HOW TO MAKE MY CAR LAST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
Q: My Camry (2.0L I4 EFI) has 189,998 miles on it and it is running like a charm; all the things that I believe need to be replaced have been. I'm not going to be able to invest in another car for a while since I'm in college. Therefore, I'm going to need this car to last close to forever until I get a good job with some formidable income. I was wondering if there are any tips you could suggest for me to keep this thing running like the energizer bunny..?
A: Add an auxiliary transmission cooler. Pick a core up at a junkyard for $5-15usd, two 5/16" brass T fittings, 8 small hose clamps, zip ties, 5/16" oil hose.
Flush the transmission fluid every other year, or drain the pan every other oil change.
Change the oil every 5,000 miles - 6 months for dino oil, 7500-10,000 miles - 10 months for good synthetics. If your engine is one that is prone to sludge, shorten the above intervals appropriately (see first post in this thread).
Clean oil pan & screen, transmission pan & screen & change transmission filter every 5 years.
Rotate tires every oil change, twice if you're using a long life synthetic.
Clean the inside of the upper portion of the intake manifold, throttle plate, ISC/IAC valve(idle valve), and EGR valve yearly.
Change differential fluid every four years.
Flush the brake system with fresh DOT3, DOT4, or DOT4+/DOT5.1 every three years.
Change the fluid in the power steering reservoir every year, or flush the power steering system every other year (
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t19334.html ).
Flush the cooling system every other year, or drain yearly.
Change radiator cap<s> & thermostat every 5 years.
Change PCV valve every 5 years.
Change O2 sensor<s> before 100,000 miles accumulates.
Change cat convertor before 100,000 miles accumulates.
Change distributor cap & rotor every other spark plug change (120,000 miles).
Check belts yearly, change belts when needed, change all belts (including timing belt) every 90,000 miles. Replace the water pump every other timing belt change.
Otherwise, just keep track of things. Like CV boots, things you need to grease, seals that can leak etc.
Use only NGK, or Denso spark plugs. Might as well be the generic $1 versions, as they last over the specified change time.
If spark plug wires ever become damaged, only replace with OEM wires, or high quality wires.
Lightly spray your CV boots with silicone lubricant when you're under the car for each oil change. Get as much of the surface shiny as you can. They will last a long time.
Pay attention to the body lube points and check the torque the chassis bolts as recommended by Toyota.
Make sure you use a high quality air filter. Some are very coarse and let in alot of abrasive dust. They do this in the name of high-performance, but other real hp filters are much better. Oil-wetted elements are the best (AMSOIL, TRD, etc). They actually trap the dust in the oil and prevent it from bouncing off the filter element.
Wash off the bottom of the car, wheel wells, bottom of engine compartment, etc a couple of times after salt exposure in the winter. As long as it's really cold, the salt is not too harmful. Once it has warmed above freezing, wash it off as soon as you can, at least once.
Wax your paint at least once a year before winter. More often is better. Use a good quality wax (I like Meguires, but there are alot of good ones).
Get the carbon out of your combustion chambers periodically - maybe every 100k or so. SeaFoam is quite good for this. Adding some to the gas (or Techron) once in a while is a good idea to minimize deposits on the injectors.
Watch all your fluid levels often. Even if they never change, if one of them suddenly start dropping, it is much better to catch it now than when something starts making noise.
To state the obvious: Drive your car like you want it to last. Everything else being equal, the harder you drive it, the less miles it will have in it.
(Thanks to Toysrme for alot of the above recommendations)
See also hints in
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=449003