I’m getting a new car soon and I want to make sure I take care of it properly, but I also don’t want to just do all the maintenance recommended by the dealership. With my current car, the only consistently recurring maintenance I do is change the oil every 5000 miles. It’s a 2010 ford Taurus at 215k miles, looking to probably get some Toyota hybrid for the next one.
What kinds of maintenance is actually necessary to maintain your vehicle life expectancy? I don’t trust asking the dealership about this because I’m sure they are biased towards me having more work done. Thanks!
A lot will depend on car, and driving habits. A timing belt may need changing at 80k where a chain may never need it.
Start with the manufacturer recommended (NOT dealer recommended) …
Oil/Filter every 10k (or less);
Brake Fluid every 2 years (you can test this before changing and in my case it’s never needed changing at less that 5 years);
Air Filter/Cabin Filter every 40k;
Spark Plugs 80-100k;
Transmissions Fluid every 80k;
Coolant, again test it, I’ve gone over 200k without issues.
Belts/hoses - check, but maybe 5 years (hoses when you do coolant).
Depends on the car but keep all of the fluids changed, tires rotated, and tire pressure checked often. Keep the air filter and cabin filter changed every 15k or 1 year.
Really depends on how much you drive in a year, the climate of your area, and if your car is garage kept. I put only about 5k miles on my car so I do one oil change and rotate my tires once a year. Every two years I will change out the engine/cabin air filters and wiper blade inserts. Batteries/tires I will typically change out every 5-7 years depending on if it’s necessary. Other wear items like brake pads, rotors, suspension components, etc will be done if they need to be addressed. I make sure fluids (brake, power steering, coolant, wiper fluid) are good on a monthly basis as well as tire pressure. It’s a great idea to give your car a once over but if you are not a DIY person, go by the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual. Suggestions are done by year/mileage as well as normal or severe use (extreme weather, city driving, dirt roads).