| Making Your Car Last...and Last...and Last | | | | Think of it as clearing the gunk out of the engine to |
| Buying a car is a big investment. While in inflation | | | | make it run better. |
| adjusted dollars, the cost of a new car hasn't actually | | | | Speaking of engine damage and damaging your car, |
| risen that much (due to cheaper labor overseas, and | | | | it's pretty clear that anything that makes your oil last |
| efficiencies in manufacturing), for most people just | | | | longer is going to be beneficial to your car's health |
| starting out, a new car is a substantial investment - | | | | and operations. One of the big culprits in engine |
| easily a year to half a year's take home income. | | | | damage, especially with new cars, is the "break in" |
| Making that investment last is in your best interest as | | | | phase. Drive gently during the first 50-100 miles you |
| a car owner. | | | | own the car; and vary your speed regularly over the |
| Cars, in routine operations, run with temperature | | | | first 500 miles. What you're trying to do is give your |
| extremes ranging from ambient air to three hundred | | | | engine an opportunity to "work in" all the places |
| degrees. While they're designed to handle this range, | | | | where contact occurs; this is the time when most of |
| that range of temperatures, and the sheer amount | | | | the internal particulate damage to a car is done. By |
| of power involved in running a car, should give you | | | | varying your speed for the first 500 miles or so, |
| some appreciation for the high quality engineering | | | | you're helping to ensure that proper seating of your |
| behind your car's engine, and should give you some | | | | piston rings takes please, which will help reduce oil |
| hints on what to do to preserve the life of your car. | | | | consumption for the life of the car. Also, be sure to |
| First of all, don't put off maintenance. Routine | | | | flush and change the oil after the first 1500 miles or |
| maintenance of your car is just like getting a physical | | | | so; this will eliminate microscopic bits of metal and grit |
| every year from the doctor; it's not that you expect | | | | that get shaken loose during the break in phase. |
| to find something wrong, but that you want to find | | | | After changing the oil, be sure to replace it with a |
| the small problems before they grow to become | | | | high quality synthetic motor oil. Synthetics are |
| large ones. In similar light, don't put off changing the | | | | formulated to maintain viscosity over a wider range |
| oil; remember when we talked about the wide range | | | | of temperatures, and to avoid high temperature |
| of temperatures your car undergoes in routine | | | | breakdowns and boil off. They produce fewer carbon |
| operations? Well, your oil is what protects the | | | | deposits, and retain their viscosity for up to three |
| moving parts of your car when it runs. Motor oil is | | | | times longer, and offer generally better protection |
| meant to coat the parts of the car and lubricate | | | | throughout their cycle. |
| them, and also transmits heat from friction and wear | | | | The other place where routine work and careful |
| and tear. The "clinginess" of oil to engine parts is its | | | | driving can greatly extend the life of your car is the |
| viscosity, and in general, engines are built and tuned | | | | transmission. Drive gently - avoid making sudden |
| to run within a certain range of engine oil viscosities | | | | starts and stops. After you're done with the break-in |
| and weights. | | | | period, try to maintain a constant speed when you |
| That lubrication effect from oil helps prevent the | | | | drive. It doesn't save any time to accelerate and |
| single biggest cause of engine damage: Grinding and | | | | break suddenly, but it does wear the engine out |
| wear from road grit, metal particles ground off from | | | | faster. Likewise, only change gears when you need |
| inside the engine and more. The oil traps these | | | | to - this prevents wear and tear on the transmission. |
| microscopic particles, and keeps them from abrading | | | | Like the advice above about engine oil, use a high |
| the surfaces. These accumulated particles, plus | | | | quality synthetic for your transmission fluid, and |
| carbon that's "cooked out" of the oil in high | | | | replace the transmission fluid early on a new car, for |
| temperature circumstances, form engine oil sludge, | | | | the same reasons you do your first oil change after |
| which is one of the things that regularly changing the | | | | 1500 miles. |
| oil, and running an engine cleaning test, clears up. | | | | |