FRIDAY TIDBIT: How To Make Your Car Last 300,000 Miles

Yesterday for our WHAT IS IT?! picture, we posted an odometer from a 1993 Ford Ranger truck that has just turned over to 300,000 miles!

The key to making your vehicle last is maintenance. You've heard us say it a million times, and that's because it really is true. Proper maintenance can eliminate up to 50% of repairs.

How do you know which maintenance to do, and when?
Look in your owners' manual. It will give you a maintenance schedule. If you can't find your owners' manual, or are not sure where to look, we can always look it up for you.

ACDelco is a great resource for maintenance. Read through a list of maintenance tips on their website.


Why is maintenance important?
By following your maintenance schedule, you can eliminate up to 50% of repairs. That is a huge number! By doing the small tasks, you can avoid costly repairs, and increase the life of your vehicle.

Think of your body and going to the doctor. By getting preventive maintenance checkups, you can find problems before they become a huge issue, and start taking better care of yourself. Many diseases like diabetes, cancer, thyroid problems, and other illnesses can be detected early, and when detected early you can start treating them early and increase the years in your life. The same can be said for vehicles and vehicle maintenance.

What if I can't afford to do my regularly scheduled maintenance?
By knowing what your maintenance schedule is, you can factor in $30-$40 a month to your budget to prepare for those maintenance checkups. Here is a breakdown to show you how easy it really is to prepare for maintenance into your budget:

• Let's say you want to factor in $40 per month into your budget for maintenance. That breaks down to only $1.33 per day.
• I know most of us spend more than that a day in soda, lunch, etc. By bringing a sack lunch to work, or cutting out that stop at the gas station on the corner for treats, you can save up enough money for your vehicle maintenance.
• If you make $10 an hour, and work an 8 hour day, you are making $80 a day (without taxes factored in). To make an extra $1.33 per day, you need to work approximately an extra 8.3 minutes. Come in to work 4.2 minutes early, and stay 4.2 minutes longer, and you have earned enough money for your vehicle maintenance.

If you are ever unclear as to what maintenance your vehicle needs, don't hesitate to ask us any time. We are glad to go over it with you.

For more tips like this, visit our Auto Care Tips page.