Cars

Must-Do Maintenance Tips for Older Cars

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V ehicles on the road in America are getting older, with the average age of a vehicle reaching 12.1 years in 2021. As vehicle prices rise and cars become more durable, more Americans prefer to keep their vehicles for longer. Must-do maintenance for older cars is now more of a concern than ever.

Taking good care of an antique car is essential if you want to extend its useful life and avoid major repairs. Preventative maintenance on your automobile, whether it's done by you or a mechanic, is an important part of keeping it on the road. Neglecting maintenance might result in expensive repairs, a malfunction, or even an accident.

Here are some maintenance tips that will make sure your car ages gracefully:

Keep Your Cool

To keep your vehicle going, your engine produces hundreds of explosions each day. Your car's cooling system is necessary because it gets hot in there. Antifreeze is equally as necessary as oil, even if it doesn't need to be changed as frequently.

Make sure that the coolant in your vehicle is always full. While it helps keep from overheating in the heat of the summer, coolant (antifreeze) prevents the engine from freezing up. It also improves your car's performance by keeping corrosion, froth, and deposits at bay.

Regular Battery Care

The most important thing to remember while working with a car battery is to keep the terminals clean and corrosion-free. The starter, engine, and other electronic components of an automobile all rely on a car battery for their power supply.

It is important to perform regular battery tests to make sure that your battery will work properly even in extremely cold or extremely hot conditions or temperatures. Environmental elements, much as brake dust, can clog the brakes and make them less effective. A wire brush and baking soda plus water solution are all that's needed to remove the corrosion.

Switch Up Your Tires

For those who reside in areas where winter driving conditions are common, you might need to switch to a winter/snow tire during the cold, snowy months. Tire compositions in non-winter tires harden when temperatures are continuously below freezing. This is to reduce traction and handling while increasing braking distance.

Winter tires include tread designs and compounds that keep them pliable in cold weather. This enables them to give traction in slippery circumstances such as snow, slush, and ice. When it comes to replacing your car's tires, wheels, or brakes, don't skimp on the quality. Low-quality tires put your car’s balance out of control and accelerate wear-and-tear.

Timing is Everything

For your car or small SUV's engine to function properly, it needs a timing belt. Wear and tear, including cracking and glazing, is a warning that this belt needs to be replaced. If this belt breaks while driving, it can cause catastrophic engine damage.

Depending on the make and model of your automobile, make sure you replace the timing belt every 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Even if you don't have an interference engine, it's a good idea to have it looked at when you reach that mileage milestone.

Replace the Windshield Wipers

It is recommended that you replace your windshield wipers roughly once a year, or as soon as their performance begins to deteriorate. It's time for a new set if the windows or blades start streaking when the machine is running. Windshield wipers provide visibility when you're driving through a rainstorm. Keep an eye out for worn wiper blades and replace them as needed.

Winter wiper blades can be a smart idea in the winter months to provide the best possible performance from your vehicle's wipers. When parking in the winter, you should also draw your blades away from the window to avoid ice buildup.

Change the Oil and Filter

Oil lubricates your engine. Driving with insufficient, unclean, or no oil, no oil can result in serious engine damage. The oil that isn't changed regularly might damage your engine because the pollutants that have built up in it brush against the moving parts. Avoid this risk by changing your oil and filter every 3,000 miles (or every 5,000 miles if using synthetic oil).

As daunting as it may sound, car maintenance is necessary if you want to keep your vehicle running for as long as possible. Routine must-do maintenance for older cars can help you avoid costly repairs, breakdowns, and other unpleasant surprises with your car.