The British public has always loved cars and we’re keeping our cars longer than ever before. At the end of 2020, licensed cars in Great Britain had an average age of nearly nine years.
Since we’re now holding onto our motors for almost a decade on average, reliability is one of the most important factors in buying a vehicle. Cars support us through the busy trials of modern life, so you need yours to stand up to whatever you throw at it. It’s hard to emphasise the inconvenience of needing to be somewhere only to be stuck with a difficult or expensive issue with your vehicle.
First things first: you should buy a reliable model to begin with. Visit a dependable dealership with motors from trusted brands, like Vauxhall cars in Norwich. If you get a vehicle that’s been built to stand the test of time, all your efforts to maintain it will be much more likely to pay off.
To avoid severe disruption to your routine, you need to know what makes a car reliable and how you can make your cat last longer. Read on to find out what to look out for.
Common car problems
Engine heat: Cars have cooling systems to keep the engines from overheating. Air alone won’t keep it cool, so they have radiators which circulate a liquid coolant (a mixture of antifreeze and water) around the engine. A fan is also installed to help the radiator stay cool. As there are so many components to the cooling system, any one of these can go wrong, cause overheating and then seriously damaging your car.
Transmission: Issues with gears in a car are common and yet incredibly dangerous.You may find that your gears slip, won’t budge, make clunking noises, or even emit a burning smell. Leaking of transmission fluid is a giveaway that you have an issue with automatic cars.
Battery: As people around the nation realised during the lockdowns, leaving a car unused for long periods doesn’t do the battery any good. Having to jump-start a car isn’t good for the battery or other vehicle systems long term.
How to make your car last longer
Refill the engine fluids often. Coolant and oil should be at a consistent level. Likewise, filters need to be changed out to avoid a clogged system.
Get your transmission serviced regularly. The fluid is a chemical and will therefore degrade, so it needs to be swapped out in 12,000-mile increments. This includes changing the filter. There’s no point changing fluid only to leave a congested filter.
Take your car out for a weekly spin to avoid needing to jump-start it when the battery goes flat.