# How many miles should you drive a car etc



## joank (Apr 2, 2010)

I have a used NISSAN ALTIMA WHICH IS A 2005. How many miles should you drive a car? I was told that the car was used for mainly short trips which I read is bad for your car. Also, I Got the car from my mechanic(The car belonged to his wife). He didn't give me any service records so How should I go about servicing it? I admit that I Don't know much about cars and was pretty bad about servicing my other rides. He said that the car should last about 5 years.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

At this point change the oil and filter, check fluids and just drive. In the meantime download (unless you have the owners manual) the service schedule and follow it based on mileage.
With proper maintenance, there is no mileage limit. If you drive less than 5 miles a day, take it out for a road trip occasionally.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

check the cars manual it will tell you how many miles it should do before needing a service.

One thing you can bet is since its a Japanese engine it should be pretty reliable as Japanese engines are always the best, best engineering goes to the Germans.


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## kendallt (Feb 21, 2007)

The problem isn't the distance it's driven, it just needs to be operated long enough to reach operating temps, otherwise it will wear out very quickly. As long as the car reaches operating temps for a few minutes you're good.
During normal operation you get moisture, fuel blow-by past the rings and other contaminants in the oil, if the engine is cold, some of them turn acidic and destroy bearings. At operating temps those contaminants boil off. Oil also works better on hotter surfaces. 
changing oil at slightly smaller intervals helps, but as Corday mentioned taking it out and driving it longer woks too. 
Should be able to find the recommended maintenance schedule online.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I personally drive 60 miles per day. With modern cars, there isn't a minimum or maximum amount of miles you need to drive per day.

As for servicing, make sure to keep fluids like oil changed when the car alerts you or every ~5000 miles.


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