Basic car care

[Tikitoi]

I thought this would be good for maybe one's who are like me, a single parent looking to make their one (knock on wood) good car last long. Or just for people who want to get good $$$ out of their vehicle. So I'm asking what are some good basic car care tips to get the most out of your vehicle. Besides the oil change, since that's something even I know but what else should we be doing? BTW I have a 2000 Toyota Corolla w/78k miles that I bought brand new. It's been good to me so far.

 

[dvcgirl]

Well, you'll have that car for a long, long time.

My Toyota 4-Runner is almost 12 years old, 128K miles.....runs like a top.

The key to longevity......

Change the oil every three thousand miles...faithfully.

And get it tuned up every 30K miles.

 

[Charade]

Rotate your tires every other oil change. I have my oil changed at Jiffy Lube and have them rotate the tires.

At 78K and 8 years old, you might want to have the transmission fluid, the spark plugs and the coolant changed.

Make sure you check/change your air filter at least once a year (based on your mileage).

If you live in the north where they use road salt during the winter, run it through the car wash to get the road salt off. Use the drive through type so it washes the salt from underneath.

 

[BunsenH]

I think that the best non-technical advice is to be aware of changes when you drive. ...a new noise.....a different 'feel' when at highway spped...or while turning......a drop in gas mileage.....a smell......

You may not be able to fix the problem, or even pin point its cause or location, but bringing it to the attention of a mechanic early will avoid damage and $$$.

Goo luck with your Toyota.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[mikehn]

Get the radiator coolant flushed every fall. Flushed, not just drained and refilled. Flush will cost a little more than just draining and refilling. Air filter at least every 10k miles, maybe more often depending on where you live. Spark plugs, if you havent already done so. Tranny flush probably not a bad idea either. There goes your xmas budget.

 

[Golf4food]

Belts and hoses also need to be changed, but not often - every 50K-70K miles (or more) depending on the vehicle. Spark plugs (already mentioned but worth repeating). Filters (most get changed when you change oil, or at least they offer for the easier ones - oil filter generally always gets changed when you get an oil change).

 

[Tikitoi]

Such good tips! Thank you all very much. I am taking note of all of these and taking them to my mechanic. I don't mind if it cuts into the Xmas budget a bit. The only thing I really did faithfully to my car was the oil change. I did have the tires rotated a few times (maybe a bit more). But nothing as far as the trans fluid and flushing the coolant. Maybe the spark plugs once, but I will let my mechanic take a look. Thanks again. I'm going to need this car for as long as I can have it.

 

[PatsMom]

Every 100K miles get the timing belt changed. It is expensive but if it fails, it will ruin your car. And as others have said, keep the oil changed. Keep it washed in the winter when road salt is out. Although that doesn't last forever. The 9 year old Subaru I passed on to DD last year is starting to rust. But it has 225,000 miles on it!

 

[agnes!]

A couple of thoughts...

*Check the depth of your tires' tread. If they're starting to get worn-looking or if you've had them for 30,000 miles or so, probably tie to get some new ones. We get all out tires at Costco. The price is great *and* it includes stems, life-time warranty, free life-time tire rotation, balancing, nitrogen-fill. (This is supposed to be more stable or better for the tire than plain air.)

*Get a tire-pressure gauge. Try to check your tire-pressure a couple of times a month. It's an easy thing to do to fill up a tire if it seems low, and this is also a fairly painless way to avert blowing out a tire if you have some kind of undetected leak.

*How old is your battery? If it's two years old or more, time to get a new one. You really don't want to have that first cold snap hit this winter and have your battery go dead on you. This is something that you can really do yourself, you don't have to pay a mechanic to do it.

*Air-filters. Pretty much the same as your battery. They're cheap at auto-supply stores and have never been a problem for me to change out.

agnes!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Here's what I've learned and I know NOTHING.

Don't "ride" the break. Learned that one young.

Change the oil when you're supposed to and KEEP IT FULL between changes.

If the little lights come on, pull off the road and make a call.

When you hear funny noises, don't just turn up the radio.

When something falls off, don't just stop the car and get out, throw it in the backseat and forget about it. Just because the car is still running doesn't mean it didn't need that part.

When it makes sparks, get them fixed - even if you just tie up the offending part. Especially if you're leaking gas.

If the car starts billowing white smoke that has little black bits in it that smells like chemicals and makes your eyes water and throat burn, don't drive it over to your buddy/mechanic's house. Stop immediately and turn the thing off. If you don't, you can kiss that car goodbye and will be on the bus until you can afford a new one. And if that's years, then it is years.

The Rain-X window wiper stuff is more expensive, but if you have a few extra dollars to spend, totally worth it.

If you can afford a better car, buy a better car. It is worth it in the end because they last longer. But don't get a Buick Rendezvous unless you want a car like Christine.

Don't tell your DH that you want to learn to change the oil. The satisfaction gained isn't worth the mess. Learn Spanish (or something else less messy) instead.

 

[happywanderer2]

guess what, I have a chevy impala (gasp, a big three car!) that I've had for 8 years with milage at 138,000 and it is still running fine. I've never had a big repair bill on it either. My advise, no matter what brand car you have is change the oil every 3000 miles and rotate tires every 3 or 4 months. And get a tune-up every 80,000 miles.

 

[c4a]

agnes...beat me to my faves. Not only does the correct air pressure in your tires help the life of the tires...it can help your gas milage. And with gas prices being what they are, lately...we all can use that.

Proper ppi inflation can be found (usually) on the tag at the bottom of the driver's door when opened. A trick dh taught me was "when cold do as told. when hot a little less than taught." It is easy for me to remember. It has to do with when the outside air temp is cold...the air pressure inside the tire needs to be higher. When it is hot outside, it needs to be slightly less.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Here's what I've learned and I know NOTHING.

When something falls off, don't just stop the car and get out, throw it in the backseat and forget about it. Just because the car is still running doesn't mean it didn't need that part.

 

[Tikitoi]

More good tips. That timing belt sounds like it can be a little scary, so I will keep that in mind. As far as tire pressure, I remember hearing it helps toward good gas mileage. Now my battery...I'm getting a little nervous, because I THINK it may be the original. Is that possible? Anywho, I'm hoping to avoid weird noises, things falling off and white smoke and this is all very helpful towards that. I'll have to check out the Rain-x. Thanks all. I think I may start a car "diary". Or something like that.