When your odometer hits 100,00 miles, you may feel like it’s time for a replacement, but one mechanic begs to differ.
Sherwood from Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice) has been the subject of dozens of viral videos, with topics ranging from three cars he would never buy to whether or not an extended warranty is worth it. In this latest video, Royalty Auto Service racked up over 750,000 views when Sherwood explained why you shouldn’t panic if you hit 100,000 miles.
Responding to the question, “How long should vehicles really be lasting for people?” Sherwood jokes that “everybody’s scared when it goes from 999,999 to 100,000.” However, he reassures viewers that while the “100K thing is something that may have been true” once upon a time, cars these days are “well-engineered and last as long as they are maintained.”
What should I do with my car at 100,000 miles?
Still, there was a caveat. According to Sherwood, a car’s life span depends on a few factors—namely, its make, whether it is properly maintained, and the region in which it is driven.
“A vehicle will last as long as you want to look at it in your garage,” Sherwood said. “You can make it last as long as you want to. It’s a piece of machinery; it can be maintained, and it can be repaired. That’s if you live in the climate we live in. If you live in the Southern U.S. … anywhere there’s no salt. … If you’re up in the Northeast or Midwest where they have salt, and you’re driving out in the winter, it’s going to rust, you guys know that.”
@royaltyautoservice What is going to make the most sense financially? #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #cartok #cartips #automotive #tips #viral #fyp #foryou #stitch #buyingacar ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
According to Kelley Blue Book, maintaining cars so they last beyond 100,000 miles is easy to achieve. Like Sherwood, the site offers a series of tips that are simple but essential if you want to keep a car going. These include addressing safety recalls, cleaning fuel injectors, and changing fluids regularly.
Many viewers attested to the fact that cars can last long after they hit 100,000 miles.
“My 2012 Subaru has 345,827!” one said.
“Buy a toyota, 500k is just broke in,” a second added.
“We have a customer at my shop with a Toyota tundra with 710K on it,” a third added.
Another agreed that region trumped mileage as the main barrier to longevity.
“Every car I’ve owned I’ve gotten over 200 k. Rust was a bigger issue,” the viewer said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Royalty Auto Service via online contact form and Facebook Message.
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