Investing in your car’s maintenance preserves your financial investment, enhances your driving experience, and extends your vehicle’s lifespan. While car maintenance can be costly if you lack knowledge about vehicles, it’s a worthwhile investment to learn as much as you can in the long run.
According to AAA, the average cost per mile for drivers was 9.83 cents per mile for car ownership in 2023, and if you are on the road a lot, this can add up quickly over the year.
But what exactly does caring for your car need, and what are the best steps to take to keep costs down and keep your car in the best condition possible?
Regular Servicing
Having your car serviced every 10,000 to 12,000 miles or once per year can help you ensure it’s working as it needs to be and not experience significant faults that go unnoticed. A car service will check over all the working aspects of your car to give you a complete picture of its health and condition and allow you to get the repairs booked when required. Typically, a car service can cost upwards of $150 depending on the make and model of your car, and repairs are on top of this sum. But it’s worth it, mainly if you rely on your vehicle being healthy.
DIY Maintenance
Don’t want to keep running to the garage or all of your repairs? Then, it’s time to get fair with what’s under the hood. There are many aspects of car maintenance you can learn for yourself that can help you to keep the costs down, and these days, there are hundreds of tutorials online to help you make small changes and repairs. Start off with small things like changing tires or oil, filters, and bulbs; once you get more experience, you work your way up to bigger jobs such as changing brake pads or using ford car wiring diagrams to diagnose electrical faults before taking it to a mechanic so you know what to expect.
Drive Properly
How you drive directly impacts the wear and tear on a vehicle, so making sure you’re not engaging in poor driving habits can be a great way to preserve the lifespan of your car and save you money on fuel and repairs, too.
Tips for driving properly include
- Slower acceleration and braking from a distance rather than rapid braking and acceleration
- Hypermiling
- Not riding the clutch (if you drive manual)
- Not keeping your hand on the gear stick (again for manual car owners)
- Avoid overloading
- Not speeding
- Avoiding aggressive driving.
Keep It Clean
When dirt accumulates in your car, it damages the interiors, and dirt can damage components too, making them need replacing quicker. If you want to keep your car in the best condition possible and enjoy driving it, you need to keep it clean. Have your car detailed regularly if you can, vacuum the interior, and wash the bodywork on a regular basis, too, so dirt doesn’t scratch the paintwork or interfere with your visibility. The cleaner your car, the longer it will look good and retain its resale value, too.
