Don't Learn the Hard Way!

Carmakers are not always right and their goal is not to make your vehicle last as long as possible.

FACT: It costs less in the long run to take good car of your car, drive it gently and keep it as long as possible, than it costs to buy new cars every three or four years. In fact, the savings can be $2,000 to $3,00 per year for life.

Carmakers want their new cars to appear maintenance-free, which helps rationalize their purchase. Automakers would like you to buy a new care every three to four years, since they make most of their profit by selling cars, not servicing them.

Cars and lubricants today are of much better quality than years ago. This equates to cars that, with proper care, will last longer and not need maintenance quite as often.

However, based on my experience, today's cars are built much lighter using many aluminum and other dissimilar materials, and as a result, don't seem to handle abuse quite as well. The most common major problem we see is engine damage due to overheating.

To read the full story, download the December 2009 newsletter here.