Car aging question

rb. · 04-03-2010, 07:40 PM

My car is a 2006, with about 9500km / 5900 miles on it. I've been taking it in a few times a year for the oil change. Warranty is up in about a year. Anything specific I should be checking/watching for as that warranty end approaches?

Not used to having a car that has no repairs needed on a continual basis, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Zazzu · 04-03-2010, 07:57 PM

DH's car is an 86 Cadillac and mine is a 90 T-bird.
We bought them both brand new. They still both run like a dream. We always did regular maintenance on them both. Other than tires batteries & minor stuff etc we've only had to replace the A/C and radiators on both cars, and the ABS brake system on the T-bird.
The interiors are getting a bit worn but heck who cares. The cars get us from here to there and that's all that matters.
Just keep good regular maintenance on your car and it should last you for many years.
DH says to have your mechanic do an extensive all over check before your warranty is up.

Twoolf · 04-03-2010, 07:58 PM

at 5900 miles. its not even broken in good yet. You are a long way from age related problems.. Service it regularly according to the service manual and you should get many years out of it. All my vehicles have always been on a diet of Mobil One synthetic, and its all I've used in Race cars. ALL of my street cars have gone over 250,000 miles with no mechanical issues other than typical wear out things like water pumps, alternators etc.

spinnerholic · 04-03-2010, 09:03 PM

Replace the belts, ALL of them. If one is worn at all, the others can't be trusted either.

wynnsol · 04-03-2010, 10:18 PM

My '87 Honda Accord has over 330,000 miles on it.
Its had regulr oil changes every 5k mi. [recommended interval is 7k], biggest problem has been the CV joints - they seem to last only 50-75k mi. [have the boots inspected at every oil change, a cracked boot lets in water and grit which does in the joint in short order] , we quit feeding the A/C years ago, belts, water pump, radiator, O2 sensor, exhaust system, brakes is all I think of. Change antifreeze and flush the cooling system about every other year. Wash the underbody every spring to wash off the salt from the winter. Oh, replace the timing belt/chain at about 50k mi. - if that breaks or skips it usually trashes the engine by ramming a piston into a still-open valve.

Checking all fluid levels regularly, and replacing them at recommended intervals does wonders. Check tire pressures.

Most owners kill their cars by neglecting them.

Good luck with yours,

Wynn

Feather · 04-03-2010, 10:28 PM

rb. the only thing i have to strongly recomend is don't drive it into big puddles. They tend to kill a car. BTDT not good to hear your electrical system fry while you are sitting there with the keys in your hand.

rb. · 04-03-2010, 10:57 PM

Thanks, everyone. I baby her big time, but we do have potholes, and sand and salt used on the roads in the winter. She's an KIA economy car, so I know she's no Caddy, but I'm hoping to get every last drop out of her that I can. She also doesn't see runs out on the highway, just the start and stop of city driving. Anything I should watch for there?

VT9 · 04-04-2010, 07:50 AM

If anything I'd say take it out for a long drive on the highway every so often. And if your driving it that little, possibly some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank.

Let me make it clear. I am not an automotive tech.

Potemkin · 04-04-2010, 04:03 PM

Well, there are some things that have to happen on cars that are seldon driven. Low miles is also "severe service". Check the manual.

At least the oil has to be changed every year no matter what. It wouldn't be too much to do the other fluids. (Radiator, transmission fluid (automatic) gear oil, etc for the manual trans and rear ends. Maybe not every year but every other year for radiator (with a flush) and maybe every 5 years for the gear oils.

The biggest think I think are the rubber components, being run or sitting up. Robbers and plastics dry out and the elasticizers outgass.

I found this especially true for hoses. Radiator hoses are easy to catch but vacuum hoses can be a **** to trace out. Luckily the stuff is cheap. Get a couple of good lengths of the standard stuff and get busy under the hood.

Clean the outside and inside regularly and use a good polymer wax on the paint.

There is a good way to forstall the new car hots, get it detail by someone good. Yea, you can wash and wax, and vacuum the inside but a good $100 detail will make it look like almost new.

I do all of this and have kept several vehicles 10-12 years at 100k+ miles.

One motorcycle I had was 20 years old, still ran great, and I sold it for 3/4 of what I paid for it.