Cars have been around for more than a hundred years now. With the millions produced over the past century, some car models have become classic collector items. If you are one of those lucky enough to get one of these, either as a direct purchase or a restoration project, then you’ve got a valuable piece of history in your hands. But you are going to have to be careful since it can be fragile. Here’s how to properly take care of your vintage car:
Keep Using It
Cars are meant to be driven. If you are not driving your classic car, then it is not being put to use. Besides allowing you to enjoy a vehicle for its primary purpose, it also lets the general mechanisms inside the car to keep working. Leaving a car idle is just asking for rust and corrosion to set in. At the very least, you should get your vehicle on the road once a month. A drive of a few hours at a decent speed should be enough to put the car through its paces.
Ensure that the Internals Are Okay
To keep your classic car running, you’ll want the engine and everything in excellent condition. Unless you want a museum piece that doesn’t work at all, this is the best way to treat your car. The first thing you need to be sure of is that the oil is changed regularly. Lubrication ensures that car parts don’t degrade quickly. The spark plugs also need to be replaced earlier than usual to ensure that the engine always fires up correctly.
Exterior Maintenance
Besides performance, you want your classic car to look good. To ensure that it looks brand new, you’ll need to do some proper cleaning and regular exterior maintenance. Your biggest enemy is rust, and the best way to deal with that is prevention. Prevent rust from forming on your car by cleaning it regularly with warm water and soap. After a rinse, you should apply metal polish to add a final layer of protection so that oxidization, the process of rusting won’t start.
Learn How to Transport It
It might surprise you that you need to know how to transport your car since you should be able to drive it around. But you might be moving far away, or you might be lending the vehicle to an exhibit. Long distances are rough on modern cars, so imagine what they can do to vintage automobiles. If you want to move your classic car a long distance, you need to be familiar with the car-transport process. You might even need to hire a commercial transport service to make things easier for you.
Owning a classic car is both an honor and a responsibility. You only have to imagine showing it off to your friends and family to know the reason why you should take proper care of your car. It can be challenging, but being able to preserve your vintage car can be worth the expense and difficulty.
