Tips on how to join the 200,000 mile club

There is a lot of cars that can go over 200K miles, actually any car can do it as long as it is taken care of. I am going to explain some tips on how to help you reach the 200,000 mile club. A few things I will be talking about is reading and following your owners manual, finding a trustworthy mechanic to help you out, get personal with your car, and some other tips and tricks.

One thing you want to do is read is owners manual! Reading your owners manual is the best way to learn about your car and learn about it’s maintenance schedule. This is the best and easiest way to help pro long your cars life. If you can follow your maintenance schedule of your car this will give you an idea on what parts need to be replaced and when. I heard a quote that I believe deeply and that is “the cheapskate is the one who spends the most”

Talking about reading your owners manual rolls right into getting personal with your car, and I mean personal. No this doesn’t mean taking your car out to dinner. You want to be able to check your oil, read your warning lights if any are on, and be able to tell if something doesn’t quite feel right. Checking the oil is simple, with a cold engine pull out the dip stick wipe it off, then stick it back in and read it. Just about every dip stick has a cross hatch area and if the oil is in that area you are good. There is a full and low marker that you will be able to see quite easily. When you read your owners manual be sure to read about each warning light and what it is for. The car has these lights for a reason, if one is on then there is a part in the car that is malfunctioning. Know how your car feels like while driving, if something doesn’t quite feel right then have your mechanic check it out. One more tip is to wash your car frequently. Acid rain, bird poo, and tree sap can damage your paint and make your car turn into a rust bucket. A good layer of wax will help protect it from the elements also.

A great thing to have is a mechanic or shop that you can trust. The dealer is also a viable option for a newer car mainly because of all the new electronics in the car. Dealership technicians go to special classes so they should know your car in and out. Going to the dealer is also a no brainer when your car is still under warranty for free repairs on problems that are covered. Mom and pop shops are great for early model cars because of a lot less electronics and most mom and pop shops will have an easier time diagnosing your problem. Also going to them for oil changes, brake jobs, and small jobs is a very viable option because the prices are usually lower than the dealership.

Of course these are just helpful tips to help your car overcome the 200K mile line. Not all cars can reach this milestone because mechanical failures happen. Like engines going bad or the same with transmissions. Generally when that happens the owner will scrap a car instead of fixing it because at that point the part and labor is worth more than the car is worth. But I am a firm believer that keeping up on your car and taking care of scheduled maintenance’s will keep you on the road for a long time.