What Maintenance Is
Required And When?
The best source of
maintenance information for your car is your vehicle owner's manual. A
list of maintenance services and the time or mileage intervals at which
they should be performed is part of every owner's manual. The manufacturer
wants to help you keep your car in good working condition, but no carmaker
can know exactly how every vehicle it sells will be used. That's why every
owner's manual has different maintenance schedules for different driving
conditions.
You may live in a part of
the country where the weather gets very cold in the winter or very hot in
the summer, or both. You may drive only short distances a few times a
week, or you may drive regularly for long periods of time at highway speed
limits. Perhaps you drive in prolonged stop-and-go traffic. Maybe you live
and drive in a very dusty climate. Perhaps you regularly tow a trailer or
carry heavy loads. All of these driving conditions and requirements affect
the maintenance needs for your car.
What Is The Right
Maintenance Schedule For Your Car?
For many years, carmakers
identified their maintenance schedules as "regular service" and
"severe service" schedules. These labels are not as widely used
today as they were in the past, but the concepts still apply. Your car's
maintenance requirements are determined by how you use the vehicle.
"Regular
service" as defined in owners' manuals usually turns out to be very
mild service. "Severe service" means just what it says, but for
most motorists, it turns out to be more normal or regular than
"regular service." Here is a typical explanation of severe
service from a vehicle owner's manual:
Are any of these true
for your vehicle?
• Most trips are less than 4 miles
(6 kilometers)
• Most trips are less than 10 miles
(16 kilometers) and outside temperatures are below freezing
• The engine is at low-speed most
of the time (as in door-to-door delivery or stop-and-go traffic).
• You operate your vehicle in dusty
areas.
• You tow a trailer or regularly
carry the maximum vehicle load
If any one (or more) of these is true for your driving,
follow Schedule 1.
The manufacturer does not
explicitly label Schedule 1 as severe service, but looking at it reveals
that it calls for oil and filter changes every 3000 miles. The regular
service, Schedule 2, calls for oil and filter changes less than half as
often: every 7500 miles.