A couple of people have asked if I were having car trouble since I blogged about it on Wednesday. Actually, my Camry is running very well thanks to my neighbor, Dan, (Thanks, Dan!) and a set of new tires from Sears. This particular Camry is a 2001 model and one thing about the newer cars is reliability. For many models, 100,000 miles is the first tune up – considerably more than maintenance intervals of cars of 20 years ago. My Camry will pass 300,000 miles sometime in the next week.
Internally, improvements in creature comforts and technology have found their way into the cabins of contemporary cars. Today’s cars are the most comfortable ever produced. Instrument displays and access to switches are easier and better designed. As few as seven or eight years ago, who would have imagined that we would be navigating roadways using information from satellites? The Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system is revolutionizing the way we make our way around on the surface, in the air, and at sea.
Yes, today’s cars are remarkable and a corollary to how remarkable is the price involved in acquiring one and using it. With the average cost of buying a new car approaching and passing $20,000, it is an investment second only to the purchase of a home. As such, new owners must take certain precautions to avoid costly repairs. It is possible to drive a car a decade or more without a major repair. The key to this is routine and regular maintenance.
With proper maintenance, driving a car more than 100,000 miles without a major breakdown will be commonplace. Some motorists have reported reaching more than 200,000 miles without serious service difficulties. The key is accomplishing the recommended preventative maintenance.
The first thing a car needs is fuel, of course. You must keep fuel in the tank to avoid engine failure on that proverbial dark and stormy night. There are two basic grades of fuel and you should use the one recommended for the car in the Owner’s Manual.
One kind of gas is regular unleaded, which has an octane rating of 87. Most cars designed for this lower grade of fuel run very well on this gas, which is also cheaper. The higher-octane fuel, premium, is appropriate for the higher compression engines found in some sports cars and luxury autos. Premium unleaded costs more than regular unleaded and for most engines, provides no additional benefits.
The time to fill the car’s tank is when the fuel gauge reaches one-quarter of a tank. The reason for filling the tank before it hits empty is that any sediment in the bottom of the tank will remain in the tank. If the driver allows the fuel level to fall closer to empty, some sediment or other debris may reach the engine or clog the fuel line filter.
Another concern is water or ice in the car’s gas tank. Water will make the engine run rough and may even cause it to quit. To avoid this, pouring an additive into the gas will eliminate unwanted moisture from the fuel system, which will also prevent ice from forming.
Another system requiring owner attention is the oil supply. Oil is the lifeblood of any engine. It has two basic functions: it lubricates the metal parts moving against one another and keeps the engine cool by controlling heat due to friction. Once a week, you should check the oil levels of the engine and transmission. To do this, pull out the dipstick and see where the level is. Typically, there is an operating range marked on the stick; as long as the oil level is within that range, it is acceptable for operation. If it is below the bottom range, add a quart of oil. Avoid over-filling.
If you change the oil in your engine every 3000 to 4000 miles, keep your other fluid levels at the appropriate levels and changed at the recommended intervals, you should have no problem reaching a quarter million miles. And here is the great little secret about reaching 200,000 to 300,000 miles: spreading cost over that many miles drastically reduces the price per mile.
The IRS allows fifty cents per mile as the operating cost of a vehicle. Newer cars, trucks, and SUVs may cost as much as $1.50 per mile in operation costs.
Over the life of the Camry, I have figured my cost has dropped to about $0.18 or $0.19 per mile.
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© 2011 J. Clark
