Car Maintenance Schedule
A car maintenance schedule is vital if you want your car to last many years. Cars which are well taken care of can last for over 200,000 miles. Imagine that! Many cars die early because their owners simply did not take care of them properly. Much like the human body, a car must be fed the correct food (fluids) and have regular maintenance performed on it, similar to a trip to the doctors!
Thankfully many of these car maintenance schedule tasks can be performed by you, saving you potentially thousands of dollars in mechanic bills every year.
Some things which are on the car maintenance schedule include:
Oil and oil filter changes - This should be done every 3000 miles. Do it more often if you drive in heavy traffic (this puts more stress on the engine).
Spark plugs - should be changed once per year. If you use platinum spark plugs, you can change them every 60,000 or once per year, which ever comes first (not many people drive 60k miles in a year). Platinum plugs cost a little more but are better quality. Take note however that not all cars like platinum plugs so check with your manufacturer or car manual. Often a rough or temperamental car will have foul spark plugs so these should be one of the first things you check if your car is playing up.
Air filter - Should also be changed once per year. This is a very cheap item and is easy to change. Can do wonders for the running of your car.
Timing belt - Change this every 60,000 miles or according to manufacturer's specifications. This is VERY important or else you can lose your engine completely if the timing belt breaks. I like to do mine every 50,000 miles to be on the safe side.
Tire rotation/replacement - Rotate your tires every 6 months. They should be rotated from front to rear and also inside out if possible. Replace tires every 2-3 years depending on wear and usage.
These are just some of the car maintenance schedule tasks which are vital for the healthy running and longevity of your vehicle.
