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Services--How often, and what to do?
A topic to discuss services, service schedules and
service procedures.
service procedures.
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Comments
I will post more on this later. I'd be interested to hear what people think about intervals, or hear their questions concerning service intervals.
Then again, I tend to schedule my services at 4000 miles.
Would radiators last a lot longer with yearly fluid changes? And is flushing no longer necessary? (Note: Any toilet jokes will result in a "boot to the head.") What do you guys know?
It is always a good idea to have your cooling system flushed and filled. My mechanic has no problem flushing the system. Maybe you should try an independent instead of Acura next time. I flush mine every 30K which happens to occur every 13 or 14 months. As for radiators lasting longer, flushing does help. Unfortunately, modern radiators with plastic tanks do not last as long as they used to. When the plastic tank surrounding the radiator separates, the only choice you have is to replace. Good luck, Wes.
I received an email about fuel filters recently, and I wanted to address that issue. This is a good topic. Fuel filters on modern cars can last quite a while. The recommendation on fuel-injected Volvos and Toyotas has traditionally been to replace them at 60K intervals. I understand that some newer cars recommend replacement at 100K intervals. From what I've heard, the fuel filters that you replace at 60K are not really any different, in terms of materials and design, from the ones you replace at 100K. The 60K interval, I've been told, is an interval that insures that the filter will always be clean (as long as you use relatively clean gas). The 100K interval is an interval that is still safe, but one that auto manufacturers have started recommending because it reduces the cost/mile of maintaining the vehicle--it is a selling point!
I'm curious to know what opinions or ideas others have on the subject.
Does anyone have a recommendation concerning using a synthetic oil in the manual transmission. I would think it would be good idea. Specifically, the cold weather use of the manual gearbox might be much improved and not feel like moving a stick which is in a bucket of molasses!
Comments or advice?
Change oil and filter at the first 500 mile.
At 1500 mile, does the same.
At 3000 mile, oil change and tune up.
Then follow 3750mi intervals afterwards.
His recommendation was based on the higher amount of metal contaminants (mostly shavings) that accumulate during the break-in. He added that if I can follow this with a gentle driving habit during the period, my car will go very superb and last for a long time. What are your opinions? Is his recipe doing only good if I have enough money? Or will it harm something invisibly by too much care on it?
Thanks,
Buddhaseed
Just called the dealer service department and they told me that my car does not need to do the severe one here at San Diego. But I asked him about the "break-in" maintenance because what all is said in the manual is only "not to floor down or accelerate rapidly for the first 600 miles." It never talks about the interval for the break-in period. This guy said no need for short interval maintenance, although my friend suggested to do it every 500 miles.
If they'll refuse to service frequent oil changes, I think I might as well do it myself. However, I have no experience with that. What things should I keep in mind, and what else check besides oil change should I do?
Check the transmission fluid (if automatic) with the car running. There are two sets of marks on the transmission dipstick. One set of marks is for checking at cooler temperatures (like after you've just started the car), and the other is for hotter temperatures (after heavy driving).
Your car should also have a power steering fluid reservoir. Some cars you can check cold, and some you need to do while the engine is running. Check your owner's manual.
If your battery is not a sealed battery, check your battery fluid levels from time to time. None of your battery's cells should be so empty that its plates are exposed to air. In fact, they should be filled well above the plates. Some sealed batterys have an indicator window that'll tell you whether the battery is charged or not.
In practice, if there are symptoms of low fuel pressure, the fuel filter must be a suspect even if it's almost new.
Thanks;
TuN
Despite what your dealer says, read the qualifications for following the severe service schedule again. I'll bet you meet one of them. My Dodge dealer here in NJ actually prints their own service booklet that basically matches the severe service schedule. If you meet every service they outline, you get a few hundred bucks when you trade the car in.
