3 Vital Maintenance Tips for Older Vehicles
Just like humans, vehicles require a bit more care as they get older. Extended life vehicles are often overlooked when it comes to maintenance — until it’s too late. Rather than waiting for your car to overheat on the highway, be sure to check on it every once in a while with these high-priority service tips.
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1. Keep changing that oil
As your car ages, it’s vital that you stick to its oil change schedule. You might think waiting a few weeks or months won’t be a big deal, but your car will be hurting if you don’t keep its parts properly lubricated. Avoiding oil changes will cause dirty oil to damage the engine, lower fuel efficiency, and even trigger a complete breakdown.
2. Replace the timing belt
The timing belt (or timing chain) on your vehicle is sort of like a chain on a bicycle. It keeps everything moving in sync under the hood and it also powers various pumps (oil, water, and injection). Over time, this rubber component will wear down and you’ll need to have it replaced before it breaks and causes complete engine failure. These typically need to be replaced at 60,000 to 100,000 miles, but it depends on your vehicle’s manufacturer.
3. Repair scratches immediately
To keep your older car from rusting and showing its age, it’s important that you tackle any scratches as soon as possible. The longer you wait to fix them, the more time you’re allowing for moisture to sneak in and cause unsightly (and possibly critical) damage. A simple scratch remover kit should do the trick for small issues, but you may need to get professional work done for larger scratches.
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Additional things to maintain on your older vehicle include smaller items like fluids, windshield wiper blades, and the cabin filter. If you continue to treat your car as if it were brand new, it should last a long time without needing to be replaced.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.