i'm going to be doing a ton of driving in my car this coming fall. i've had this car for about 10 years and its getting pretty old. i drive about 40 miles going to and from my commute to college. so in a week i drive about 800 miles just commuting to school. i also am in a long distance relationship and live an hour and a half away from my bf. i plan to drive over to him about once a week and thats about 200 miles a week total. how do i make sure my car can last as long as possible before i have to buy a new one. i make sure i get my oil change once a month. the mechanic checks the cars fluid levels. i put super+ gas in my car and i only go to brand name gas places like mobil. i keep an eye on my breaks when they start getting old. i check the tire pressure. what else can i do to maintain the performance of my car. a good link for car maintenance 101 is helpful too
other info: i have about 200000 miles on my vehicle and live in massachusetts so we have some intense winters and intense summers. weather im sure takes a toll on my car. i love my car i want it to last as long as possible before i have to buy a new one %26lt;3
How do i make sure my car won't break down?
Well, to help save a little money at the pump, unless your vehicle calls for 91+ octane, you don't need it. The higher grades of fuel don't provide any more horsepower or fuel economy, they prevent detonation. Look in your manual to see what grade you need to put in. What you don't want to do is put in a lower grade than you need. So say your car calls for 87 put that in. Some placces in the country have 85, you don't want to be doing that.
Other than that, it sounds like you are doing all you can to prevent something bad happening. Some things you just can't stop though. I would suggest changing your battery, and belts as well, like a previous post said. Also flushing your coolant. You are most likely due for it anyway. Change the fuel filter, and afterward, buy a can of Seafoam, and put that in your tank.
How do i make sure my car won't break down?
It sounds like you are already doing most of the common sense things already. Most people have breakdowns because they ignore warning signs like abnormal noises or things leaking, etc. That being said, any car can break down at any time, unfortunately. Don't sweat it though, I've run a lot of vehicles towards 400,000 miles and I've rarely had a breakdown on the road.
If it were me, I would change the serpentine belt
I would put a new battery in if the old one is at least 4 years old
change the front brake pads
maybe put a new starter and alternator
that way most of the common things that go wrong would be covered.. Sorta like a pre-emptive strike
