The Horrible Truth
Did you know that the average age for a car to be scrapped is around 14 years? For a £28,000 vehicle, bought as brand new, that’s an annual cost of around £2,000 before even considering additional expenses such as your MOT, the cost of replacement parts and other running costs. With this in mind, keeping your car running for as long as possible is undeniably an important goal – and luckily, there are several simple steps you could implement to help keep your car looking and performing its best.

The Basics
The first tip is an obvious one and falls under the category of basic car maintenance. Always keep on top of all repair and maintenance activities to ensure that any lingering small issues don’t have the chance to become bigger issues. Small issues such as rusting can get worse over time, doing more damage to your vehicle than was originally done, and this, in turn, can be much more expensive to fix.

Clean your car regularly to prevent the build up of debris, dust, and dirt that could do damage in the long run if not cleaned away. Of course, you should always use specialist cleaning products and tools to help with this, rather than opting for overly abrasive materials and cleaning products that could do more harm than good.

Keep That Battery Healthy
If you leave your car in the garage for long periods of time then you must keep an eye on the battery. Trickle chargers are an excellent option if your vehicle is being left in the garage for an extended duration. Meanwhile, this can also be a good option if you notice that your vehicle is losing charge more quickly than you might usually expect. It’s also worth buying and keeping jump leads in your car just as a backup option if your car’s battery is on the way out and goes when you need it most. If your battery keeps flatlining on a regular basis, you may need to consider replacing the battery outright.

Avoid Unnecessary Weight
To reduce wear on the brakes, tyres, and vehicle suspension systems, you should try and keep the car’s weight down. While this step may not offer an ideal solution for every scenario, if you can either cut the weight in your car or, at minimum, spread the weight evening, this will help slow your car’s general wear and tear. Plus, it could also cut down on fuel costs.

Filter Change
Something that you might not think about regularly when it comes to your vehicle is to change your car’s filters. Indeed, your vehicle’s oil filters play a pivotal role in preventing contamination; however, they can get clogged up over time. It’s not really surprising, especially when we consider the different ways we use our vehicle – they can certainly be used in some rather grubby terrains. Fortunately, filter changes are often a part of your regular car servicing.

Nevertheless, we highly recommend you keep a close eye on the filters at all times. Cleaning the air filter will also help prolong its lifespan quite significantly.

Change Your Driving Style
Keeping your car at its best is more than just simply keeping it clean and ensuring the filters are in good condition, it’s also about how you drive it throughout the years to reduce the impact your driving has on it. This doesn’t have to be a major change, but it can significantly influence your car’s lifespan. Simple tiny tweaks such as turning the steering wheel more gently, using the key carefully in the ignition, and controlling your speed rather than continuously braking suddenly can all play a significant factor in this regard. What’s more, this can also help extend the lifespan of many other things such as the tyres, which can, in turn, cut down the ongoing maintenance costs you’ll have to pay.

Evidently, there are several different options you could consider to help ensure a long lifespan for your car. By considering our tips today, you’ll hopefully see greater performance from your car overall – plus, you’ll benefit from a significantly better economy in many instances, which is always welcome.

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