In almost any metropolitan area, you will meet the "stop-and-go traffic" or the "frequent short trips" criteria of the severe service schedule.
looking at my copy, the areas consumer reports graded as poor for the '92 metro were:exhaust, integrity, and hardware. they describe integrity as:seals, weather stripping, air and water leaks, wind noise, rattles and squeaks. Hardware is window, door & seat mechanisms, safety belts, sunroof, glass & wipers.
they graded as good:cooling, fuel, auto & man trans, clutch,a/c, suspension, body rust and paint and trim. should note, though, that nothing got an 'excellent' rating. later models of the metro did get excellent ratings in a few categories.
one thing that's well worth the money is take the car to amechanic you trust and have him give it the once over. should be about $50 and well worth it. he'll point out things that you might overlook, esp if he puts the car on the lift, which he should do. if the seller balks at you taking the car to a mechanic, i'd walk away from the sale-fast! seller probably doesn't want you finding out something.
Actually, Audi is surely correct that the car will provide good service with the 7500-mi oil changes.
I concur with the many people (see the engine oil topic) who have found that very long engine life is better assured with more frequent changes; i.e. ~3000 miles.
While there are surely many good 7500-mile-change engines with 150,000 miles of service, I believe the more frequent oil changes are cost-justified on the basis that the 3000-mile-change engines are even less likely to need internal repairs. If the car is frequently used for trips of less than 10 miles, the shorter change interval becomes much more important.
(at least I like to think so)
The reason for this has to do with the accumulation of combustion by-products in the crankcase oil. This occurs with each start of a cold engine. If the car is used for very short trips, the undesirable material is not driven off by engine heat so the accumulation per-cold-start is even higher than for the normal usage situation.
Please note that you don't need to go to the dealer for your oil changes. You can do it yourself or go to a shop you trust. The Camry is an outstanding car but, even so, I would keep the oil change receipts during the warranty period.
Most mechanics recommend a 3,000 mile interval for an oil change. I have driven my cars to 8 to 10 years on the average and have put at least 100,000 to 150,000 miles on each car. By changing the oil every 3,000 miles, I have never experienced oil leaks or excessive oil consumption
Maybe it's car manufacturers promoting rapid failure of engines?
Your cooling system, however, surely deserves new coolant. The old coolant is not providing any significant corrosion protection and the rate of deterioration of such components as the radiator and heater core is escalating.
Spark plugs are a surprise to me, that's surely the longest use I've heard about. Have you looked at them? How much is left of the electrodes? While performance may be OK, new plugs would surely improve performance and/or fuel economy. The plug threads are likely to gall on some types of engines after very long use; I hope you don't encounter that problem.
A good buddy who is an enthusiast, he may race his BMW, not sure, but also is a motorcycle enthusiast, just told me that it was recommended to him not to rotate tires. The force on the car is too much from a rotation, so the tires should simply be worn all the way down. He said alignments are not necessary until the tires are replaced, usually. I do agree that there are many cars that are so well balanced, alignments simply don't do much. I had my Integra aligned religiously at 6-month intervals, but thought about it, and never noticed any difference in driveability! I have another acquaintance, who was the manager of a tire/brake/suspension shop. He used to tell me that alignments should be done religiously. He said you want to balance the front end, because the different forces that build up when a car ages will take their toll on suspension parts otherwise. I see his point, but am thinking only yesterday's technology was so sensitive to age. I guess we all take our chances with our specific vehicles, and specific maintenance habits. Your habits seemed to have paid off well. The quality of your particular vehicle speaks for itself too, wouldn't you say?
guitarzan
Community Leader/Vans Conference
If the steering, handling, and center-position of the steering wheel are OK, suggest that you make one further check to see if alignment is needed. Every few months, move your fingertips along the outermost periphery of the tire tread to feel for a "cupping" or "scalloping" wear condition. Repeat this check at the inner edge of each tire. Such wear can be caused by imbalance but is more often associated with alignment. If not corrected, the scallops will increase in depth to the extent that they are readily visible and are causing an audible roar ...and the useful life of the tire(s) has been shortened considerably. I find the "fingertip check" to be an effective early warning of wheel misalignment.
While some cars and driving circumstances do require frequent re-alignment, there are many cars that retain good alignment for 60,000 miles or more.