Everyone wants to keep their car in perfect tip-top working order. This is why it is so important to take note of your car’s oil changes and to make sure it gets routine maintenance to keep things like the air filters, brake pads, belts and other parts of the car in good condition. Usually, there will be warning signs whenever there are problems with your car, which usually means there are things that you’re doing; or not doing, to your car that you should be aware of.

Today, if you’re the kind of driver who wants to keep your car for as long as possible, we’re looking at 4 unique ways that can make your car last longer.

1. Keep your car light

It’s no secret that a light car is a happy car. The less your car weighs, the better it will drive. This is because the more a car weighs, the harder the engine, transmission, brakes, and suspension have to work. Over the long term, this extra weight will cause an unnecessary strain to your car and you’ll probably see your car’s lifespan decrease. If possible, remove all excess stuff from your car and drive with only what is essential. That probably means you shouldn’t have an entire wardrobe at the boot of your car.

2. Keep your car revved

Being careful drivers, most of us don’t like to revv our cars. In fact, in normal driving, we don’t even have to revv up our engines too hard. Most modern cars are programmed to keep engine revolutions low for efficiency. However, studies have shown that while it's indisputable that high RPMs burn fuel faster and increase strain on components, it's actually good for the engine to revv up occasionally. This can help to clean out carbon deposits that can foul the valves, throttle body, intake manifold, and the combustion chamber itself, as untreated carbon buildups can cause misfires, reduce performance, and require extensive work to clean. Yes, while revving your car it will waste some petrol, but it's an easy way to make your engine last longer.

3. Keep your car clean

Yes, while this is not exactly the first thing you would consider when taking care of your car, keeping your car clean does more than just making your car look nice. Washing your car helps your car last longer by cleaning away contaminants that cause corrosion. While you have paint that protects your car's body panels from rusting, it’s what under the paint that is continually exposed to water, dirt, and grime that forms rust. Most cars have drainage points so rust-causing water can drip out from the chassis, exhaust, suspension, and other hardware under your car, but you still need to give your car a good wash often so that you can properly clear out those unwanted bits.

4. Keep your car slow

We’re not talking about driving slowly. Malaysian lifestyles have always been rushing to work to avoid the traffic jams, and your car is the one bearing the brunt of that rushing. A car needs time to get ready when you start it up, instead of driving off immediately. After a few hours of sitting, motor oil, which lubricates the parts in your engine, cools and sinks to the bottom. When you start the engine, the oil pump distributes oil through the engine, but it takes time for all the parts to get oiled up. Driving immediately after start-up increases friction between tightly-packed engine components, wearing them out faster. The best thing to do is to give your car about 30-60 seconds after starting the engine to let the engine oil get up to temperature and flow through the engine.

So there you have it. Some unique ways to take care of your car that not many people have thought about. However, take note that even if you take great care of your car, parts are bound to wear out and need replacement eventually. Don’t try to save money and bring your car to a qualified mechanic to make repairs with high-quality components. This is because using cheap parts or not maintaining your car regularly is only going to damage it in the long run.

Unique Ways to Make Your Car Last Longer

1. Keep your car light

2. Keep your car revved

3. Keep your car clean

4. Keep your car slow