How to make your vehicle last almost forever

So your car, truck, tractor or earthmover is getting tired, but you’d be stretching the finances to replace it with something newer? How do you make your vehicle last longer? Why not consider rejuvenating your existing machine by cleaning up and de-stressing the engine and driveline components — the Cost Effective Maintenance way?

Short answer: instead of spending $40K+ replacing a tired vehicle, spend a few hundred dollars cleaning and de-stressing the engine and driveline with the 5-step Ultimate Diesel Pack — it restores performance and adds years of reliable service.

It’s low cost, it’s incorporated into normal servicing (so there’s no extra downtime), and it restores efficiency, performance and driving pleasure.

And it really works. We have many fleet customers doing exactly this — running their vehicles and equipment reliably, well past their expectations, and proving that older vehicles and equipment can be every bit as reliable. Some have never replaced an engine, gearbox or diff in their fleets since running Cost Effective Maintenance products.

When an engine starts to get tired, repair costs seem to get larger and larger. So what are your options?

Trade up to a new replacement. Typically, you could spend $40K+ to trade up to a new 4×4, $70K–$80K for a small truck, or well over $150K for a new prime mover or earthmover. This type of spending can be way out of budget.
Replace with a second-hand unit. A cheaper option, but you may also be buying someone else’s problems.
Spend a few hundred dollars to clean up and de-stress your existing engine and driveline the Cost Effective Maintenance way. Even some pretty sad vehicles and machinery have turned around to give reliable service.

Why spend $40,000 or more on a replacement when a few hundred dollars can restore the vehicle you already own?

Is It Possible to Make Your Vehicle Last Longer?

Let’s start with engines — because many engines don’t need a rebuild.

With the passage of time, engines accumulate more and more deposits, which progressively cause a deterioration in performance. Some of these deposits prevent clean fuel atomisation, so you don’t get a good fuel burn. Deposits around piston rings are extremely common, and these cause loss of power, smoke and oil use. Others interfere with turbocharger performance. Sludge-type deposits hinder good lubrication and engine cooling. Most of these deposits cause increased stresses that eventually lead to failures.

Gearboxes and diffs can also suffer from sludgy deposits that inhibit full lubrication and efficient cooling.

However, if you clean up all these deposits, performance returns and the engine operates with much-reduced levels of internal stress. That’s where Cost Effective Maintenance comes in. Take our 5-step Ultimate Diesel Pack, for example.

5 Easy Steps to Make Your Vehicle Last Longer

Step 1 — Flushing Oil Concentrate

Removes all carbon and sludge from the engine internals — piston rings, oil coolers, galleries and valves. It restores “pristine clean”, giving the new oil a fresh start instead of using up its additive package picking up residual sludge. (See our guide on using Flushing Oil Concentrate.)

Step 2 — CRD Fuel Enhancer

Cleans and lubricates the entire fuel system, restoring the injectors’ ability to respond instantly to the computer’s demands. They may be required to squirt fuel several times per firing stroke, so precision is vital. (See how CRD Fuel Enhancer works.)

Step 3 — FTC Decarbonizer

Actively burns off carbon from combustion chambers, the top piston ring, turbochargers and exhaust parts. In fact, with FTC, DPF regenerations take place during normal driving, so there’s usually no need for manual regens. (See how FTC Decarbonizer works.)

Step 4 — AW10 Antiwear

A high-performance product that greatly reduces both wear and friction. It can be used in engines and all oil-wetted components, even automatic transmissions. The friction reduction is significant — most drivers will sense the vehicle “rolling smoother” and “coasting easier”, sure signs of reduced stress through the engine and drivetrain. This enables much longer service life from all lubricated components.

Step 5 — RMI-25 Cooling System Treatment

Dissolves the mineral scale, old coolant sludge, rust and other contaminants that radiators, cooling jackets and water pumps develop over time. It can usually be applied by simply adding it to the existing coolant. (See how to flush a radiator with RMI-25.)

These easy-to-use DIY products can be included as part of your standard workshop service.

How to make your vehicle last almost forever