How to make a car last for a long, long time?

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Another thing to do is wash the car to get rid of the salt and dirt on it. Once the bad rust starts it is hard to get rid of. Coolant hoses need to be changed as well as brake fluid flushed out and there hoses checked. If you can tear your guns apart then you can do most of the maintanance. Checking the small things will make the car last a long time. Thnaks, Eric

[Dave Gundry]

How often would you change manual transmission dope in a 4x4 Tacoma? And both differentials? Mine has 165,000 on the original fluid. But I've never sunk it in the mud or crawled rocks.

My main question is when you change differential fluid, should I go synthetic? Does it have less of an odor than dino? When trucks get old you can always smell that stinking dope around the shifter boots.

I do the MT and diff(s) in our cars at 50k - would recommend no more than 100k. Do them all at the same time, use synthetic (no reason not to - it's only slightly more $, spread over 50k+, the cost difference is meaningless). Currently using Redline MTL (GL4) in the MT's and Mobil1 GL5 in the diffs. Certain limited slip diffs will call for other brands/types of lube.

[boz1911]

Follow the factory recommended maintenence schedule which will be in the owners manual. Do regular oil changes (more often than the manual). At your mileage plugs and wires should be due. If the fuel filter is servicable have it replaced.

When brakes are replaced break them in gently. Keep the tires rotated and inflated. Have it aligned or checked once a year. If you don't have the owners manual, PM me with car info and I can access all factory schedules.

[R112mercer]

I own a 4x4 Tacoma, like Dave said I change all the differential oils about every 50k, with synthetic. Not sure if it's that much better for the truck, but I really like the synthetics for the engine. The most important thing no matter what you use is to change at the recommended interval (this holds for ALL fluids). The synthetic seems to smell just as bad as petro-based.

Lube the drivetrain on your truck regularly, like every oil change. Especially if you ran the truck through deep water or in dusty conditions.

One thing guys seemed to have misssed, get a turkey baster and suck out the power steering fluid and brake fluid from the resevoir (use different ones for each!) and replace with new fluid. Do this every couple of months and you'll always have fresh fluid with all the proper additives. Brake fluid in particular is hydroscopic (attracts water) and can loose about half it's temperature resistance after about a year or so due to high water content.

[Tiny Warrior]

+1 for cleaning (especially in the winter). I've brought mine to the do-it-yourself wash a bunch of times to get the salt off.

About oil changes, MINI recommends every 15,000 miles I understand cars nowadays may be made to go longer between oil changes then before, but I think that's excessive.

[TMC]

About oil changes, MINI recommends every 15,000 miles I understand cars nowadays may be made to go longer between oil changes then before, but I think that's excessive.

15K is a long time between oil changes. If the filter was changed once in there it might be ok. My diesel Jetta has a recommened change at 10K. Oil is cheap, I'd change it more often.

I've read somewhere that factory recommeded maintenance intervals are the maufactures balance between the car lasting long enough that they don't have to do major service/repair during the warranty period and not recommending so much regular maintenance/serice that car rating services which add in the routine maintenance cost don't give the car a lower rating.

Edited February 9, 2011 by TMC

[revomodel10]

Any car experts here?

I drive a 2004 Mazda 6 that currently has 93,000 miles on it.

I do not want to buy a new car for years and years to come. In fact, I'd like to make this car last to 175,000-200,000 miles.

I always keep up with oil changes, alignments, etc.

What other things should I be doing/be having done to make this car last as long as possible?

Sadly, I just retired my 2000 jetta VR6. I bought it new in 1999.

292,000 miles

No major problems.

It still has the orginal clutch & orginal muffler! (the car was always garaged)

The heater fan crapped out, so with the winter we are having in the NE, I had to breakdown & get another car.

I just changed the oil (myself every 5000 miles), avoided potholes, never let my kids drive it,

and had it serviced when called for by the manual.

Most of all, I never "beat on it"

This is the third Jetta I took over 240000,

So, of course, I bought another one.

Used, this time, 78K miles, just broken in, saved a bundle.....

[Loui Loui]

Check into the "Miricle oil" additive. It been around along time and is very good to add to both your engine oil and directly to the fuel. It has many engine cleaning attributes. Also keep the chasis grease points lubed up. Many car owners neglect this area of upkeep.

[boz1911]

+1 for cleaning (especially in the winter). I've brought mine to the do-it-yourself wash a bunch of times to get the salt off.

About oil changes, MINI recommends every 15,000 miles I understand cars nowadays may be made to go longer between oil changes then before, but I think that's excessive.

That would be with extended life full synthetic oil. Although I don't like those kind of oil intervals, if you do, make sure it's with the proper oil and quality filters.