A little over a month ago I posted an article that spoke about some of the telltale warning signs your car is coming to the end of its life. In it, one of the things I touched upon was the engine. Essentially, you want your engine life to pretty much match up with the life of your car in general. If your engine fails and dies – but your car still looks good, and the rest of it functions well – then your vehicle still might be dead. A full on engine replacement is costly and difficult, so you may as well get a new car.
Or, you could think of ways to extend the life of your car’s engine, and here are a few of the easiest ways to do it:
Top Up Your Oil
Anyone with a car brain will know that checking your oil and replacing it is an essential maintenance task. The oil in your engine acts as a nice little lubricant, so all the parts feel loosey goosey and don’t rub against one another. If your oil level is too low, that’s when issues occur, and an engine can overheat and cause irreversible damage to certain components. You have two main tasks here; top up your oil every couple of weeks to keep the level nice and steady. But, don’t forget to replace the oil every three months. This gives you a nice clean batch, ensuring your engine runs efficiently.
Check Air Filter Regularly
All car engines come with an air filter to keep nice clean air flowing through it. They normally work by trapping dirt with a filter paper/material of sorts, and it keeps the engine running smoothly. But, if this filter stops working effectively, then your engine can get clogged up and die. You’ll start to burn way too much fuel, which decreases its lifespan. All you need to do is check your air filter regularly. If it gets too dirty, then grab an air filter cleaner and give it a nice going over. This ensures it remains in great condition to function properly. If a filter is beyond cleaning, then replace it and watch your engine remain in great shape. Either of these tasks is much cheaper than having to replace an entire engine!
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Driver Better!
Yes, one of the easiest ways to extend the life of your engine is to drive better. What I mean is you should avoid revving it really hard and leaving that needle in the red zone. Also, make sure your gear shifts are nice and smooth, so you’re not damaging the gearbox. The smarter you are, the longer your engine will live for, it’s really that simple.
If you can keep your engine in great shape, then your car should last a lot longer. Sure, constant repairs to the body can be tiresome, but a dead engine is pretty much curtains for your vehicle. As such, pay attention to the advice in this article, and you’ll keep your engine alive for as long as possible.