All of us want our vehicles to make it to the high mileage category. But some cars are just not meant to make it to high mileage.
Is there something different we can do to help our vehicle last longer? There are multiple things we can do to help our cars. So let’s dive deeper into the high mileage subject and see what we can find.
Speeding only saves minutes on your trip
Many people believe that if they rush in their vehicle, they will get to their destination much faster. Then if they were going the speed limit.
I looked into this even further, and it all comes down to mathematics. Let’s say you are going 75 mph in a 65 mph speed zone. That is only a 15% difference but can still carry a hefty fine if caught by a police officer.
With going that speed, it will take you 27 minutes to travel 30 miles. If you were going the speed limit of 65 miles per hour, it would take you 24 minutes, That is a time savings of around three and a half minutes.
Are the three and a half minutes that important that you could cause an accident or get a speeding ticket because of it?
Did you know that 31% of all fatal crashes are due to speeding? With driving this speed, you have raised the risk of you being in an accident and not letting your vehicle reach 200000 miles.
Maintenance is not consistent
Every vehicle needs a regular maintenance schedule period from changing the oil to checking on your suspension. Every vehicle can last much longer if the significant problems are caught before they become actual major problems.
If you were to start a maintenance interval schedule on your vehicle and
check over your car once a month, you would see a more significant difference in your vehicle repairs and problems.
By doing this, you can help your vehicle last for over 200000 miles. Remember that consistency with your maintenance is dire to the existence of your car.
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Not shoulder checking
I live in Virginia, and it has to be the state with the worst drivers ever. People will start merging into your lane without using their turn signal and checking their shoulders.
You are supposed to do a shoulder check every time you go to change lanes. That is because your mirrors have blind spots, and in these blind spots, can be vehicles that are unaware of your current merging into their path.
It is so bad that I watched someone do precisely that on the highway in their morning commute. Two cars merged right into each other, and it looked like something off of mad Max, they just kept bumping into each other.
Over 840,000 accidents happen every year due to blind spots and people not shoulder checking. Remember this easy traffic tip, and you will prevent your vehicle from being in a collision with another car.
Have you checked your transmission fluid?
With newer vehicles, you no longer have to do this because the transmission is a sealed unit. But with older cars as older than 2017 you must check your transmission fluid.
Many people forget to check the transmission fluid altogether, or they do not know how to check the transmission fluid properly.
The proper way to check your transmission fluid is by putting your vehicle in neutral and leave your car running.
By doing this, you will get the proper reading on the transmission fluid dipstick, which can be found near your cabs firewall.
Don’t drive in high water
Everyone knows you do not drive into high water, but do you know the reason why you do not want to drive into high water though?
There are a couple of reasons why you do not want to do this period 1st reason is if the water is high enough it will come in your doors.
Next’s your transmission is at a low part of your vehicle. On top of that, the transmission has a vent. This is so your transmission fluid can vent extra gasses that are built up in the transmission by the transmission doing its job. But this vent can easily let water in as well.
Last but never least if you go in high water your Air intake for your engine is at a low part of your vehicle as well. If the water goes close to the intake tube, the air intake will suck the water in causing your engine to hydro lock.
Leave a gap in traffic
You are supposed to leave a 3 to a 5-second gap in between your car and the vehicle in front. By doing this, you are giving yourself enough space to react in case the vehicle in front of you stops quickly or something runs in front of you.
I am seeing people as close as 2′ off of the vehicle in front of them. This is entirely too close; being this close, you might as well be in the same vehicle.
These types of accidents happen daily; we call them fender benders. These fender benders have no limit to the damage that they can cause by drivers following each other entirely too close.
Remember as well if the weather is not sunny and bright all day you need to take into consideration the weather to your following distance.
Tire pressure is critical!
Did you know that the government did a study on tire pressure and how it affects our vehicles with the fuel economy?
They found out that your tire pressure can change up to 3% of your fuel economy due to improper inflation. Make this a habit when you go to the gas station, once every 2 or 3 weeks sought by the free air pump at the gas station and fill up the air.
You can find your air pressure on the inside doors seal of your driver’s side door. It can also be found on the sidewall of the tire. It is going to be imprinted on there as your Max air pressure.
I always look at the Max air pressure and fill the tire with air to 5 PSI below the max air pressure.
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Watch with washing your engine
There is nothing wrong with having a clean engine. But there is a problem with washing your engine while it is hot and washing your engine’s electronics.
Do not worry about your wires; they do not need to be washed, nor does your fuses, relays, and so on. The best way to clean your engine is by using
an engine degreaser and a brush.
This will keep the water away from the electronics, and you will still have a beautiful sparkling engine.
When you spray your engine with the degrees or let it sit on there for 15 or 20 minutes before you scrub it with a brush. Then wash it off with water only in that specific place not spraying the entire engine.
Remember to wait until the engine is cold because if you don’t you run the risk of cracking the block, flooding the electronics, even getting that air filter soaked so pay attention to where you are spraying.
Recalls are dire to your vehicle
It seems like every car that has been in existence has had one recall sometime and its lifespan. You need to check with your manufacturer to see if your vehicle has any recalls.
The company covers recalls due to faulty equipment. It is bothersome that you have to take your beautiful vehicle in to be worked on, but at least it will be safe after you have had the problem fixed properly.
Prevent yourself from being stranded on the highway with an overheated vehicle. Here’s my article on How often should I replace my car’s thermostat?
Cheap parts fix the problem….temporarily
The last but never least cheap parts fixed the problem by it is only temporary. You are paying a lower price for parts but giving up the quality part that will last much longer.
I know you do what you have to do but check the reviews of the parts before purchase. Not all cheap parts are bad, but you need to know if that part is going to last a fair amount of time, or are you not going to get a return of investment.
Depending on the part that you replaced, it can be critical to the engine’s operation by doing so; that part is now essential to the entire vehicle’s operation.
In Conclusion
There are many reasons why your vehicle may not make it to 200000 miles. But these are ten things that you can look out for so you do not have to buy a new car and waste money on vehicle repairs that could have been prevented.
Do not be too hard on yourself. There are many people out there that do not know what they can do to help their vehicles last longer. So please share this article so many more people can learn how to keep their car running for over 200,000 miles.
Thank you for reading my article! I hope you found it beneficial and enjoyable. Check out my Youtube channel for more DIY Auto repair and flipping cars for profit videos! Thank you again!
