Extending the Life of Your Engine

Of all the essential components of your automobile, it doesn’t get more important than the engine. Not only does the engine provide power to the car’s various systems, but it charges the battery, which makes non-essential systems like the radio a possibility. Attending to the maintenance of the car, then, (especially the engine), should be one of the highest priorities for any car owner. Luckily, the team of professionals at Master Muffler is more than capable of providing exceptional car repair service to any make and model’s engine. 

While we highly recommend making a scheduled trip to our auto repair shop in West Valley at least twice a year (though preferably once a quarter in order to attend to your car’s fluids and filters), there is still much that a responsible car owner can do on their end to ensure that their engine is running in top shape. 

Protecting the Longevity of Your Engine

There have always been two dominant methods for learning one’s way around a topic they don’t know: being taught by someone who has experience and learning correct principles through trial and error. With regards to a vehicle, the latter method can cause a multitude of avoidable auto repair costs, while the former method may take more time than a medium like this blog article may allow. That’s why none of the suggestions listed below are “mechanic-centric” techniques. None of these necessarily require the driver to know their way around a wrench, but they do constitute more of an “inner philosophy” regarding the upkeep of your car’s most important component.

1. Drive Frequently But Make Longer Trips. It is not good for your car’s engine to sit idle for too long; any of the car’s fluids that have been allowed to go unused for any significant period will take longer to become roadworthy again, and may end up choking fuel and air filters with the particulates that have accumulated in a stagnant car. Also, the frequent warming up and cooling down undergone by the engine on short trips can ultimately be harmful. In this sense, allowing the engine to run for longer at its regular temperature is better.
2. Stay On Top of Oil Changes. Motor oil is one of the most important elements in keeping the engine running cleanly and smoothly by keeping the essential gears and parts properly lubricated. Most auto manufacturers recommend getting the oil changed every 5,000 – 7,000 miles, but we would also recommend using synthetic oil when possible. 
3. Don’t Forget To Change Filters, Too. As mentioned in the first entry, the air and fuel filters shouldn’t be allowed to get too clogged with debris. The air filter isn’t meant to protect you from harmful breathing air, but rather to protect the engine from air full of microparticles that may harm the air/fuel mixture. Likewise, the fuel filter will protect the engine from gasoline that has become bogged down with dirt, rocks, and other undesirable debris.
4. Don’t Rev the Engine. We all remember the movies and TV shows that depicted intense drivers flexing their metaphorical driving muscles by revving their engines before the starting pistol goes off. In reality, this practice can be harmful to the engine. Revving was a technique in the past to quickly warm up the engine after a cold start so that it performed better on the road. Today, modern engines don’t need that type of encouragement. Driving at a measured pace while the engine is warming up is all you need to do.
5. Clean Your Engine Yearly. So much of good car ownership is maintaining healthy parts so that they don’t require auto repair services later; it’s all preventative. With so many fluids and gasses passing through the engine every day, it is important to let it get clean at least once a year so that it doesn’t get bogged down with sludge built up from previous years.

Treating the engine right will ensure that it treats you right, and there is no better way to care for your car’s most important component than being mindful of its maintenance needs and staying vigilant. If you have questions about an issue with your engine, or you just want to make sure that it is performing to the highest standards, find our West Valley car repair shop, and our Master Muffler technicians will see that your car remains roadworthy.