Keeping Your Car Running

Liz Crenshaw, 6/1/09


The numbers are in and it's official, americans are holding on to their vehicles longer, an average 9.4 years according to aaa.  So what does it take to keep your older car running and off the side of the road.  Liz Crenshaw is on automotive duty for us tonight.

U.S. Auto sales are at their lowest level in 28 years meaning lots of drivers are holding on to their cars for dear life. So tonight we're turning the key on what it takes to keep your car running.

Who, besides your mechanic, likes it when you spend money on auto maintenance?  Well aaa Mid-Atlantic says you should actually like it or at least like the ultimate results.

Jeff boone, aaa mid-atlantic
Well in the economy people start cutting back on dollar expenditures.  What they don't realize is they're doing irreparable damage in the future.

Crenshaw
Jeff boone of aaa mid-atlantic says if you want to keep your car running longer, you need to stick to the basics of car maintenance.  Let's start with tires which can save you money immediately.

Boone
If you keep the tire pressure inflated properly, you're going to get better fuel economy.  


Crenshaw
You must also pay attention to tire tread. If lincoln's head disappears in your tread, you're still good to go. If not, you're treading dangerously.   Up next, air filters.

Boone
If your air filter is dirty, your engine can't breathe. If it can't breathe it's causing harm. It's stressing the engine.

Crenshaw
Dirty air filters are an easy and cheap fix,  as low as $10 installed.  Battery cable maintenance is another cheap fix, it's free if you remove any corrosion off the cables yourself. Another cheap fix is wiper blades.

Boone
In the least amount of rain, you should be able to turn your wipers on and they should be able to clear the windshield in one sweep.

Crenshaw
New wiper blades cost as little as $7.  And don't forget the windshield wiper fluid while you're at it.  Next comes the engine oil, the lifeblood of your motor. It needs changing about every 3 months or 35-hundred miles. And if you don't,

Boone
Then the engine dies and you're looking at thousands of dollars. The least expensive one is going to be 2-thousand.

Crenshaw
And don't forget a new oil filter. And then there's antifreeze and coolant.

Boone
The newer fluids not only lubricate the system, they keep it from overheating. They keep it from freezing, and do so for longer periods of life.

Crenshaw
Now when's the last time you thought about fluids?  Dirty power steering fluid looks black like this. Fresh power steering fluid looks clear like this. Dirty transmission fluid looks black like this.  Clean transmission fluid looks red like this. And brake fluid should look clear like this.  At Gill's automotive in Rockville, the mechanics show you what clean fluid should look like.  Your mechanic should do the same. 

Now here's something you probably only heard about, a timing belt. It lasts about 90-thousand miles, but if it fails,

Boone
You could end up with internal damage to the valve train of the engine, and if that happens you're talking again into the thousands of dollars.

Crenshaw
There are other parts on vehicles that need maintenance but a well maintained car should give you two to 300-thousand miles of service.  If you trust you mechanic, jeff boone says you should heed his advice or else, 

Boone
As i'm driving by you and you're setting on the side of the road, remember you didn't fix it before it broke. Now you have to fix it because it's broke.
 

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