Bought A Used Car? 2 Maintenance Tips To Help It Run Longer

Posted on: 9 October 2019

If you purchased a used car, this is a good choice, as you can save a lot of money buying used. You need to make sure you maintain it properly, however. This will help keep your car running much longer for you. Below are two maintenance tips to get you started.

Change the Oil

One of the most important things you can do for your used car is to change the oil. This takes little time to do and is not expensive. Refer to the user's manual to determine how often you should have your car's oil changed and the right type of oil to use. If you have never done this before, you should consider taking your car to a mechanic to have the oil changed.

Old oil is thick and gunky, and it has dirt fragments in it. Thick oil has a difficult time getting through the engine components to provide lubrication. Also, having dirt fragments in oil means the oil can cause friction on the engine components, leading to engine problems. Over time, your car may become low on oil, which means your car's engine will have hardly any lubrication at all, which can cause greater engine damage.

Engine problems can be expensive and, in some case, will cost more than what your car is worth. 

Maintain Transmission Fluid

Another important part of maintenance is to maintain the fluids. This includes the transmission fluid. This fluid is also a lubricant, but instead of lubricating the engine, it lubricates the transmission. This fluid also helps the transmission to stay cool. When transmission fluid gets old, small particles build up in the fluid. The fluid can then not work properly. Without lubrication, your car's transmission will start to have problems, and if they're not taken care of, you could have to have the transmission replaced. This can be very expensive. Transmission repairs can also cost you quite a bit of money.

Transmission fluid should be red, so if you notice your fluid is brown or a dark brown, then it is old and needs to be changed. In order to do this, you need to flush the transmission fluid and then refill the tank with brand new fluid. A mechanic can do this job for you. 

There are many other maintenance tips you should follow for your car. Your mechanic can help you learn about these tips, as well as give you other information to keep your car in good shape. Visit a local car repair shop like Suburban  Driveline Inc to learn more. 

Share