Cars That Age Well Past 100,000 Miles And Why
Some cars hit 250,000 miles without major work. Others fall apart at 100k. The gap comes down to design choices and a couple of maintenance habits.
Service Advisor & Tech Writer
Jamie Kowalski
3
articles
Verified author
About
Started as a lube tech, moved into service advising after three years, and built a career around the most underrated skill in automotive: translating what the technician found into something the customer can actually act on. Eight years behind the service counter at high-volume dealerships, handling everything from routine maintenance to complex warranty disputes. ASE C1 Service Consultant certified. Cars weren't a hobby growing up — his father spent over two decades on the GM assembly line in Flint. The perspective here is the customer's side of the counter: what's worth fixing now, what can wait, and what the estimate actually means.
Engine oil specification
0W-20, 5W-30, or 10W-40 isn’t a suggestion, it’s an engineering spec. Wrong viscosity in a modern engine raises wear and drops fuel economy by 1-2%.
Car Won’t Start but Lights Turn On
Lights on but engine won’t crank usually means the battery is too weak to turn the starter. Here’s how to test it and get the car started.