Know How To Take Care Of Your Car
Knowing how to take care of your car is an important life skill.
Being up to date with car maintenance helps prevent unexpected breakdowns and extends the life of your vehicle.
Regular maintenance also keeps the overall condition of your vehicle in check with all proper fluids, oil, and safety components up to par.
Our Quick Guide
Here is the Ultimate Quick Guide for maintenance that you can refer to to know when and why you should service different components of your vehicle.
A lot of people know that it’s time to get their oil changed based on that sticker in their windshield, but we want to give you a little more information so that, if you are not already, you become a well-informed car owner who can make informed decisions about your vehicle maintenance.
Keep in mind that this guide is based on the average driver driving about 1,000 miles in a month.
Oil Change
- How often? Every 3,000-5,000 miles or every 3-6 months, depending on how much you drive. Don’t drive a lot at all? (under 3,000 miles per year) Get your oil changed at least once a year.
- Why? Two main reasons.
1) Oil has to be changed to maintain the lubrication of engine components.
2) Oil should be changed to remove contaminants from the oil for optimal engine performance.
Note: Your car will either take synthetic blend oil or full synthetic oil. Reference your owner's manual or a quick online search.
Tire Rotation
- How often? Every 5,000 - 10,000 miles
- Why? Steering tires wear more, so they need to be rotated to ensure even wear amongst all tires. Rotating tires extends tire life and ensures even wear. More local road use promotes more outer edge wear on steering tires. If you find yourself doing a lot of local driving, you should get your tires rotated on a more regular basis.
Change Tires
- How often? When tires are too worn down (4/32” inch tread depth at its lowest point) or cracking or splitting.
- Why? Tires on a passenger vehicle need to legally be above 4/32” tread depth for safety and drivability.
4-Wheel Alignment
- How often? Every new tire change, or when tire wear issues/handling issues need to be corrected.
- Why? Ensure the vehicle stays within the proper alignment range to give you the best drivability, gas mileage, and longest tire life.
Batteries
- How often? Check annually for leakage and corrosion. Replace every 4 years, 5 years max.
- Why? Ensuring battery health is important in preventing breakdowns due to a dead battery. Also, keeping the battery fresh ensures the optimal performance of computers and starters. A weak battery can damage electrical components.
Automatic Transmission Fluid Service
- How often? Every 20,000-60,000 miles
If you drive mostly locally with a lot of starting and stopping, you should service more frequently. If you drive in 4WD or if you use your vehicle to plow, service is required more frequently.
- Why? Internal filters require replacement, and the fluid should be changed. This service maintains lubricity and overall condition so that the internal transmission parts are not prematurely damaged.
Brake Fluid Flush/Service
- How often? Every 50,000 miles or every 5 years
- Why? To keep moisture out of the brake fluid system and to prevent internal contamination
Brake replacements
- How often? No exact rule of thumb. 20,000, 40,000, or 60,000 miles.
Brake replacement is based on your driving habits and local vs. highway use. More local use requires more frequent service. Regardless, check your brakes every oil change since they are a critical safety component.
- Why? The brake pad lining thickness needs to be 6 mm or more to stop the vehicle correctly, including to dissipate the heat properly from braking. Brake pads that are too thin will overheat the brakes more quickly. Rotors are also changed at the time of the brake pads to get the best performance and prevent warping.
Coolant flush
- How often? 50,000 miles or every 5 years
- Why? Maintain coolant condition to maintain internal cooling system parts, including radiator and heater core.
A/C Service
- How often? As needed. Older vehicles may require a yearly AC service if experiencing difficulties.
- Why? Maintain cold A/C output.
Engine Air Filter
- How often? Every 20,000–40,000 miles
- Why? Cleans the air that goes into the engine. Changing the filter improves the gas mileage and extends engine life.
Cabin Air Filter
- How often? Every 15,000-30,000 miles
- Why? Keeps air inside the passenger compartment clean for a better inside environment and keeps the HVAC component parts working properly.
Lights
- How often? Should be checked monthly.
- Why? Safety and visibility on the road at all times, especially during rain or at night.
Wipers
- How often? Once a year, or as needed
- Why? It is important to maintain clear visibility that is not streaky during inclement weather conditions, including rain, snow, and fog.
Preventative Maintenance Inspection
- How often? During every oil change or at least once a year.
- Why? Get a general front-to-back top-to-bottom look-over of your vehicle for an assessment of general safety and drivability components. Catch small issues and prevent them from turning into bigger, more expensive problems.