In last week’s article we laid out the basics of preventative maintenance to keep your vehicle on the road (in the best shape) for the years to come. In today’s article we’ll be building on that with some more long term/late term care reminders.
Your vehicle’s oil, brakes, filters, tires and battery are all building blocks that make keep your vehicle on the road. There are certain milestones you’ll want to first take action with these components, with extra check-ins along the way to make sure these varied components all continue operating optimally.
We’ll recap some quick points from last week’s article below:
First off, the air filter, while you can access this at home, typically found in a compartment behind the glove box, you’ll also need to consider getting this piece changed starting at 30,000 miles. As always, the best place to get this done would be with your regular certified mechanic.
Another filter, your fuel filter, doesn’t have a universal lifespan. Recommendations for replacement vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, a great resource to use when trying to find the best time to have this replaced is your car’s owner manual. If your car didn’t come with an owner’s manual many manufacturers now publish them online!
As we touched on in the last article, your battery should last 4-5 years. This should translate to 50,000 – 60,000 miles. At this point, you should have your battery replaced.
Your brakes are important, in a previous article we went into more depth on their maintenance. Your brake fluid should be replaced every 20,000 – 45,000 miles, your pads can last up to 50,000 miles and your rotors can be resurfaced or replaced right at the 60,000 mile mark.
Long term:
But what about beyond this? What other components should you be keeping an eye on as your vehicle continues on the road?
As you keep your car on the road with healthy check-ins of regular preventative maintenance you’ll reach some big milestones. You’ve been doing everything right in keeping your car in top shape. If you keep an eye for some of these components, it won’t end at these milestones.
Your car has a lot of fluids running through, from lubricants to fuel and everything in between. Your coolant, power steering fluid and the litany of gases flowing through your car will place a strain on the hoses used to transport them with enough use. At around 100,000 miles you’ll want to get these hoses checked, and if your certified mechanic recommends it, have them replaced.
Along with the hoses for your power steering fluid, around this same mile mark is where you’ll want to have your mechanic take a look at the fluid itself. If it’s low, you’ll know. You’ll feel heavy steering and a good amount of noise when you do. To stay a step ahead, you’ll want to have it flushed and replaced at around 75,000 miles or when you start noticing issues if you’d rather not take on the maintenance.
Another component, and an integral one at that, you’ll need to keep an eye is on is your vehicle’s spark plug. While modern spark plugs made out of titanium and iridium can last up to 100,000 miles, less expensive components like copper may be used. For these spark plugs you’ll have a moved up timeline, expect to replace your copper spark plug at around 30,000 miles.
As we’ve seen in these past few articles, there are many moving components that make your vehicle function at its best. While these guides touch base on the basics, they shouldn’t be used as an all-encompassing sole resource. When in doubt, consult your owner’s manual and your preferred mechanic.
If you don’t have a regular mechanic, or haven’t been keeping up with your regular maintenance, its best to start now. You can click here to reach out to our professional service team, no maintenance is too small and no repair too big.
Thank you for reading, and remember to check in weekly for a deep dive into the automotive world!
