Extending the life or your car can be done with the combination of several things over time. Most of these steps are things you should do for the car on a routine basis, but most people tend to ignore them.
Routine maintenance is very important to extending the life of your car. Changing the oil and oil filter will keep the moving parts in the engine properly lubricated and running free of harmful contaminants that are found in used motor oil. The bearings in the crankshaft and camshaft depend on this oil to keep from wearing. The internal moving parts are manufactured to last a very long time if properly maintained. Most automobile manufacturers suggest changing engine oil and oil filters every three thousand miles or three months whichever comes first. The other fluids and filters on the vehicle will also need changed and the owners- manual of the vehicle will state the correct mileage to do this.
Take care of the exterior and interior of the car. Keep the vehicle clean and waxed to help the paint last longer and look better. Keeping a good wax job will prevent moister from getting under the paint and start a rust spot. Over time this rust spot will rot out the metal and you will need to replace the entire body panel that has been affected. Take care of leather and vinyl materials in the car by treating them with the right preservatives to keep them soft and durable.
Try to keep your vehicle in the garage as much as possible or at least in a shaded area. Keeping the car out of the sun as much as possible will prevent or slow down the effects it may have. Over time the sun will dry rubber and plastics causing them to crack. The dash or seats may be ruined by exposer to the sun over time if they are made of vinyl or leather materials.
Driving habits will determine the life of the car. Try not to punish the car by always being an aggressive driver. The car will last a lot longer if it is driven correctly. Just because the car will go from zero to sixty between stop lights doesn’t mean that is what it was designed for. Jumping across lanes in traffic will wear out steering arms and axle pins that could have been saved by picking a lane and sticking with it. Try these tactics and you will probably arrive at your destination just as fast without killing the car.
Use the manufacturers recommended gasoline. The octane rating on the gasoline has nothing to do with the quality of the gas. For instance Super Unleaded 90 octane is not better than regular unleaded 83 octane it was made for a specific engine. High compression engines need higher octane gasoline to run the way they were designed to and the lower compression engine will run fine with low octane gasoline.