How to keep a car in good shape for a long time

[catherine]

My last 2 cars died in accidents (not serious ones for anyone other than the car. Only one did I have fault in and it was because I needed new glasses! So that's my advice - get a yearly optometry appointment, don't procrastinate it.

Haha!! Good advice, ANM! I think of that sometimes. There are only so many things I can control, and accidents, by definition, are not one of those things. I just had an ophthalmology exam a couple of weeks ago, so I think I'm good for a few months on that.

[Rogar]

I have heard bits and pieces about the big batteries dying after sometime and are very expensive to replace, but never seen any hard evidence of that. I think anymore most cars that are well maintained and not abused should go well past your mileage. For me there has come a time when little vehicle problems become more frequent and more expensive to fix, and finally it becomes something or a nuisance or worry to keep up.

[iris lilies]

Many moons ago (the early '80s) my aunt had to deal with hail damage to her car. The small town she lived in in western kansas had suffered a major storm with baseball sized hail. (my cousin ran out and grabbed a few pieces and stored them in the freezer, so I know that they were actually this big...) Everyone in town who didn't have their car under cover when the storm hit had a broken windshield and back window plus multiple dents all over the body of the car. At the time someone suggested using dry ice to get the dents out of the body. Apparently if the dent didn't reach the edge of the metal the cold from the dry ice would cause the metal to contract and 'fix' itself. People trying to game the insurance system would have the insurance adjuster value the cost to fix it first and then use dry ice afterwards to reduce the real cost of fixing it.

Hail storms create a bonanza of used cars cheap for those car buyers who are not picky about how their car looks.

[Gardnr]

Consider a portable cover garage type piece to protect from weather, sun and trees? https://www.shelterlogic.com/shop/ar...nyl-stoneygrey

I drive just 3500-5k per year. Every 2 years, my car gets a full 30k checkup. Tires checked at the store where I purchased, free of charge (mine can't be rotated as front/back are different).

I found this article on Prius batteries: https://www.torquenews.com/8113/one-...hybrid-battery

Best of luck!!!

[Alan]

Hail storms create a bonanza of used cars cheap for those car buyers who are not picky about how their car looks.

The best deal we ever got on a new car was due to hail damage. In 1994 a hail storm damaged every car on the local Saab dealer's lot, they collected insurance payments for their losses and then steeply discounted the sale price on each one. We picked up a new 94 Saab at a $9,000 discount and then paid the dealer about $2,000 to take out all the dents and repair any paint damage. My wife loved that car.

[Teacher Terry]

When we first moved to Kansas a guy we met at a resort told us to put our cars out of the garage in a hail storm to get a big payment from the insurance. My husband and I looked at him weirdly. Some people will do anything for a free buck.

[Tybee]

Catherine, my son's in-laws put up a pre fab garage--I saw it yesterday and it looks fine, and it would do the job protecting their car. They used a Maine mini-barn company, and it was delivered and assembled in a day. It was pretty cheap, too, as I recall.

You could cute it up. I would love one for a studio.

[catherine]

Consider a portable cover garage type piece to protect from weather, sun and trees? https://www.shelterlogic.com/shop/ar...nyl-stoneygrey

I drive just 3500-5k per year. Every 2 years, my car gets a full 30k checkup. Tires checked at the store where I purchased, free of charge (mine can't be rotated as front/back are different).

I found this article on Prius batteries: https://www.torquenews.com/8113/one-...hybrid-battery

Best of luck!!!

Gardnr, thanks for that article! Highly informative

Also, thanks, Gardnr and Tybee, for the quick-install carport/garage ideas. Worth considering, although we have such limited space here, I'd have to think carefully bout how to integrate it into our yard.

Then there's the option of one of those car covers, I suppose. My MIL was SO careful of her belongings--she kept her car in a garage but she ALSO covered her car every night with a combination of 2 sheets perfectly sized for the whole car, front to back. She said it was because the cat from next door used to get into the garage and walk on the car. She treated that car like a baby. So I was thinking, maybe one of those stretchy covers would protect from the elements.

[beckyliz]

In addition to good maintenance, I suggest being a prudent driver - easy on the gas, easy on the breaks, no crazy high speeds, etc. I drive like what I am, an old(er) woman, lol.

[Gardnr]

Gardnr, thanks for that article! Highly informative

Also, thanks, Gardnr and Tybee, for the quick-install carport/garage ideas. Worth considering, although we have such limited space here, I'd have to think carefully bout how to integrate it into our yard.

Then there's the option of one of those car covers, I suppose. My MIL was SO careful of her belongings--she kept her car in a garage but she ALSO covered her car every night with a combination of 2 sheets perfectly sized for the whole car, front to back. She said it was because the cat from next door used to get into the garage and walk on the car. She treated that car like a baby. So I was thinking, maybe one of those stretchy covers would protect from the elements.

THe issue with those is you'll still have to clear snow, shake off rain, potential for hail damage etc.......with the more rigid "carport" idea, none of that occurs.