Hi there, my name is Nellie. Welcome to my site. I am excited to share my knowledge about automotive service on this site. I would like to help everyone learn about how to keep their cars and trucks in excellent condition over the years. My site will cover all of the different maintenance and repair tasks required by vintage and modern vehicles. I will talk about the tools and safety equipment you must use for each task. I hope you can use the information on my site to keep your vehicle well-maintained and running great. Thank you for your visit.
Routine maintenance is a critical part of ensuring that your vehicle lasts for as long as possible while reducing your long-term ownership costs. Although oil changes, brake jobs, and other regular maintenance might feel like a costly burden, upkeep is typically much cheaper than repairs. Staying on top of these tasks will help you avoid many potentially expensive vehicle failures.
Most maintenance schedules follow a mileage interval service. In other words, you need to take care of certain upkeep tasks when your vehicle passes specific mileage milestones. However, how can you know which intervals are suitable for your car? There are two good places to start: your owner's manual and traditional service intervals.
What Are Traditional Service Intervals?
The traditional service intervals are the ones your parents probably taught you. These include oil changes every 3,000 miles, air filters every 15,000 miles, and so on. If you need a starting point, you can find many of these generic mileage schedules online. Traditional service intervals won't harm your car, but they may be overkill for some vehicles.
Manufacturers often attempt to reduce their maintenance costs by using longer-life consumables. For example, oil change intervals are much longer than they were in the past. Even items such as brake pads and tires can last for longer. As a result, you can sometimes extend your maintenance intervals if you own a relatively new vehicle.
On the other hand, it's worth considering more frequent maintenance work on older cars. If you drive a vehicle that's more than a decade old, you might be able to extend its life by sticking to a traditional maintenance schedule. In particular, a shorter oil change interval can help reduce wear on your internal engine components, which may be an issue for engines with more than 100,000 miles.
What About Your Manufacturer's Recommendations?
In addition to the traditional service intervals you can often find online, your owner's manual should contain recommendations from your manufacturer. These recommendations typically follow a regular pattern, with frequent minor services and more infrequent major services. If your vehicle is only a few years old or still under warranty, it's usually a good plan to follow these recommendations.
As your vehicle ages, you can move towards a hybrid of your manufacturer's recommendations a more traditional, shorter interval maintenance schedule. Your owner's manual may also have a severe schedule intended for use when driving your vehicle in harsh conditions, such as off-roading or heavy city driving. Since this schedule usually offers shorter intervals, you can switch to it at higher mileages.
Ultimately, remember that the most critical thing is keeping up with your regular maintenance. Whatever intervals you choose to follow, you'll be able to ensure your car lasts for longer by sticking with them over the long run.
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