Car Maintenance Schedule
The most important way to keep your car running well for years to come is to establish a car maintenance schedule. If you take the time to take good care of your car, it can keep on running even beyond the 200,000 mile mark! In many cases, cars breakdown and become junk early because the owner did not put in the effort to do the proper maintenance. Just like your body needs good food and nutrition to stay in top condition, your car needs the right fluids and maintenance performed for smooth operation. It’s a lot like getting an annual doctor checkup! Fortunately, most of the tasks required for car maintenance can be done by the average car owner, which will save you hundred of dollars in shop charges each year and avoid thousands of dollars for major repairs due to poor maintenance.
The typical items that you should include on your car maintenance schedule are the following:
Air filter - Clean air is essential for proper engine combustion. The filter should be changed once per year. This is a low cost item and is easy to replace. This one item will make a big difference in how your car runs.
Oil and oil filter changes - Most car makers recommend changing the oil and oil filter on a 3000 mile cycle. If you drive a lot of miles in local street traffic, this puts a lot of stress on the engine. In this case, you should change the oil more frequently.
Tire rotation and replacement - For best results, you should rotate your tires every 6 months. A good way to remember is to do this after every other oil change. The tires should be rotated from front to rear as well as from left to right if possible. Inspect your tires for wear during each rotation, and replace the tires on a 2-3 year cycle.
Timing belt - This is a critical maintenance item, as you can damage your engine severely if the timing belt breaks. Change the belt every 60,000 miles or according to specifications from the manufacturer. You can give yourself some margin by doing this replacement early, say at 50,000 miles.
Spark plugs - This is an annual item for replacement. Often if a car is running rough or acting up, the car will have foul spark plugs so these should be one of the first things you check. For cars that use platinum spark plugs, you can change them every 60,000 or once per year, which ever comes first. Most people do not drive this many miles in a year, so replacing the plugs each year gives you added security. Platinum plugs cost a little more but are made of superior materials and function very well. Some car makers have engines that are not compatible with platinum plugs, so check your car manual or talk to the dealer to make sure which plugs are right for your car.
As you can see, there are a number of simple car maintenance schedule items that are very important for keeping your car running well. By following these simple steps, you will be able to enjoy using your car for many years.
Continue to the next car maintenance article:
General Car Maintenance
