Do you know Irv Gordon? Irv is the 74 year old retired science teacher from Long Island, NY who hit 3 million miles in his 1966 Volvo P1800S while on a trip through Alaska last summer. Needless to say Irv is a big fan of regular maintenance and a poster child for Volvo's reputation for reliability and durability. Irv's accomplishment earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World records for the most miles by a single driver in one vehicle.
While it is unlikely that you will keep your Volvo as long as Irv has kept his little red P1800S there is a lesson to be learned here. With regular maintenance and common sense inspection you can keep driving your Volvo as long as you want to. That may not sound all that exciting to you right now but when that first month arrives when you have no car payment and your Volvo looks just as good and runs just as well as it did when you were making payments, you may reconsider your opinion.
With that in mind we would like to offer up a few simple tips on how you can extend the service life of your Volvo (or any brand for that matter) with special emphasis on the challenges that our Southwest Florida climate presents.
5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Volvo
- Tires
AAA estimates that nearly 80% of all tires on non-commercial vehicles are underinflated. When a tire is underinflated two things occur. First your tire runs flatter meaning there is more tire surface in contact with the roadway which causes faster tire wear. When you consider that our asphalt road surfaces can reach 1300 in the summertime that wear is accelerated. Secondly because there is greater friction more energy is required to move the car forward causing a reduction in mpg. A reduction that AAA estimates cost the average car owner close to $600 per year in fuel costs. Your Volvo has a low tire pressure warning light. Pay attention to it. - Anything made out of rubber
Today's "rubber" includes a variety of chemicals and other materials to make it stronger and more durable. However excessive heat, like a Fort Myers summer, can degrade the rubber particularly in belts and hoses. Check your maintenance schedule and you may find that some rubber parts, like a timing belt, have a shorter service life in hot parts of the country and will need to be replaced more frequently. On a routine basis look for nicks or cracks on belts or "plump" or "mushy" looking hoses and replace them. - Protect your finish (inside and out)
We are the Sunshine State which is great for the Chamber of Commerce but can be dangerous to human skin and car finishes alike particularly if you park your car at a Bonita Springs or Naples beach and your body on the sand. You'll lather on protection for your skin and you should do the same for your finish and the interior materials of your vehicle. Use a high quality wax with UV protection on the outside and a recommend cleaning/treating product for your dash and upholstery to prevent discoloring and cracking. - USE OEM parts
When you need to replace a part make sure you specify a genuine Volvo part. Remember that a part is just a component in an entire system and nobody knows better than the manufacturer how to build a part that works perfectly with the system. Less expensive non-OEM parts come with no guarantees that they meet the stringent specifications required by the folks who actually built the car. - Follow your maintenance schedule
The 3 million mile man never skipped a scheduled maintenance. Fluids and filters have limited service lives yet these are the two items that tend not to be replaced regularly. At Volvo Bonita Springs we've taken the inconvenience out of service visits with our online scheduling and our complimentary pickup and delivery service. If you live between Cape Coral and Naples just give us a call for service.
If you follow these simple tips odds are you won't experience the major inconvenience (and expense) that a failed component can bring. Your Volvo is built to last. Protect your investment with maintenance and it can literally give you decades of service.
Written By: Joe Parisi