Prevent the Worst Car Problems, Save Money and Lengthen the Life of Your Vehicle

Don’t let the odometer become a timed bomb, many of us can feel our cars taking a couple extra clicks to start, brakes taking a few more seconds to really stop, or the AC being a little less cool, and we assume we can’t do anything about it, or if we did, we’d find something terrible under the hood. But the reality is, that a car is not designed to instantly break down at some magical mileage number. There is no reason your car can’t last a half million miles with proper care. Changing oil, steering fluid, coolant, pistons and more that is covered below.

We know that when it comes to health care costs, it is better to go in for checkups regularly to peek under the hood and catch any problems early. As well, you don’t want to wait until you have a cold to start exercising early.

Engine belts, also known as serpentine belts, are built to last between 50 to 90 thousand miles before needing to be replaced, and are essential to making everything under the hood run well, as there are a lot of interconnected parts that will be put under stress if it isn’t running properly. If you don’t keep up with it, it will affect the power steering, the AC will stop running effectively, causing the crankshaft to break down it’s ability to provide power to the AC via the engine, and the alternator. That also means not just the AC, but all electrical components including the battery. Another way that the engine breaks down is that the water pumps will not be able to cool down the engine. The best thing to do is to make sure that you are checking to see if there are any cracks or obvious signs of wear and tear when you change your oil. To repair it is something you can learn without having years of experience working as a mechanic, but something so vital to the proper running of your car should be studied and prepared for all the time. Your owner manual may have come with a repair manual, or at the minimum should have some pictures and diagrams so you can know where it is and how it is put in.

Another item on the list of car parts that are expensive to have replaced if they break, is well, brakes. There are a lot of little things that contribute to the proper function of the brakes, The brake pads have a steel backing, and a friction-generating material(depends on the manufacturer), but basically, when it starts to hit the steel backing, the heat hurts the entirety of the braking system and especially the caliper. Just like the brake pads need to be in proper condition to work right, is fresh brake fluid. Old brake fluid can increase the heat, as well, it will increase the moisture and corrode it. The brake fluid is ridiculously cheap, and something that should be replaced about every two years.