BROADCASTS.com

b"With David Muhlbaum, Kiplinger\\u2019s online editor and resident car expert
Knowing how to take care of your car can prolong its life and save you money.
David Muhlbaum is the online editor for Kiplinger magazine, covering business forecasting and taxes along with the unusual subject of car maintenance for which, as he says, his degree in American literature qualified him not one bit.
Your car manual and your mechanic are your 2 best friends\\u2026for the first 100,000 miles.
David\\u2019s advice for keeping your car running in optimal condition for the first 100,000 miles is simple:\\xa0 pay attention to the maintenance schedule as stated in your car\\u2019s manual and find a good mechanic.
Very close to or just after hitting the 100,000 mark, David encourages you to check the health of the timing belt and related parts which, if not attended to in time, can result in a multi-thousand-dollar replacement bill.
Getting to that second 100,000 miles.
After your car exceeds 100,000 miles, your manual won\\u2019t be of much help, so that\\u2019s the time your trusted mechanic and your diligence will pay off if you want to ride your vehicle all the way to the 200,000-mile marker. During this phase, David says it\\u2019s imperative to be proactive with your own maintenance schedule and, this being the technology age, there\\u2019s usually a Youtube video to answer and help diagnose any issue you might have.
Make a checklist and check often.
Monitoring your car\\u2019s condition is somewhat like knowing your own body: Your car has a certain sound, a certain feel, so any change should be a red flag to take notice, and David says to use your senses as a guide:
Do you hear a rattle?
Do you see a stain from underneath when you pull out?
Is there a strange smell coming from the engine?
Are your lights including turn signals working?
Paying attention to these warning signs can save you time and money.
How and when to change the oil.
Contrary to the standard concept of changing the oil every 3,000 miles, David explains it\\u2019s more important to do so according to the instructions in your owner\\u2019s manual
And although we\\u2019re hardly talking about whether to use \\xa0extra-virgin olive oil from Italy or Spain for your salad, the decision between using synthetic (which is better, but more expensive) or standard oil will most likely be determined by price. The important thing is to remember to stay on schedule with your oil changes.
Say \\u201cno\\u201d to short trips.
David explains \\u201cThat fuel contains water and some of that water will get into your car's oil and exhaust system every time the engine runs.\\xa0 On a longer trip, the car's engine gets hot and burns that unburnt fuel and other contaminants out of the oil, out of the engine, out of the exhaust.\\xa0 That's a good thing that it's gone\\u201d
So no \\u201cstop and go\\u201d jaunts if you want to extend the life of your car.
If 50 is the new 30 in our youth-oriented culture, then David Muhlbaum sees no reason why 200,000 can\\u2019t be the new 100,000 for the life of your car."