Make sure you take care of bad weather-stripping right away.

If your car’s weather-stripping is letting rainwater leak into the interior of your car, decide if you can repair it or if it needs to be replaced. Small leaks can be handled with brush-on seam sealers. Torn sections may be repaired with special caulking available at auto parts stores. You may also be able to extend the life of worn-but-intact sections by inserting foam rods, available at automotive stores, into the hollow section of the weather-stripping. If you decide to replace entire sections of gasket, be sure to buy a product that matches your car’s original weather-stripping.

Proper wheel alignment is vital to extending the life of your vehicle.

Have your car’s wheel alignment checked every 30,000 miles, or as recommended in your owner’s manual. Also have it checked after buying new tires and when you replace a rack-and-pinion steering unit or other steering parts. Improper tire alignment will shorten the life of your tires as well as cause poor handling. If your steering is stiffer than normal or the vehicle pulls to one side, you probably have an alignment problem.