FAQ series from 106 St Tire & Wheel:
8 Tips to Extend the Life of your Car
1) Check and change your oil regularly. There's some controversy on how often. 106 St Tire & Wheel advises you to check your owner's manual.
That's the best place to get accurate information specific to YOUR CAR. If your owner's manual is not around, Google it and you will probably find it
online in a downloadable format. Example for searching for it online?
- Google example: Owner's Manual 2009 Toyota Camry. That kind of search is bound to turn it up.
And remember, there's no single step in auto maintenance that will help your engine last more than regular oil and oil filter changes will. Neglecting your oil level checks or oil changes will shorten the life of your vehicle.
2) Flushing your cooling system and changing coolant once a year is the best way to keep your system properly functioning. Proper mixture of coolant to water? A 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water will keep this system in good shape and prevent deposits and corrosion from accumulating inside your cooling system.
3) Change your transmission and differential oils. These oils do not require service often. However, these fluids must be changed according to service intervals as recommended by your owner's manual. Also, always use transmission fluid or gear oil recommended re: type and viscosity as indicated by your owner's manual.
4) Every one of the moving parts on your vehicle needs grease to survive and keep doing what it needs to do...namely move with your vehicle.
5) Brake fluid is adept at attracting moisture and that causes components to corrode and fail over the years. Replace fluid and bleed system once a year. Brake fluid is cheap however brakes parts like pads, calipers, hoses, sensors etc are more expensive. If you need new brakes, 106 St Tire & Wheel locations offer Napa brakes for $65 per axle for most cars and we can do brake jobs 24/7 when you make an appointment, call us 24/7 at 718-446-6769.
6) Remember your wheel bearings! Have them inspected, cleaned and repacked with the appropriate grease according to your owner's manual and/or service intervals. Not doing so will lead to more expensive service issues and impact safety.
7) Is washing the outside of your vehicle is basically for looks? Not always. In winter be aware of the corrosive ramifications of salt deposits left from bad weather
on the body of your car (see above picture). Also, your undercarriage is exposed to most everything you ran over which can also get stuck there rusting various parts. Here again, hosing off winter salt and road grime residue is a good idea and helps maintain your car with minimal rust both in and on the body and the undercarriage.
Also, waxing your car every 6 months helps preserve the exterior paint by protecting it from the elements. Salt is a corrosive substance and the impact of its damage to your car's paint and undercarriage cannot be stressed enough.
8) Protect your interior by parking your ride in the shade and use a window sun deflector. Consider applying UV protectant to prevent the plastic, leather and vinyl from drying out inside your car.