You’re Shortening Your Engine’s Life Without Knowing It

Wondering how long your car’s engine will last? It’s not just about age or mileage. Key factors—how hard you drive, how you maintain it, and where you drive—can make the difference between 100,000 and 200,000+ miles. Load Matters: Working Too Hard—or Too Easy Engines have optimal operating zones. Push them too hard—towing heavy loads, frequent redline driving—and wear accelerates :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}. Yet running an engine consistently under light load can cause “wet stacking” (carbon buildup), especially in diesels :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}. Materials & Design: Iron vs. Aluminum, Simplicity Wins Engines built with iron blocks tend to outlast aluminum ones, thanks to durability under heat and pressure :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}. Designs with fewer moving parts (like diesels or non‑turbo engines) also tend to last longer :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.