Your car needs lubricants and fluids to work effectively. One of them is coolant that’s needed to absorb excess heat and dispose it outside the car with the help of a fan. Coolant has specific lifespan and this could depend on the brand of coolant that you use. If you choose coolant with good quality, it may last for about 100,000 miles. Coolant will slowly break down and it needs to be replaced. Coolant also contains various additives, like rust inhibitors. The inner surface of the cooling system is susceptible to rust and if you just use water, the rate of corrosion could slowly degrade the internal systems.
Due to the normal operations inside the car, it is possible that the coolant will start to turn acidic. This is not a good thing, because the coolant is interacting with metal surface all the time. This will cause the rate of corrosion to increase. Rust could steadily clog the passage inside the radiator. When it happens, your car engine could become hotter. When the engine overheats, it is possible that some parts, like rings and head gaskets will warp. This is especially true for cars that have more aluminium parts. Aluminium is more susceptible to high temperature compared to cast iron. So, it is important for you to regularly check the coolant level and the condition of the coolant is still acceptable. It is important for you to have steady schedule for replacing the coolant.
Transmission fluid is also needed to lubricate delicate components inside the transmission block. The fluid also works as a coolant and it is needed to efficiently transmit power. In general, manual transmission is simpler than the automatic one. Both require different kinds of oil. However, the fluid for automatic transmission tends to degrade more quickly, because it is more vulnerable to heat exposure. If you don’t change transmission fluids regularly, there will be higher level of metal dust. If it happens, the fluid will become abrasive and cause small components to fail because they are badly eroded. You should make sure that the transmission life is longer, because changing the whole transmission can be quite expensive.
You should also regularly check the fluid for the power steering system. The fluid is needed to make sure that the pump and the piston work properly. There are many components that need to be lubricated to make sure that you can turn the wheel smoothly. Also, the fluid for your steering system won;t last forever and it needs to be replaced. If the fluid becomes too contaminated, o-rings could wear out first and they will eventually break apart. When the power steering fluid goes bad, the pump will wear out and work harder. Again, it is far cheaper to replace the power steering fluid than replacing the whole power steering strum. You should regularly ask the mechanic to check the power steering fluid, whether it is still in good condition or not. By checking and replacing fluids regularly, you can make sure that your car will last longer.
