7 ways to make your car last longer and save you money

Make sure the tires on your car are set at the optimum air pressure. Most cars will have the proper air pressure listed in the owners manual as well as in the driver's door frame.

Both Harley and Montoya suggested drivers check their tire pressure at least once a month.

"A lot of people just wait until the (tire pressure monitor) light to come on," Montoya said. "That's not when you should be replacing the air in your tires. At that point, it's actually a little too late and it's an emergency situation."

Not only will maintaining proper air pressure will help optimize the car's handling and braking, but it will also save you money.

"If you let your tires run too low or too high, you're going to get abnormal wear and tires are expensive," Harley said.

One way to extend to life your car is to take care of the little things before they escalate into the big problems, Harley told us.

For example, if a faulty oxygen sensor triggers the check engine light, replace the sensor before it caused excess wear to your car's catalytic converter.

And installing new catalytic converters is a much more expensive job.

Do frequent visual inspections of your car. This could be as simple as walking around your car to check for any unusual fluids, weird smells, or damage. You should also open up your hood once in a while to look for any issues that may crop up.

"Open the hood and looking around," Harley said. "You don't have to be mechanically inclined to notice that there's fluid on top of or below the engine."

"Cars are not supposed to leave puddles on the ground unless it's water from the air conditioning and that should evaporate," he added. "If you drive back in the evening and there's still a puddle on the ground you should see if you have a leak of oil or coolant."

The more mechanically inclined driver can also check for uneven brake wear which, if caught early, can save you on your next brake change.

Drive gently in the morning or when your car hasn't had a chance to heat up. Thus, avoid gunning the gas pedal first thing in the morning.

Instead, let the fluids in your car heat up before you drive more aggressively. After all, lubricants work their best when they are warm.

"You want to treat your car just like you want to be treated yourself," Harley said. "If you start your car on a 50-degree morning and you immediately floor it down the street and jam on the brakes, that's the equivalent you crawling out of bed and running out the front door to get the newspaper."

You don't have to let your car sit heat up at idle, but you still take it easy on cold days.

Don't drive like a mad man. Aggressive and high-speed driving will diminish your fuel economy while increasing the wear and tear on your brakes, tires, and transmission.

This all equates to more expensive trips to the mechanics.

For those who live in cold weather climates, it's important to occasionally run your car through a car wash in winter months. Not only will it look better, but it will also help mitigate the corrosive effects of road salt.

"If you're in a place where your car is coated in this white salt grime, it's a good idea to get the undercarriage pressure washed occasionally," Harley said.

Even though these days most body panels and underbody components are made of stainless steel or galvanized to combat corrosion, it's still a good idea to get rid of that build up.