Little Things You Do To Make Things Last.

Just post one or two, maybe something people don't think about but may save a headache down the road.

I always turn the blower fan down to low before I change the settings, people might be surprised how much additional force is needed to move blend doors when the blower is set on high. Just an easy way to not have to rip into and take dashboards out of vehicles, especially when they are known problem children.

 

Remind the wife she doesn't need to slam the door the ensure its properly closed.

 

Similar with hood and tailgate.

 

I always make sure the AC is turned off before cranking a vehicle so there’s no extra load on the starter/battery. A habit that carried over from all the shit boxes I drove when I was younger that would barely crank.

 

I do so many little things like that it’s just silly. I read a book by Robert Sikorsky when I was young called “Drive it Forever”. His frame of reference was the cars of the 50s and 60s I guess but I’ve always applied that thinking to my cars too. Warm it up before you drive it, cool it down before you shut it off, etc.. That being said, I regularly abuse and witness abuse of newer company vehicles and there seems to be no consequence.

 

I used to leave my truck running at convenience stores in the small town we lived in, in southern Illinois. It's a six speed manual and you only get so many starts before the starter craps out. I've changed a few over the years.
My wife gave me hell about it once. I said, most people these days can't drive a stick. She replied with, "These farm kids around here know how to drive a stick".
I replied with, "Those farm kids are not the ones that would steal my truck!"
She conceded.
Where I live now, I shut it off and lock it.
I spray my undercarriage routinely with some type of rust inhibitor, I change my power steering fluid and clutch fluid a couple of times per year.

 

Rust proofing the frame every fall

 

I don’t use turn signals when I drive, that way I save wear on all components that comprise and make the turn signals work.

4D chess

 

Regular maintenance.

 

Operate the 4wd - just to keep it working.

 

Also remind wife that the turn signal stalk is not a lat pull down bar

 

dont turn your wheel when the vehicle isnt moving. saves a ton of wear on front end parts like ball joints and tie rod ends. even a little roll is better than none..ymmv

 

5 minutes or 10 days. The sun shade goes up each time. Never have I had a cracked dash board.

 

This is a great thread. I made a similar one earlier this year:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/creating-the-immortal-truck.661039/

Here's what I do:

Unifilter mod to prevent damage to the secondary air injection system.
Fluid Film on the undercarriage annually.
Aerospace 303 wipes on interior trim pieces to prevent UV damage. Aerospace 303 spray on sidewalls of tires for the same reason.
Operate the 4WD monthly.
Allow the vehicle to warm up a bit before driving. Not always possible with my schedule, but I try.
Minimize the amount of short trips I take. Generally not an issue with my commute.
Leave the AC off unless actively in use. That means keeping the zone selector off of the defrost setting until I actually need to defrost.
Use the parking brake whenever possible to keep the pads adjusted and working properly. This also keeps stress off the parking pawl in the transmission.
Never exceed 2000 rpms during normal operation. I'll give it an "Italian tuneup" once a month, pushing it to 4000 rpms.
... and, the most important of all...
Created a maintenance tracker that lays out what tasks need to be completed at what mileage. This includes both factory service intervals as well as recommendations from experienced TW members. I have every maintenance action mapped out in 1500 mile intervals from purchase (31k miles) to retirement (500k miles). I write the mileage, task description, and projected cost on a post-it note and tape it on my windshield. Link to the tracker in my sig.

 

Wax the truck about one time per year and regular maintenance.

 

Don't know of this counts but:

Run a filter with more media

Spring for the expensive fluids:

Ethanol free gas
Amsoil lubricants
Toyota Coolant

Do regular changes and checks

Use the torque specs for every little thing.

Buy OEM parts unless there's a proven aftermarket of higher quality.

LED's to reduce circuit load, draw, and heat.

Regularly get underneath and rattle can any surface rust spots.

Replace hardware with stainless when applicable.

Use Torque Pro app to monitor cycles temps and sensors.

Some of the other things folks have already mentioned like doors and 303'ing stuff.

Generally hit redline at least once a day, old school Toyota Master tech said it's just as damaging if not more so to always baby a motor as it is to go hard all the time.

*Redline a day keeps the carbon away.*

I'm sure there's more that are just second nature they don't really occur to me right now.

 

1) oil changes every 3k miles(whatever oil is on sale)
2) check all fluids /air pressure during oil changes
3) wash / wax as needed
4) rotate tires at oil changes intervals

I tend not to be routine on #3 and #4. Truck is parked in the garage and is a weekend vehicle but more likely I'm just plain lazy.

 

I did think of a few more second nature ones.

I don't accelerate towards red lights.

I coast as much as I can and use the brake softly whenever possible.

I rev match when downshifting.

 

Awesome thread!

Love the Italian tuneup lol. I do the same.

There's a lot of good ones so far. Here's a couple. I'll come back and add more

Seafoam or fuel stabilizer once a year.
Check tire pressure weekly
Don't park under trees or power lines
Use 4wd once month- already been said but worth repeating

 

I’ve noticed that people who drive manuals tend to do this more often. I know I do it so I don’t have to stop and push in the clutch.