High Mileage Car Maintenance Tips
The not-so secret when it comes to cars is that if you want to get the most out of them, you need to make sure you maintain them properly. High mileage cars require more maintenance to keep them on the road. The good news is you probably have no car payment. The think you need to watch out for is keeping your car maintained so you can enjoy it for a long time.
The average age of a car on the road today is over 11 years, and today’s cars can hit 200,000 or even 300,000 miles if properly maintained. If you want your high mileage car to keep performing for you, here is a high mileage car maintenance checklist that will help you make sure you are doing everything you can to extend the useful life of your car.
Believe us – we’ve heard a lot from customers over the years. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Oil Change
Everyone who owns a car knows you need to change the oil regularly, but it’s easy to neglect this maintenance requirement and let your car go longer than it should without an oil change. If you want your car to last, don’t let that happen. Change your oil when scheduled (every car is different, but typically the average is about 5,000 miles unless you are driving in some seriously demanding conditions), and switch to high-mileage motor oil when your car passes the 75,000-mile mark.
A couple of things we also recommend if you are trying to protect your high-mileage car: either Rislone Nano Prime Engine Oil + Performance Booster (synthetic formula, the best additive we’ve ever made), or our famous Rislone High-Mileage Engine Treatment (conventional oil base). Both have sold millions of bottles worldwide and have huge customer followings.
2. Check and Top Off or Replace Fluids
Of course, your oil isn’t the only fluid in your car, and every fluid needs to be there, in sufficient amounts and working as they should for your car to function properly. You should regularly check on your coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid and even windshield wiper fluid. Not only should you top off anything low, but if it seems particularly low, you will want to check for any leaks in your tanks or hoses. Repair or replace any leaks, and make sure to use anti-leak additive the next time you fill the tank. You also want to check the composition of your fluids. If they are the wrong color, thicker than expected, filled with buildup or smell unusual, you probably should change them out entirely.
3. Check and Replace Filters and Belts
A dirty filter can damage your car as much as low or bad fluids. Check your filters periodically and replace them if they are too dirty or old. While you are at it, make sure there are no belts, hoses or clamps that obviously need replaced and replace any that do.
4. Tires
Take good care of your tires, and they will take care of you. Make sure to rotate the tires when scheduled, keep them inflated to the correct air pressure and replace periodically. When your tires are in good shape, it puts less stress on the rest of the vehicle and can extend the life of your suspension. You have a much better chance of avoiding an accident on newer, properly inflated tires as well.
5. Wax and Wash
While regular waxing and washing may seem like a frivolous or superficial way to maintain a high-mileage car, there are actually some very important reasons to do it. Primary among these is waxing helps prevent rust, which is an ever-present danger with older cars. Getting your car a full detailing every couple years is literally worth its weight in gold – your car will look nearly-new for many years. Appearance technology (washes, waxes, protective polymers) have come a LONG way.
6. Battery Care
You can perform all kinds of maintenance on your high-mileage vehicle, but if the battery isn’t performing, your car won’t start and you’re not going anywhere. You may find you go through a few batteries with a high-mileage car, and it’s a good idea to take proper care of them so you can get the most out of each one. If you haven’t cleaned your battery in a while, make sure you do so through the following steps:
- Clean off any corrosion from the top of the battery and the cables. You can do this by dipping a non-metallic brush in a mix of baking soda and water.
- Disconnect the cables and use a post cleaner to get rid of any additional corrosion that formed around the cables or terminals.
- You will then want to check the electrolyte level. Open the cover to the battery cells and make sure the electrolyte fluid is about half an inch deep, adding distilled water if necessary. Use a hydrometer to test electrolyte levels.
- Get a battery maintainer to monitor the battery’s voltage and add charge if necessary if you won’t use your car for a while. If you don’t charge the battery by driving or using a battery charger every six weeks or so, you may find the car cannot start when you need it to.
7. Engine Treatment
Your engine is the beating heart of your car, which is why you need to employ regular, quality engine treatment for high mileage cars. One fairly simple way to take care of your engine is with an engine treatment product. Adding a good engine treatment to your oil or fuel tank can help eliminate the buildup of deposits, which can gum up your engine. These treatments clean up the gunk your engine may have collected over the years, resulting in less vibration, quieter operation and generally better performance.
Again, we recommend our famous Rislone High-Mileage Engine Treatment. It is perfect for any car, but especially high-mileage cars that need all the lubrication and protection help they can get.
8. Clean Fuel System
Fuel system cleaning for high mileage cars is an important maintenance area you don’t want to neglect. Your fuel injectors are one of the most important components of your car and probably have helped it last as long as it has. But if those fuel injectors get clogged with debris, they cannot deliver the proper fuel and air mix to your engine, which means greater stress on the engine and reduced performance. Adding the right fuel injector cleaner can get rid of those unwanted deposits so tour fuel injectors can work as intended. Fuel injector performance also tends to decrease if you live in an area that alternatives between summer and winter gas.
For the fuel system, we suggest Rislone Complete Fuel System Treatment (equivalent to six additives in one bottle). It’s the most effective fuel product we’ve ever made, and we’ve had many customers tell us it’s better than any other brand they’ve used. In fact, many Rislone employees here in Michigan use the product regularly in their cars.
Contact Rislone Today
Following these high mileage car maintenance tips should extend the life and performance of your vehicle. If you are using engine treatments and fuel system cleaners, you want to make sure you’re using the highest-quality products possible. You will find great fuel cleaners, high-performance oil treatments, engine treatments, stop leak products and similar products of the quality that professionals use with Rislone. Locate a distributor of Rislone products near you by using our store locator, and if you have any specific questions, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
