If you don't want your car to die on you in less than 10 years of owning it, then you should pay attention to it. Clean it up yourself or go to a car wash to clean it. Vacuum its insides so that it's not a dust bin from the interior. Have your radiator and air conditioner checked for leaks. Change your oil as often as your budget can allow. Cars tend to last decades if they're well-maintained, for your information.
5 Things to Keep in Mind
- Diesel Batteries Should Be Used Every Day: If you have a diesel van or truck and you foresee it being stuck in your driveway for the foreseeable future (about a week or a month), then you should start the engine for 5-10 minutes every day to keep the battery from discharging. Or else you'll be first to charge it with jumper cables or get the battery charged at the nearest mechanic's shop.
- Go Waterless or Use Vinegar: You can loosen up bug splatters on your ride by spraying them with clean fro a couple of minutes or soaking a cloth with vinegar/denatured alcohol for the sake of rubbing off the pesky bugs. You can also use KevianClean products to cleanup your ride and conserve on water. Just splash water on your car, dry it up with rags, and spray KevianClean Quick Wax on the surface like turtle wax. KevianClean car care products are all-natural and organic.
- Do Tune-Ups to Avoid Overhauls: You should have your car tuned up on the indicated recommended mileage (like the old chestnut goes, your mileage may vary) to check the status of your brake pads and how healthy the engine is going. This will prevent you from having to do major overhauls on your vehicle that cost half as much as buying a new car. Remember this other chestnut of a saying as well: Prevention is better than the cure.
- Park in Dirt and Wash There: If you want to clean your car without turning your storm drain into an industrial waste dumpster of gasoline, antifreeze, particulates, oil, and sludge plus the soapy water with dirt from your car chassis, then you should park your vehicle on a permeable surface and do your car wash there. The dirt, soil, and grass serve as filters to break down those nasty compounds from your car.
In Summary
It's safer for sewers for you to clean your car on the dirt, gravel, or lawn rather than on the pavement. Conservation of water is important so that you won't end up using it all up in cleaning out dirt from your car. Always remember to get those tune-ups done so that it only costs a hundred or so bucks to keep your car in tiptop shape rather than thousands of dollars to replace its major "organs". Finally, diesel vehicles require daily startups.