When it comes to caring for high maintenance cars, our expert professionals can help. For more than a century, we at Fort Mitchell Garage have continued to provide high-quality, affordable auto body repair and maintenance services to drivers and car owners in the Park Hills, KY, area. This includes handling high-mileage vehicles to help keep them running for a long time.

It’s especially important in this economy to continue to save money. Caring for your high-mileage car properly will help you save a lot of money in the long run. Here are a few great tips from our trained technicians on the best ways to care for your high-mileage vehicle:

• Fluids: The truth is, the fluids in your car are the most important aspects. They help your car run properly. Checking all of your fluids, from brake fluid to coolant, on a regular basis will help keep your high-mileage vehicle running smoothly for a long time. As the vehicle ages and accumulates miles, leaks can develop in cooling systems, power steering systems, brakes, air conditioning, transmissions and engines. Also, engines can begin to burn oil so the oil level goes down without leaving a trace. Only by regularly checking the oil level will this kind of oil loss be detected.
• Brakes:Brakes need ongoing maintenance. They wear down eventually and should be checked and replaced every 30,000 to 70,000 miles. Drums and rotors should also be checked routinely.
• Belts: Timing belts can last for up to 100,000 miles or more, (some manufacturers recommend replacing them @ 90K) but having them checked along with the serpentine belt and accessory drive belts once your mileage reaches a certain point will help save time & money when they do need to be replaced. By the way, an engine can be severely damaged or destroyed if the timing belt fails while driving on some models, so replacing the timing belt at the manufacturer’s recommended interval is always the safest bet!
• Tires: It’s important to keep the tire pressure at optimum levels, as well as making sure the tread depth is good on them. Driving on low-pressure tires, or bald tires, can affect your car’s safety, performance, fuel economy and comfort and prematurely wear front end and steering components.
• Lines & Hoses: After 10 or so years of exposure to winter salt, brine and dirt, brake and fuel lines can begin to corrode eventually, causing brake fluid or fuel leaks. We have observed that in the last few years the highway crews put down a liquid prior to snow or ice storms to prevent road icing. These chemicals are highly corrosive and we believe they are reducing the life of fuel & brake lines that run under the car. Regular inspection of these critical components can prevent a catastrophic brake failure or fuel leak.

These are just a few of the many ways to help maintain your high-mileage vehicle. If you have a car with high miles and want a trusted auto repair shop to help you maintain it, contact us today by calling (859) 431-3326. You can also visit our  website to find out more about the Fort Mitchell Garage team.