With these 20 tips your car will last a lifetime | Car

This may seem a bit far-fetched, but it isn’t. If you use a very bad road every day, this can be disastrous for your undercarriage. The consequence? Worn shock absorbers, warped rims and damaged tyres. Taking a detour on that barrier-free road can extend the life of your shock absorbers by thousands of miles.

That sounds logical, but many motorists with a manual gearbox brake ‘on the engine’. This puts additional stress on the bearings, shortening the life of your gearbox components. So if you need to slow down, don’t use the engine brake, use the foot brake to lose speed.

You probably have many friends who refuse to turn on their AC because it “increases fuel consumption.” However, modern air conditioning systems are very efficient and turning them off during the winter, for example, causes enormous damage to the seals and other components. So if you end up using it, the system is likely to leak or some major component is broken. That ends up costing you more than what you saved on fuel.

If you have a manual transmission and rest your foot on the clutch pedal, the clutch will engage partially, causing it to wear out faster. It may seem like an obvious point, but don’t drive with your foot on the clutch. It’s amazing how many people do this anyway.

Many people have a garage, but don’t use it to store their car. They put in the lawnmower and other stuff. Storing your car prevents the car from rusting, the sun from bleaching the interior and the interior from getting very hot on sunny days – something that is not good for the dashboard and interior. A carport is better than an unheated garage, because under the carport cars dry faster and cars rust more slowly.

Today, all diesel engines must be equipped with a particulate filter. To prevent the filter from becoming clogged, you must regularly turn it up a bit to ‘burn the filter clean’. Petrol engines also benefit from occasionally driving at higher engine speeds, as this prevents all kinds of residues from being deposited on parts of the engine.

An engine has the hardest time in the first five minutes after it is started. A cold engine has little lubrication, because it is located at the bottom of the block and is thick. The wear is therefore heaviest with a cold engine and that does not only apply to winter. Before the engine is warm, it is recommended to shift gears at 2500 rpm for a petrol engine and 2000 for a diesel engine. Even better: if possible, take the bicycle for short distances.

If you are one of those people who regularly run out of fuel, you run the risk of damaging the fuel system. That’s because sediment tends to collect at the bottom of the tank, and if the engine is always running on fuel from the bottom of the tank, it’s likely that the pump, filter, and possibly even the injectors could become clogged, leading to high bills. leads.

When you start the car, do not do so in gear and with the clutch depressed. This puts extra load on the starter motor. It may seem trivial, but over several years and thousands of start-ups, this can make more of a difference than you think.

Some cars have plastic or aluminum panels, but most still have steel bodies. Rust takes on dirty cars more than clean ones, so wash it regularly and wax the paint occasionally. Also handy: opt for a hot wax treatment in the car wash. That stuff gets in places you can’t reach by hand.

A piece of paint that has come off due to stone chips does not seem serious, but because the rust can take its course here unhindered, you will have a rotting hole within a few years. So be quick and touch up the damaged areas with a paint pen.

If you have your undercarriage and cavities professionally treated against rust, they will last longer. An example of effective rust prevention are brands such as Dinitrol or other types of wax.

If there’s one thing that will help prolong the life of your gearbox, engine and differential, it’s using clean oil. Mineral oils age much faster than synthetic alternatives. However, be careful if you have a classic; synthetic oils may be too thin for older components.

Plastics such as rubber strips, covers and convertible tops must be protected against UV radiation and drying out. There are special products for sale in the trade that serve as a lubricant and protective agent. Applying a little every few months can help extend the life of your car’s seals significantly.

Even if only a small part of your tires is worn, the entire tire will be rejected. So make sure your tires are properly aligned. Sometimes the cause is worn rubbers or track rods. Replacement is often relatively cheap and it prevents uneven tire wear.

Locks, hinges and joints dry out over time and then begin to wear out. Applying a little three-in-one lube from time to time can make a big difference to how quickly things wear out.

This seems like an obvious one, but it is still a point that is overlooked by most people. If your tires have only a few millibars less air than specified, they will wear faster and your engine will have to work harder. This also means your fuel bills will be slightly higher. So check your tire pressures every few weeks. Don’t pump them up too much, because then they will wear out faster in the middle.

Car manufacturers regularly have to recall their cars due to a design or production problem. You can check with your dealer whether your car is affected. If you don’t have the improvements made, a small mistake can lead to a big problem. The recalls are free, so not having them carried out is not smart.

Alloy wheel cleaners can be acidic, which means they destroy the paint on your wheels and then corrode the metal. If you are a regular on cheap car wash sites, be careful. The aerosols can contain strong chemicals to speed up the cleaning process – with the possible side effect of making your new rims look tired and dull very quickly.

And then there are the usual tips: check your oil and coolant regularly, pay attention to your engine temperature and other lights on your dashboard and follow the prescribed service intervals. Also check your air filter, cooling hoses and fuel lines regularly. The water pump and any v-belts or chains around the engine also deserve attention.