If you come into our shop, you will notice a sign on the wall, the 200,000 mile club. It celebrates some of our clients who’s vehicles are over 200,000 miles. On that same sign is couple written sentences.
“If you purchased a new car every 3 years (4 new cars), you would spend $40,000 in depreciation to drive 180,000 miles. The customers on this board used their $40,000 savings to buy groceries, go out to dinner, and take some awesome vacations.”
Is it worth your time and money to fix the car you have. Almost always, the answer is YES. This sign was written over a decade ago and if it were updated to modern values the actual loss in depreciation would be closer to $70,000. That’s a lot of money.
The question and point of this post is… How do I get my vehicle to 200,000 miles?
Oil Changes
Oil is the life blood of the engine. If it is dirty, it causes premature wear. If the filter gets clogged, the flow of oil bypasses that filter meaning it might as well not be there. Clients who maintain vehicle with oil changes can often get over 200,000 miles out of their engines. Some vehicles can even go above 300,000 miles. Do your oil changes often. Based on our experience and some quick searches online, nearly everyone who has these long lasting, high mileage vehicles perform oil changes every 3,000 miles or less.
Major Mile Services
Every vehicle has service intervals for more major maintenance. Most vehicles have these intervals every 30,000 miles. Oil changes focus on your engine, major mile services focus on everything else. Brake fluid, transmission fluid, 4 wheel drive systems, coolant, and spark plugs are some of the items your vehicle manufacturer may call to be replaced. Every vehicle is different, but keeping up with these services saves you money down the road and decreases the chances that you will need larger repairs later in the vehicles life.
Don’t Let Problems Stack Up
There is a balance that needs to happen when problems creep up. If you let issues continue for your vehicle, such as oil leaks or wheel bearings making noise, those issues can begin to stack up. Soon you are looking at a large repair bill to fix multiple items. Additionally, some problem can cause other issues. Some Hondas have an oil leak that if not fixed will cause an alternator to fail. The alternator is much more expensive the an oil leak. Do your best to take care of problems before they become big problems.
Every day, we see folks who take care of their vehicles. Conversely, we see folks who do not. Getting more mileage out of your vehicle actually saves you money in the long run. Give us a call if you believe your vehicle is due for some maintenance, or if you want to discuss if it may be time to move on from your older vehicle. We are always here to serve you!
