Common Sense vs. Vehicle Maintenance

We've all felt the tension of realizing it's time to have your car serviced at your favorite lube shop or dealership. After all, the small sticker on your windshield indicates that it is time. However, other than the advice of that same lube center or dealership, how do you know it's time? Have you read the owner's manual? Did the lube shop or dealership notify you that your vehicle is subject to the severe duty schedule in your owner's manual owing to excessive heat, cold, hilly terrain, and other factors? Then panic sets in because you know the same lube center or dealership will tell you it's time to change your air and cabin filters, flush your transmission, power steering system, cooling system, brake system, change the differential fluid, repair your brakes, and rotate your tires. The list might become pretty lengthy and never end. Despite the fact that you are a good "no" person who always manages to escape with money in your pocket, you are now receiving email and postcard reminders that you must complete all of the above. Why are you being bombarded as a vehicle owner?


Quick Lubricant


A typical dealership's quick-lube or express-lube shop performs 1200 to 1500 services each month. The oil change and lubrication sector is worth $5 billion per year. 75% of these five billion dollars are based just on Clutch Replacement Farnham. When you drive into your lube shop or dealership, you are presented with the "good, better, and best" oil change menu, with the addition of the high mileage oil change for vehicles with more than 75,000 miles. Nobody wants the cheapest option in a $40,000 vehicle. As a result, most owners select the best oil changes without realizing what they are doing. Most consumers make their decision based only on the graph displayed by the Service Advisor as they drive in. This is your first up-sale opportunity, and they haven't even taken your car in for service yet. Although this is not a release from an anti-lube center, it is an encouragement to investigate your vehicle's maintenance requirements.


Is the 3000-mile oil change interval a myth? Historically, the technology and metals used in cars limited their lifespan. As a result, many of our parents and grandparents lived by the 3000-mile oil change interval. Today's technology, not only for current mechanical components but also in the advancement of oil technology, is far superior in terms of lubrication and heat dissipation. Most automotive manufacturers have used aluminum for engine blocks and cylinder heads for the last two decades. This generates significantly more heat dissipation than the traditional cast iron assembly in our parents' automobiles. Other improvements, like roller bearings and better lubrication porting, have also contributed to the increased longevity of today's engines. Is the 3000-mile oil change interval still in effect?


Many manufacturers have updated service schedules in their owner's manuals. Many lube facilities and dealerships may advise you to replace your oil every 3000 miles or 5000 miles for synthetic oils. Many automakers have increased oil change intervals from 7,500 to 10,000 miles. Current Jaguar automobiles have an oil change interval of 15,000 miles. This can be accomplished by using synthetic oils and improving oil filtration. Every manual, however, has a "severe duty" service plan that reduces the required intervals. Naturally, regardless of where you reside or your driving habits, you will be informed that your vehicle is subject to a harsh duty schedule. Why is this the case? This new technology is costing oil and lube facilities a fortune. On the other hand, consider how much money you are just throwing away by performing two to three oil changes more than necessary, how much oil is consumed, and how much waste oil is disposed of. Natural resources are being used more efficiently as a result of new technology. Unfortunately, the vehicle service business is losing money in the short term as a result of this.


Remember how I mentioned transmission flushes, power steering flushes, gasoline flushes, and so on in the introduction? This is where the losses from the oil lube centers and dealerships can be recovered. They would not be giving adequate service if they did not inform vehicle owners that there are mechanical parts other than the engine that require service. In the interest of car maintenance, I'd like to emphasize something very crucial. Is the average vehicle owner under the impression that engine oil is the only fluid that has to be serviced in their vehicle? Let's have a look at the inverse of the article's theme. For good reason, I used the terms common Sense and vehicle Maintenance in the headline. The obvious component is that there are numerous mechanical moving parts in a vehicle that all rely on oil-based fluids to function. Do you suppose your other mechanically moving lubricants, like engine oil, deteriorate and oxidize over time? Let's take a look at the several areas that require care in terms of vehicle maintenance.