Why Car Maintenance Is Crucial for NoVA Commuters

You don’t need to work in a car maintenance shop to know that life in Northern Virginia is tough on your vehicle. After all—we’ve got a lot of traffic.

How much traffic, you ask? More, in some places, than you will find anywhere else in the United States. And commuters in Northern Virginia spend a lot of time sitting in traffic—60% of D.C-area workers spent more than 30 minutes traveling to work in 2019.

Local governments are trying to alleviate the congestion through improved public transportation and road construction projects, but it will be years before many of those initiatives will be completed. And even with the rise of remote work and hybrid offices, more people are opting to drive rather than take public transportation when they go into the office. Northern Virginia traffic is a problem that isn’t going away.

When you’re stuck in traffic on I-66 (again), you can’t help but wonder what all this commuting and congestion is doing to your car! What can you do to prevent damage?

The effects of commuting on your car

There is a lot of research out there about the effect of commuting on you as a driver. For better or worse, however, many of us have to drive every day—drive to work, drive to school, drive our kids to daycare, drive to run errands. Oftentimes, we’re driving right into the teeth of some of the toughest traffic you’ll find on this side of Los Angeles.

As you can imagine, the stop-and-go lifestyle is taxing on your vehicle. It can cause abnormal tire wear and hot spots on your brakes. And heavy commuters need engine and cabin air filters replaced more frequently because they are just sitting in traffic, sucking up all that exhaust. Following your car’s maintenance schedule becomes more important than ever.

And for most commuters, that means following your car’s severe driving maintenance schedule. While “severe driving” brings to mind images of wild weather and extreme conditions, it’s more “normal” than you might expect.

Ask yourself:
1. Does your daily commute include a lot of stop-and-go action?
2. Do you take a lot of short trips in your car (10 miles or less)?
3. Do you spend a lot of time idling or driving at a low speed?
4. Do you use your vehicle to haul heavy loads regularly?
5. Do you regularly drive on rough roads, dirt roads, muddy roads or salt-covered roads?

If you answered yes to any one of the above questions, check your car’s owner’s manual to see what a severe driving maintenance schedule looks like for your car.

Read More: The Car Maintenance Checklist Every Driver Needs

The power of scheduled car maintenance

According to Investment Zen’s Anastasia Ivanov, the average commuter spends 34 cents per mile on car depreciation, gas, oil, maintenance and tires. So if you commute to work 500 times a year (250 days going to and from work), then every mile costs you $170 in expenses. (Use this Commute Cost Calculator to estimate your actual monthly cost.)

If you live 20 or 30 miles from work—not uncommon in Northern Virginia—you’re looking at a hefty cost for your commute.

So what can you do? The plan for smart commuters is to be proactive. Waiting for your next car inspection to decide if you need to schedule car maintenance is a bad strategy.

Check the service schedule in your car’s manual and stick to it. When you follow your maintenance schedule, any car problems will get caught and solved early.

Keys to Commuting Car Care

Efficiency: Drive smarter, not harder

Efficiency starts with your car’s gas mileage. The impact of your commute is compounded when you’re burning through a tank or two of gas every work week.

Start improving your gas mileage by slowing down! Softer acceleration and softer braking are two things that every driver can do to protect their vehicle. It’ll save you gas, give more life to your brakes and tires, and keep your brake fluid and transmission fluid from getting as hot.

Try to reduce your own temperature, too—accepting the reality of the commute means letting go of the fever dream that you will somehow be the one driver who slaloms home smoothly.

Read: 7 Tips on How to Get Better Gas Mileage

Reliability: Know what you’re getting into every morning

Reliability means purchasing a car you can trust. And that sense of well-being starts before you ever scratch a check.

To be sure you’re getting a reliable vehicle, bring it by for a pre-purchase inspection. Our technicians will go through the car—top to bottom, front to back—and let you know if there are any issues.

Any reputable dealer will let you have the vehicle inspected. If you are refused, go someplace else—that’s a sure sign something is wrong.

And the need for reliability doesn’t stop after you purchase the car, either. The best way to have peace of mind about the condition of your vehicles is regular maintenance service. Don’t wait for something to go wrong to bring it in! Follow your car’s maintenance schedule and get any warning lights that appear checked out ASAP.

Make sure your car can handle your commute.

Scheduled car maintenance ensures that you get to work safely every day. To schedule car maintenance service, call your local Virginia Tire & Auto today!