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Why Service Your Car
Today’s cars tend to run hotter than they used to. With the trend to downsize vehicle components to save space and weight, cooling system components are being asked to do more than their older counterparts. The best thing you can do to maintain the cooling system at peak efficiency during the life of your car is to replace the coolant every two years. Anti-freeze does wear out and by replacing the coolant you insure that the corrosion inhibitors are fresh and doing the job they’re supposed to. By doing this you will eliminate the scale and corrosion that builds up inside the radiator when coolant is left in too long and avoid a costly radiator repair or replacement.
Probably the most ignored fluid in the car, and the most important, is the brake fluid. Brake fluid is not a petroleum-based product; it is made from cashew shells. As such brake fluid does absorb moisture from the air and when it does, its effectiveness diminishes and lowers braking performance. Sludge will also build up over a period of time and will block the valves inside ABS units and result in costly repairs or replacement. In addition this sludge will cause calipers and wheel cylinders to leak, also resulting in repairs or replacement. So the best thing to do is to have the brake fluid flushed and refilled every two years or 60,000 miles.
The transmission fluid also needs to be changed on a regular basis to help keep the transmission in tiptop shape. Most transmission failures can be directly traced to lack of maintenance. Transmissions are very expensive to repair or replace, often in the thousands of dollars. Many times the cost of all the fluid and filter changes you will pay for the entire life of the car.Power steering is another fluid that is often ignored. It is recommended that it be flushed and refilled every two years or 60,000 miles. This will help prevent costly hydraulic repairs or replacement. Most notably leaking power steering racks that can cost up to $1500.00 to replace.
Filters are an important part of regular maintenance. Air and fuel filters keep dirt and junk out of the engine so they will do no harm. Problems arise when these filters get dirty and start to clog up. Many drivability problems such as hesitation and rough idle stem from dirty air and fuel filters. For maximum effectiveness, they should be replaced every 15,000 miles. A filter that is very rarely replaced and should be replaced is the carbon canister filter. It is an important part of the emission control system and filters the in coming air that this system uses. The emission controls are such an integral part of today’s engine management system that a clogged canister filter will also result in drivability problems.
Now we come to the spark plugs and other ignition parts. Ignition systems have become much more reliable over the last few years. Many engines don’t even have distributors any more. They use a DIS or Direct Ignition System. These systems mount one ignition coil on each spark plug thus eliminating the need of a distributor and the PCM controls the firing of each coil. On engines that still use a distributor, it is a good idea to replace the distributor cap, distributor rotor and ignition wires every 30,000 miles. This is especially important in Japanese cars that, for some reason, distributor caps don’t seem to last as long.
The spark plugs need to be replaced on a regular basis as well. Talking about what kind of spark plugs to use is a great way to spark an argument. There are platinum plugs, split fire plugs, multi-electrode plugs, red ones, green ones and blue ones. The best plug to use is the plug the manufacturer recommends. This spark plug information can be found on the engine decal located under the hood. I recommend replacing the spark plugs every 30,000 miles to keep the engine operating at peak efficiency. The most critical engine component is the timing belt. Not all engines use a timing belt, but on those that do, it’s critical that they be replaced before they break. And at some point they will break. If your car has an interference engine, that is to say an engine where the valves and pistons occupy the same place in the combustion chamber at different times, serious engine damage will occur. If your car has a non-interference engine the worst that will happen is you get stranded somewhere. Most manufacturers suggest replacing the timing belt every 60,000 miles. I highly recommend this interval as well.
Replacing the differential fluid is something that is most often over looked. While differentials are pretty robust and solid, a regular fluid change will help them stay that way for the life of the car. If your car is four or all wheel drive, change the transfer case fluid as well.
Recommended Service Schedule:
Every 3,000 miles or 3 months:
Replace Engine Oil and Filter
Every 7,500 miles or 6 months:
Replace Engine Oil and Filter
Service battery
Rotate and balance tires
Every 15,000 miles or 1 year:
Replace Engine Oil and Filter
Flush and fill transmission fluid. Replace transmission filter
Replace air and fuel filters
Replace PCV and breather element
Replace carbon canister filter
Service battery
Rotate and balance tires
Service brakes
Every 30,000 miles or 2 years:
Replace Engine Oil and Filter
Flush and replace coolant
Flush and refill brake fluid
Replace air and fuel filters
Replace carbon canister filter
Replace PCV and breather element
Replace distributor cap, rotor and wires
Replace spark plugs
Service battery
Rotate and balance tires
Replace differential/transfer case fluid
Service brakes
Every 60,000 miles:
Replace Engine Oil and Filter
Flush and replace coolant
Flush and refill brake fluid
Flush and refill power steering fluid
Replace air and fuel filters
Replace carbon canister filter
Replace PCV and breather element
Replace distributor cap, rotor and wires
Replace spark plugs
Replace timing belt
Service battery
Replace differential/transfer case fluid
Service brakes
Source: http://autorepair.about.com/od/maintenance/a/newcarmaintain.htm
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