How to Get More Out of Your Car With Simple Car Care Tips and Advice
Simple Car Care Tips and Advice
According to the United States Department of Transportation, the average life span of a vehicle is 12 years or around 128,500 miles. Also, according to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household’s second largest expense is car maintenance, accounting for nearly 17% of the total expense. Now wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could make your car last that long and at the same time not cost you a bomb in maintenance? A well-maintained car is the biggest asset of a household. There are so many benefits of a car that is maintained by doing these few car care tips you will
- Save on fuel costs
- Take that family vacation you always dreamed of but were afraid to take because of the car
- Will last you longer than you thought possible
- You won’t be late for meetings because of broken down car
- The air conditioning or heating will not give out when you need it the most
- You will save on service and repair costs
- It affords you the luxury of a pleasant drive, no matter the distance
- Maintain the resale value of the car
- The overall cost of having a car reduces if the car is well maintained
- Your car will feel as good as new for a longer time
Car maintenance does not really require you to run to the mechanic every single time. With some very simple routines and procedures, you can do this yourself. Car maintenance is not as difficult as it looks and the results are worth the effort. Check out my ebook on how to maintain your vehicle. It’s chalked full of tips and ideas.
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The only thing that helps your car maintain its value more than doing all the required maintenance is documenting that you’ve done all the required maintenance.
Handyman Larry’s Vehicle Maintenance Log is the perfect tool to record all your vehicle maintenance, routine or otherwise. It includes:
- A place to record the appropriate types of motor oil, coolant, and other fluids right at the front for handy reference.
- A monthly checklist to help you remember to check your oil, hoses, belts, coolant, etc.
- Several pages each to record routine 3,000 mile and 10,000-mile maintenance tasks.
- Several pages of non-specific maintenance log so you can track every single oil change, tune-up, tire rotation, and filter change.
Cars require maintenance to operate at peak efficiency, but many of us forget to do it. Handyman Larry’s Maintenance Log will help you remember which will improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, make your car run better, longer, and help maintain resale or trade-in value for when you’re ready to move on.
Buy it here and here. You’ll feel better.
Thanks for this post! We have always maintained our cars very regularly. My current car is 13 years old and has almost 200,000 miles on it, so I don’t know if that makes me above average or below. Hmmmm…..Regular maintenance, though, is definitely the key to keeping a car running a long time.
Wow! That is alot of miles that is great! We had one of ours go to 360,000 miles and then we sold it to a friend and it now has over 400,000 miles and I think it’s purely maintaining it. I love when cars last thousands of miles. It makes me feel like I got my moneys worth out of it. 🙂
Great tips! I grew up learning how to work on cars. Well, older cars. It’s hard to remember all the upkeep and the maintenance log is a great idea!
My son is learning to work on cars and then flipping them and it’s a great place for him to put that knowledge of what he does know and what he has done so that the next owner has a little confidence in what they are getting.
A really good point
I agree! Keep it as long as you can! My last car was a 12-year deal. Any repairs certainly were less than a car payment!
A vehicle maintenance log would be perfect for me. I never remember when I did what.
It does simplify things. 🙂
My dad always kept meticulous records of all vehicles! An informative post that will help folks in the long run for sure. Thanks 🙂
Great tips! These can always come in handy!
Thanks for the tips. This is something we figure out as we get older and have to make those car payments. My daughter – 23 year – just bought her first new car and the dealership was really awesome in that they sat down with her and actually explained the importance of regular maintenance.
Great idea! There are so many things to keep track of! This is an amazing way to do it!
I like my children to keep track and it helps us narrow down if they slacked on something it kinda helps them be more accountable and responsible. It really does help simplify it.
Thanks, this is a great reminder… Vehicle maintenance is so hard to remember.
I don’t keep good records but it something that I know I should be doing. Thanks for the tips
It is absolutely worth while to keep all of your records. The next owner will thank you (and pay you more).
I always feel like it almost builds a little trust between the exchange as well.
Good luck with your car shopping. I would definitely recommend keeping track of anything you do to it. Even if it’s writing it on a lined piece of paper. And put in a calendar for the oil and fluid check. It will simplify and help it last longer. One of my sons didn’t keep track of oil and fluid and it ran dry and blew an engine. A simple $29 oil change would have prevented it. Good luck I hope you score the car of your dreams. 🙂
What’s a great resource! Thanks for sharing!
What a great idea to keep a log! With a family full of vehicles we could use all the help we can get!
I needed this when I was single! Now my husband keeps track of all my car stuff, but all I had was a file with receipts of when things were done. When mechanics recommended matinence things I’d go home and dig through my receipts. Usually more time had passed than I thought! I’m lucky that my 4Runner has made it to 240k miles so far. Not having a car payment is what allows us to travel internationally!
This is such a great reminder! I work hard to ensure our car is up to date. Makes such a difference on how it runs and it’s life.
We try to hold onto our cars for as long as possible. Always helps to have some good tips.
Thanks for posting this. These are great tips. I always maintain my car. Winters are cold and summer are hot and I want to make sure my car runs in all the season.
Great tip! I’m so disorganized when it comes to car stuff. My car has 115k and going strong. Going to make sure i keep track of its maintenance.
I have been fortunate ~ I married a guy who is anal about keeping records on our vehicles. That maintenance log is pulled out with every service and we make sure to keep everything up to date. Very good information in this post!