Troubleshooter: Time to extend your fleet’s lifecycle?

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If you’re like the average Canuck, you’re likely keeping your vehicle for almost 10 years before trading up. And if our winters and road-salt addiction weren’t taken into account, we frugal road warriors would likely stretch that to a dozen years or so. But just in case you haven’t heard, new and used vehicle supplies are in a bit of turmoil these days thanks to semiconductor shortages, and things aren’t expected to get back to normal until well into next year. So unless you really enjoy paying full retail (or more) for your next ride, or settling for equipment packages you don’t like, you might be better off by stretching the lifecycle of your current auto. So, if you’re faced with driving the family or personal transport another year or so, what can you do to ensure things don’t go off the rail?

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Get your vehicle’s maintenance up to date. This doesn’t necessarily mean having a total overhaul or spending thousands. Sit down with your regular auto service provider and review your ride’s maintenance and repair history along with factory recommended intervals. There are some common forgotten fluids, for example, that many drivers ignore the replace intervals on. Think of things like automatic transmission fluids (and filters) or axle gear lubricants on light trucks.

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Arrange for a complete vehicle inspection. Ask your service consultant to make it as thorough as needed based on the vehicle’s age, mileage, and history, and let them know roughly how long you wish to extend your ownership of it. Even a cursory scan of the auto’s diagnostic system isn’t going overboard and generally won’t cost much extra on top of the inspection.

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Depending on the current condition of your vehicle and its maintenance history, you might expect to see your shop a little more often than in the past. Extending a ride’s lifespan doesn’t mean extending its service intervals. You really want to minimize the risk of an unexpected breakdown. Think about it; buying a replacement vehicle in a panic situation often leads to bad decisions at the best of times. These are nowhere near the best of times.

Get it detailed. It might just be cosmetic, but a lot of our relationships with our vehicles involve emotions and nothing can improve those affairs like a facelift. A professional cleaning and detailing job is probably one of the lower auto maintenance bills you might pay, but it can reap rewards by helping you live more happily with the extended lifespan of your daily wheeled partner.