Your car maintenance schedule should be driven by your car’s manual. There is a lot of helpful information in that manual and it should be used for more than filling up your glove compartment. Crack it open, enjoy its new book smell and spend some time browsing it. You will learn all about when you’re supposed to be rotating the tires, changing the oil and having your belts replaced. However, there are times your mechanic knows best.
Car Maintenance Schedule
The car maintenance schedule that you follow should be the one your trusted mechanic suggests. The manual will give you general guidelines that will tell you when to plan to take care of certain maintenances, but your mechanic has the final say on when the task should be completed. The reason that your mechanic will override the manual is that your mechanic knows how you drive and in what conditions. There are many factors that are unique to you that the manufacturer is unable to take into account.
So, the manual might tell you to change your oil every 10,000 miles and the air filter every 45,000 miles. However, your mechanic knows you frequently drive on dirt roads and do a lot of start and stop driving. In this case, he will recommend changing the oil every 3,000 miles and the air filter every 15,000. He knows what is best for your engine and he’s not trying to do unnecessary work on your car. Harsh conditions or certain driving habits will require an accelerated car maintenance schedule. Of course, this is only in regards to a trusted, local auto mechanic, not a quick oil change franchise or a mechanic in a strange town you happened across while traveling. You do have to use some common sense on who to trust and always error on the side of caution.
