Make The Most of Your Car

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When you first buy a new car, you tend to make the most out of it, in that you get excited about everything from the controls to the new car smell.  You’ll take it out for fun weekend drives, having adventures in your new car, and will keep it impeccably tidy. Yet, over time, we become complacent and take our vehicles for granted.

In this sense, we often find we take less care of our vehicle and appreciate it less.  In fact, we sometimes take the ability to just jump in our car, know it will start, and transport us to wherever we want to go with great convenience –  as “nothing special”, yet, if you were to spend a week without your car and have to get the bus, particularly at this time of year, you would feel much more  appreciative of what your car can offer.

The first step to making the most of your car, therefore, is to appreciate the value your car brings to your life.  Then, in addition to that you might want to look at the following principles:

KEEP IT IN GOOD SHAPE

Your car will only at its optimum if you take care of it, for instance, if the oil runs low then your engine can start to malfunction and lose compression.  Regular servicing is vital to keeping your car in good shape, particularly when it comes to aspects such as the fuel filter and air filter. Both of these aspects can impact performance.

There are other niggling things to consider that can really detract from the fun and comfortable driving experience you crave, such as if you  haven’t changed the windscreen wipers for some time, and there’s a storm. It can be really distracting and annoying to be driving on the motorway in the rain, and for your windscreen wipers not to clear the window fully.  Windscreen wipers are a cheap repair, but so many times, we will grin and bear it for much longer than we should – and it’s these little niggling problems that can detract from the driving experience.

Of course, there are enhancements you can make in terms of fitting new parts, or simple steps such as adding Redex to your fuel – in order to clean the fuel line.  The point is, your car will take care of you if you take care of it… much like our bodies.

KEEP IT CLEAN

When we first drive the car away, we vow to never have any rubbish left in the car, and keep it exceptionally clean.  Then, over time, as the novelty factor wears off, we become a bit more relaxed and some people become so ‘relaxed’ their car ends up looking like the “messy draw” most people have in their house.

This not only detracts from the driving experience, it also gives a bad impression to those that can see inside your car – the majority of people associate messiness with disorganisation and a cluttered mind.  Therefore, the inferences can have a bigger impact on your life than just driving a messy car; for instance, at work or on a date.

The other aspect is keeping it clean.  There’s nothing sadder than seeing a really expensive, brand new car, that is filthy and hasn’t been washed for months.  Sometimes, having a mediocre car that is well taken care of, in terms of being washed on the outside and kept clean inside can look nicer than a dirty premium car.

When your car is dirty, it chips away at your self-esteem and doesn’t make you feel good about yourself… yet it’s such a simple fix.  You could even get it valeted once a fortnight, for not much money at all, and have someone else take care of it for you.

BE A BETTER DRIVER

So far, we’ve talked a lot about the car itself, yet in this section we’re going to look at you as a driver.   In addition to being a “good driver” in the sense of being a safe and considerate driver you might also want to consider enhancing your driving skills, either through defensive driving (check out this Aceable review) or through sports inspired driving where you spend the day on a race track to understand how to take corners at speed, whilst staying safe and in control.

In some ways, your car is a lot like a paintbrush, in the sense that it’s not so much what the  paintbrush does, of itself, but what the artist that picks up the paintbrush can do with it. Therefore, you might want to consider enhancing your driving skills in order to get more from your car – particularly if you have a high performance vehicle.

GO ON MORE FUN TRIPS

Finally, many people tend to use their car to drive to work and back, drive to the gym, drive to the shops, pick the kids up from school and so on.  However, there’s something about taking the car out for a leisure trip that can feel so much more rewarding. Indeed, there’s something about going out on your own, in the countryside, with some great music that can feel very healing.

It’s good to have “you time” and a car can be a useful tool in terms of getting away from it all and unwinding.  Similarly, your can can be a great vehicle for fun family experiences or romantic adventures.

Admittedly, if you spend a few hours each day stuck in traffic, on a long commute, the last  thing you might want to do at the weekend is get in the car and go for a long drive – but there’s a huge difference in the energy between packing a picnic basket and bundling a few warm clothes in the back – driving out to somewhere of outstanding natural beauty and going for a walk.

Cars are here to facilitate experiences, much more than simply transport you to the shops or work, so in order to make the most of your car, you need to think about what you can do to enjoy your car more… and where you can drive to, that would set your soul on fire.