Top 5 Ways to Prematurely Kill Your Car

by Marjorie, Social Media Marketing Manager for Cars for Keeps

I am NOT a mechanic - not, that is, unless auto mechanic skills are hereditary. My dad was a master tinkerer, and growing up all my family's vehicles were clunkers which he kept in somewhat working order far longer than the cars themselves expected to live. If you have a master tinkerer in your family, I'm sure you know what it's like: for every five cars in the driveway, two of them are sure to be working great.

While this was fun growing up, it's led to some bad car maintenance habits. We've all let those little quirky things about our vehicles go too long - some to worse ends than others. I've tortured many of my vehicles by not properly attending to maintenance. Here is a top 5 list of auto maintenance sins I've committed; I'm sure many of these will be all too familiar.

5) Forgetting to replace the oil cap after a refill. This I've actually done twice - to the same vehicle. Luckily, the smoke that billowed out from under the hood was only from the oil that was burning on the manifold.

4) Not checking radiator fluid. On a marathon trip across Montana, I forgot to check the radiator level and got 500 miles before the engine temperature spiked. Waiting three hours on the side of the road for it to cool down was a great lesson. Note: always carry a jug of water in your car - and only check the radiator fluid when it's cold!

3) Neglecting regular maintenance. Getting my wheels aligned was suddenly moved to the top of my priority list when my little Ford Focus' left rear tire fell off mid-cruise. Another reason to give your car regular checkups.

2) Neglecting windshield wipers and fluid. It seems like such a small priority on a clear, sunny day, but the minute rain or giant bugs hit your windshield, not having properly working wipers can mean the difference between a crash and a smooth ride. And how about those muddy country roads?

1) Not listening to my car. Most cars will tell you something is wrong before serious damage occurs. For example, my beautiful, rust-free, all-manual 1991 Mitsubishi pickup uses oil, and when it's running low, the engine has a faint tick. Once I failed to heed this warning; the engine overheated, and I almost ruined the car. Luckily, it survived and is doing just fine. No, it's not for sale.

What about you? What have been some of your worse auto maintenance sins?

Stay tuned for a chance to win a free oil change and checkup from Cars for Keeps. Contest details will be posted on Friday!