Who has not ever dreamed of reaching a million kilometers in his car? The truth is that sure that many of us have this ever happened to us, but Would you hold our car? What should we consider and what elements should we pay special attention to achieve? Following the recommendations that we will provide throughout this article and that the digital magazine Autofácil.es has published in an interesting report, we cannot assure you that you will get it. Still, you will be much closer to that happening.
What habits can harm the mechanics of our car and how to avoid them?
Make a bad shoot with a new car:
The internal combustion engines formed by a large number of metal elements, many of which need to constantly lubricate with oil, which in turn needs an adaptation period of approximately 1,000 kilometers to fit properly together. It recommended to step on the accelerator progressively and facilitating that the revolutions increase smoothly. Besides, it did not advise to use more than half of the accelerator pedal travel.
Do not check oil levels:
Not checking the oil level periodically, it could mean staying if he and surely we would end up having a fluffy engine, totally unusable. Therefore, it is important to know that every 2,500 kilometers should check the oil level, to verify that it is adequate and that both viscosity and color are within the “normal” parameters.
Speed up the fuel reserve:
Although we use quality fuels, they have impurities that, thanks to the filter, do not reach the engine of our car, but that over time tend to accumulate at the bottom of the tank. Rushing the reserve can cause the fuel pump to end up sucking these impurities and that they end up obstructing the passage of fuel, generating significant breakdowns in the injectors.
Short trips with the cold engine:
When the vehicle is stationary for several hours, such as when we leave it when returning from work and take it the next morning to go back to it, the oil pump needs a few minutes to be able to lubricate the entire circuit well. That is why short distances of approximately one kilometer can be detrimental to the engine if they made without “preheating.” It is advisable to leave the engine idling to prevent breakdowns in the future, between 10 and 30 seconds, before starting the ride.
What details, according to experts, should we never forget?
As we have mentioned in the first point, we must be careful with the shooting, although some manufacturers indicate that at present, it is no longer necessary to do so. If during the first 1,000 kilometers of the vehicle, we pay special attention to the advice indicated above, the engine and gearbox of our new car will be prepared to hold many thousands of kilometers.
We must prevent the engine from turning more than 70 or 75% of its maximum speed for a long period. In gasoline engines, this will not exceed 5,000 laps, while in a diesel, we will not have to reach 3,400 rpm. If necessary, there is no problem, we can overcome these regimes, but we must avoid doing so on an ongoing basis.
For those of us who usually do mostly urban driving, it recommended that we carry out oil changes since, in these conditions, the degradation is much more noticeable. Besides, it is convenient to do the same with the air filter and that of the passenger compartment, since the pollution of the city also causes them to lose efficiency in less time.
It is necessary to respect the maintenance scheduled by the manufacturer. In those cases that are required, the replacement of parts that have reached a certain mileage or after certain years need to be changed. In addition, after 100,000 kilometers, a review of the injectors and the lubrication circuit should be carried out and, if necessary, a cleaning thereof.
The ECO mode and driving the vehicle in this way in excess is also not beneficial for the long-term engine. The regimes must be within the maximum torque range, between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm in diesel, and between 1,750 and 3,500 rpm in turbocharged gasoline. Therefore, we should not rely on the gear change indicator as it always seeks maximum efficiency at the level of emissions, but not concerning the life of our engine. The best advice, when changing gears, is that while you drive “listen” to your engine to know what it needs at all times.
If we have a diesel car, we should never use biodiesel since this type of fuel can cause damage to the feeding system. Many manufacturers prohibit its use and who warn that doing so may result in losing the warranty.