Extend the life of your vehicle and insure the highest vehicle resell value.
Your vehicles are one of the most expensive purchases you will make in your lifetime.
It takes only a small amount of time to make a vehicle’s value work to your best advantage. True all vehicles depreciate. But how much they depreciate is up to the owner.
If you put in the effort up-front on maintenance you will benefit greatly when you get ready to sell your vehicle. Or, if you want to keep driving it for years down the road then this more likely with good routine maintenance and care.
Vehicle Maintenance Tips
How to keep your vehicle running strong all year long from Kelly Blue Book.
- Check and change the oil. No single step will help an engine last more than regular oil and filter changes will. Conversely, nothing will destroy an engine faster than neglecting oil-level checks or fresh-oil changes.
- Flush the cooling system and change coolant once a year. A 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water will keep the cooling system in good shape and prevent corrosion and deposits from building up inside the cooling system.
- Change out transmission and differential oils. While not requiring frequent service, these fluids must be changed according to service intervals. Always use transmission fluid or gear oil of the recommended type and viscosity.
- Keep it clean. While washing the outside of the vehicle is obvious, most everything the vehicle ran over can also get stuck to the underside. Hosing off winter salt and road grime is a good idea.
- Everything with moving parts needs grease to survive. This ball joint went into early retirement due to poor lubrication.
- Nothing keeps paint looking good and protected like a coat of quality wax. Apply wax at least every six months.
- Driveline components such as u-joints also require regular lubrication. The driveline may have to be removed to access the zerk grease fitting.
- Protect the interior plastic by parking the vehicle in the shade, using a window deflector screen, and applying a UV protectant to prevent the plastic and vinyl from drying out.
- Brake fluid is hygroscopic. This means it is adept at attracting moisture. Moisture causes components to corrode and fail. Replace fluid and bleed system once a year. Brake fluid is cheap. Calipers, hoses, and sensors are expensive.
As you can tell, the overall theme of the above tips is keeping all skids greased and making sure all the vehicle fluids (life’s blood) are changed out regularly. Also, keeping the vehicle body and interior clean and protected. Be sure and wash your vehicle as soon as you notice road debris, tree sap, bugs or any other organic matter on the body.
Extending the life of your vehicle is also a great way to contribute to the environment.
Maintaining the Value of Your Vehicle
And while we’re on the subject of how to maintain the value of your vehicle, be wary of those high interest title loans and pawns. If you find yourself in one, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-New-Rate.
We can help you get back on track. We can also help you lower your payments and interest. Check out our locations in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. We’ve helped our customers save $1,000s!
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