1. Change your oil regularly.
If you're handy, do it yourself. Otherwise have someone do it for you every few thousand miles. This will improve gas mileage, and better protect your engine. Change your oil filter when you change you oil. There's no sense in putting clean oil through a dirty filter. Doing this will make it possible to make your car last 200,000+ miles.
2. Change the air filter.
This is something you can do yourself, at home, with very little tools. How to change your own air filter. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, have someone do it when you get regularly serviced. This should be changed around every 12,000 miles or sooner if you're in an area that has a lot of dust, and dirt. You can buy a filter at just about any car store, and they usually have a book to look up your car and get part numbers. If not, ask an associate and they can look it up for you and help you out. A dirty, dusty filter can result in lower gas mileage. It also helps your car breath better when it's a clean filter. Most cars actually have two air filters.. Quite a few people don't know about the second one. The second one is a Cabin Air Filter. Usually located behind the glove box. You'd just pop the glove box out, remove the housing for it and take the air filter out. How to change your own cabin air filter. This air filter is a little different than the one in your engine bay. Cabin air filters help keep pollen, dust, soot, odors and exhaust gases out of your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. A dirty air filter can impede air flow and cause heating and cooling problems. These filters should be changed every 12,000-15,000 miles or more often if you live in high pollution areas.
3. Check your fluids.
You should check the levels of your antifreeze, oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and clutch fluid(on a manual transmission) on a regular basis. Watch for leaks when your car has been sitting in one place for a while. Even if it's not leaking, leaks can quickly form and bring your fluids down to a dangerous level. If something is low or something is a wierd color(see proper fluid colors), I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic. Might end up costing you $20 or $50, but it's better than a few THOUSAND dollars if you wait and something stops working.
4. Flush fluids when needed.
Power steering fluid, brake fluid, and anti-freeze need to be flushed every so often. Refer to your owners manual for specific mileage. Flushing can get a little expensive.. But a car is an expensive investment. $100-$200 now is better than having to end up replacing a lot of parts that will cost $100-$200 A PIECE. It's recommended to flush about every two years. Newer cars generally allow longer intervals between flushes. Change transmission fluid and filter at least every 50,000 miles or other if your owners manual tells you. If your car has over 50,000 miles on it, it's usually best NOT to change your transmission fluid.. Consult a mechanic if this is the case. (Preferably a reliable one that wont tell you "Yeah.. It needs to be changed. Let's do it. That'll be this much money. Thanks for your business.")
5. Wash your car.
Sounds kinda silly, but washing your car will protect you from more harm than you think. Road salt, sludge, and other pollution can eat away at your clear coat and your car's paint. Without regular cleaning, it will only take about four years to notice signs of rust forming. People that live near oceans or gulf shorelines should be more careful about there car. Around oceans and gulf shorelines there is a higher chance you'll encounter salty road sand, and morning dew. Salt = Corrosion.
6. Use your parking brake.
Even if your car has an automatic transmission, use your parking break, especially while parked on inclines. It keeps the brakes adjusted in the rear of the car and make them last longer. Do not use your parking brake in the winter, as it will freeze and will be stuck until it thaws out.
7. Properly maintain your tires.
Rotate your tires. Rotating your tires will help reduce uneven wear and tear on your tires, resulting in a longer life of your tires. Refer to owners manual for intervals, and pattern in which to rotate the tires. Keep the tires inflated. Under-inflated tires can make tires wear up to 15% faster, and reduces gas mileage.
8. Don't fill up when you see a tanker.
When you go to the gas station to fill up, if there's a gasoline tanker filling the underground tanks, RUN. Go back the next day or go to a different gas station. When the tanks are getting refilled, the pressure of the gasoline going into them can stir up sediment. Sediment can clog your fuel filter and fuel injector, causing poor performance and possibly requiring repairs.
9. Lighten up your keychain.
The more keys, trinkets, and other thing you have on your key ring, the more it weighs. The weight, mixed with the bouncing from the road can wear out the tumblers in the ignition, and eventually lead to ignition switch failure. To add years of life to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your key from the rest of the weight on the key ring. If your ignition key ever 'sticks' when you try to start the car, it's a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it to avoid being stranded.
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