How to Make Your Company Cars Last Longer
Every business that uses its own company cars for transportation or service must maintain those vehicles regularly. Those cars are an important company asset and without them, you won’t be able to operate normally. The primary goal is to ensure that they last as long as possible before you have to replace them. (Image Source)
That way, you can drastically reduce your overhead expenses. The average time a company would keep their cars under ideal circumstances is around 10 years. With proper maintenance and care, your cars could last longer than that, and you can keep using them as long as the law doesn’t forbid it.
Ensuring that your cars last as long isn’t all that difficult, but it requires a lot of effort to maintain them in good condition so that they are not only operational but also safe to drive. With that in mind, here are a few tips on how to make your company cars last longer.
Conduct regular checkups
Checking up on the overall state of your car is very important. You never know if something might go wrong unless you look under the hood every now and then. Conducting regular checkups is, therefore, vital for ensuring that your car will last longer than expected.
You can conduct these checkups yourself or take the vehicle to the certified service for the checkup specified by the car manufacturer, especially if the car is still under warranty. Moreover, you’ll have to conduct checkups more frequently the longer the cars are in use.
After a certain number of miles that the car has been on the road, you must replace a few things even if they’re not worn out yet. For instance, replacing oil, filters, and other engine or brake fluids is mandatory after a while so that your car can stay healthy much longer.
Give your cars some improvements
The state of your cars depends not just on how you maintain them but also on how much wear and tear they experience on the open road.
Hot and cold air, dust, rain and other factors can do damage to your car without you even realizing it. This damage isn’t extensive at first, but over time it can become a serious issue.
By the time you can actually see the damage that’s been done to your company car, the repair costs will have accumulated to a substantial amount. Therefore, be proactive and give your cars some improvements that will keep them healthy, even under harsh conditions.
For instance, you can opt for AEM induction systems for your cars to ensure proper fuel delivery to the engine and proper cooling with reliable air filter assembly.
This is ideal for keeping the engine working properly and ensuring optimal temperatures during hot summer days. You can also opt for other improvements based on the type of cars you own, as well as based on where you operate, geographically speaking
Give your cars some love
Maintaining cars and ensuring they’ll last longer is not just about tweaking the engine or replacing the fluids. The fact of the matter is that you have to give your cars some love if you want them to last longer.
That includes caring for them even when they’re parked. You’d be surprised that even a small detail when it comes to car maintenance, such as wiping the dirt off the car door, can help your car last longer. Therefore, here are a few things you can do when your car is parked:
- Check the tires for wear and tear, as well as check both air and pressure.
- Park your cars in the shade.
- Park your cars in the garage to protect them from weather conditions.
- If you don’t have a garage, use car covers.
- Conduct visual inspection for rust or dents that may turn into rust over time.
- Wash your cars regularly.
Every bit helps when it comes to maintaining your cars, so don’t hesitate to check even the smallest of details.
Don’t drive like crazy
This applies to your employees, as well. Aggressive driving may seem like tons of fun, but you’re sending your car to its early demise.
Oftentimes, the busy work schedule and high demand coming from consumers require that you hit the pedal to the metal and drive like a madman to get everywhere on time, but that will cost you more in the long run.
You’re not just at risk of crashing your car but you’re also ruining the car’s fuel economy and increasing the wear and tear process, especially for the tires, brakes and transmission.
In other words, driving like the devil himself is chasing you may result in one thing only; shortening your car’s working lifespan. If you’re well-organized and prepared, you won’t need to rush or risk your car to meet a high demand or complete your daily deliveries.
Making your company cars last longer comes down to a lot of effort and a bit of love. Your cars are your biggest assets and you must take good care of them so that they can serve you well. If not, you’ll end up being forced to replace an entire vehicle fleet every few years, if not earlier, which will cost you a lot more than it should.
