
safer on the road. Making sure to rotate your
tires properly is another way to ensure your
tires (and your car) stay on the road longer.
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Rack Up Highway Miles A major contributor to your
car's final odometer reading relates to the type
of driving that you do, as well as where and when
you drive. Essentially, if you want your car to
last 200,000 miles (or even onward to 300,000),
give yourself a long commute. Those daily
commutes of over 60 or 70 miles each way will
really push up the mileage, without putting a lot
of wear on the vehicle. Youll make less use of
the starter and battery ignition system and the
flywheel, as well as the engine itself, and even
other parts like the brakes and the doors. By
contrast, the reverse is also true for example,
delivery drivers tend to put a lot of stress on
their vehicles, which arent likely to last as
long because of the shorter trips and all that
start and stop action. If long commutes aren't
your thing, you can get the same effect by taking
a long road trip or a regular Sunday drive. That
being said, it's probably best to limit long
trips and cross-country treks for a car once it
gets up above the 150,000-mile range. There are
some reasons that an older car might tend to
break down during a long trip. Some of them have
to do with engine overheating, as well as extreme
pressure on those belts and hoses that we talked
about before. In general, subjecting the vehicle
to hours and hours of operation is a good way to
get it to finally give up the ghost.
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Put on Your Party Hat So that's it. Keep oil in
the car, keep it from rusting, make sure all of
the fluids are topped off, stay out of the
desert, stay out of the rain and stay out of
traffic jams (easier said than done, we know).
Give your car the T.L.C. that it needs and you
stand a good chance of reaching that odometer
rollover at 200,000 miles. Then all that's left
to do is put on your party hat to celebrate this
important milestone for your car. Article
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-on-the-road-for-200k-miles