What's going to kill your car... and how to save it: 🏁
I asked my audience on YouTube what they thought the biggest threat to their car's survival was.
Here are the answers, and what I recommend to protect your vehicle from them:
Other drivers
This was a common answer, and it was mentioned even more on my dashcam video.
You can be the best driver on the road, and some knucklehead will still write off your pride and joy because they were staring at their phone.
It sucks.
So what can you do to avoid it?
Well, obviously we can't make other drivers act properly.
So all we can do, is try our best to predict when someone is going to make a dangerous maneuver before it happens.
You know who's the best at that?
Motorcycle riders.
Every time they leave the house on 2 wheels, their life is on the line.
So you better believe they're paying incredibly close attention to what's happening around them.
I think we can learn from that.
Perhaps the thing I find most helpful is to track other cars - watch their wheels in relation to the lines on the road.
Are they veering in your direction?
Get ready to escape the situation.
Stopped at a red light?
Watch your mirrors like a hawk.
As motorcyclists, we're trained to expect that every car on the road is about to do something to kill us.
So be ready for it and have a plan to avoid it.
Then when it happens, you already know what to do.
Not sure what types of maneuvers to watch out for?
Watch some of those crazy dashcam compilation videos and study people's actions.
Ignoring maintenance and detailing
This one is pretty simple to avoid... just stop ignoring it 🤣.
Kidding aside, the easiest way to stay on top of maintenance is to keep some kind of log.
I created The Gearhead Tracker for this exact reason because I just couldn't remember the maintenance schedule for 4 vehicles off the top of my head.
It's finished and will be available soon!
Rust
This is a super common concern, and rightly so.
Yearly oil spraying can make a huge difference if you live in a salty area.
Keeping your car clean helps a lot too - remember, mud and dirt are corrosive as well... not just salt!
Make sure to touch up any rock chips before rust starts to form.
This isn't just for cosmetics - it's to seal the metal up from the elements.
Once rust starts to form, it's very difficult to stop or repair it.
Avoiding rust in the first place is your best bet.
Paint oxidation
I don't know if I would agree that this is a threat to your car's life because you can always get a new paint job.
But, paint jobs are expensive.
So it's a good idea to protect your paint with a sealant or ceramic coating.
Additionally, try not to park in the hot sun for long periods of time.
Your clear coat is tough, but not invincible.
Once it starts bubbling or flaking off, there's no saving it - you're off to the body shop.
Parts availability
This is an interesting concern that I hadn't thought of.
But it makes sense.
At some point, it's going to be hard to find replacement parts for certain vehicles.
I believe Toyota stops stocking replacement parts at the 15 or 20 year mark for a model.
Once the supply dries up, then what?
Either pay a premium to people who have been hoarding them over the years, or figure out how to restore the old ones.
There's not much you can do to prevent this from happening aside from buying a car that shares parts with lots of others.
It'll increase your chances of finding what you need later on.
Hitting a deer
Bambi is definitely capable of destroying your car and in most cases, you don't have enough time to react (or swerving causes you to get into an accident).
They make whistles that are supposed to repel deer as you go down the highway, but it doesn't seem like they're very effective.
All you can really do is slow down a bit to give yourself more time to react, use the best lighting you can, and watch for their eyes reflecting in your lights.
Remember that if there's 1 deer, there are likely 20 more in the area, so be extra cautious if you see any.
Hail storms
Ah, Mother Nature is wonderful, isn't she?
The only thing you can do to protect your car from hail is to park in a garage or carport.
If that's not possible, parking under a large tree might offer a bit of a shield to the hail, but then you have to watch out for tree sap.
Dealership and government corruption
This one is... interesting.
I can see how the government could eventually cut down on certain vehicles due to environmental concerns.
So get out and vote.
As for dealership corruption - uhhhh maybe try wearing a tinfoil hat?
How would that kill a car that you already own?
Can't say I get that one lol.
