At All Vovo, we see all years and models of Volvo automobiles. Of course, we get quite a few (beautiful) older Volvos that we have the privilege of keeping in service and going strong! It seems Volvo cars last longer and stronger, and although that may be true, it also has a lot to do with HOW you approach taking care of your Volvo.

Really, any car make and model would benefit from proper care and can last longer than expected mileages. One Long Island, New York man (which we actually wrote about on this blog) even reached 3 million miles in his Volvo!

Here are some tips the will give you the best chance of getting your Volvo toward the 200,000 and even 300,000 mile mark:

If there's one thing that gives you the best chance of long engine life, it's getting your oil changes on time and replacing the fuel filter at the right time. Your 30K, 60K, 90K, etc. recommended maintenance services are also very important, so you should get into your owner's maintenance manual and double check the recommendations. Regular maintenance keeps problems from developing with your major systems, and regular servicing gives your mechanic a chance to check over all systems and catch ANY problem that may be rearing it's ugly head. Which leads us to our next tip.......

With all cars, and especially as your car becomes "high-mileage", it's very important that issues are handles as soon as they are recognized. It also doesn't hurt to take a few extra measures to listen, look, and feel what your car is doing in order to notice anything out of the ordinary. The mechanic you choose should be thorough and trustworthy, that way they will be able to let you know if anything is giving warning signs of wear or failure. And there's our next point......

Find a good mechanic and keep a good relationship with that person or shop. Listen to the recommendations and have them perform them, or take your car to someone you WILL listen to. It doesn't help you if you think that they are pointing out issues that don't need to be fixed. If you're right, you shouldn't go there. If you're wrong, you're then putting your vehicle at risk.

Always choose the quality option in replacement parts, and if you have the option, get factory recommended parts. Keep your Volvo, a Volvo, instead of replacing Volvo parts with something more generic and less compatible with your car.

Braking sharply, accelerating too quickly, and other bad habits will slowly but surely take the life out of your vehicle. A gently treated vehicle will always last longer and run better.

Our customers love their Volvos, and judging by the large amount of classic Volvo cars that come through, they are doing a great job already. Add to that the fact that they've chosen ALL VOVO to keep those vehicles running well (excellent choice!). We hope these tips remind you to treat your car a little better and you can keep it going a little longer! Thanks for reading and we'd love to see you Seattle area folks at our independent Volvo repair shop in Ballard.