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!
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).