Everybody knows that you should take your car in for auto maintenance or a quick tuneup after a certain amount of time has passed or after you’ve put a certain amount of miles on your vehicle.
How are Auto Maintenance Intervals Set?
The set time intervals between auto maintenance tuneups is usually set by your vehicle’s manufacturer, though some new vehicles will tell you when specific systems need to be looked at.
If you’ve purchased your vehicle in the last ten years, then you probably have a real-time feedback system on your vehicle that tells you when, for instance, you need to replace your brake pads or oil.
A lot of newer vehicles will also tell you when you need to take your car in for an oil change. A general rule of thumb is about every three to five thousand miles.
Tuneup and Tuning…Same Thing?
The thing to remember is that tuneups on a regular schedule improve your vehicle’s performance and fuel efficiency. That said, tuneups are slightly different from engine tunings, which change your engine in some way to be better than it was leaving the factory.
Auto maintenance at All Around Auto Repair, by contrast, includes things like: oil change, changing of spark plugs, replacing fuel filter, replacing air filter, changing the transmission fluid, lubricating components, inspecting the lights and wipers, checking and rotating the tires, and checking your brake fluid levels.
The really nice thing about taking your vehicle in to All Around Auto Repair for auto maintenance is that the on-site mechanics can spot problems that you wouldn’t necessarily think to look for.
So, do All Around Auto Repair’s trained mechanics have some kind of magic wand or diving rod that lets them find problems that other people can’t?
Using the Right Tools for Maintenance
You might say that since All Around Auto Repair’s mechanics use a scan tool to read your vehicle’s own diagnostic code and precision tools during something like a wheel alignment to get things just right.
With a real alignment you can rest assured that your wheels are conforming to the manufacturer’s specifications, which will improve performance and the longevity of your tires by ensuring the wear is even.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, auto maintenance attempts to get your car closer to what the manufacturer intended and giving you and your vehicle many more happy miles on the roads.
Following your vehicle’s owner manual is a very good way to get the most out of your vehicle. Your vehicle’s manual will typically tell you which systems need to be inspected or replaced at certain time or mile intervals (e..g, brake pads every 50,000 miles or so).
Every Vehicle is Different
Although these are useful rules of thumb for how often certain systems need to be looked at, sometimes the way that you drive or the amount of small trips that you make can put additional wear and tear on your vehicle.
This added wear and tear can mean that you might need auto maintenance slightly more frequently than your auto maintenance schedule would dictate for your vehicle’s make and model.
Things like driving in a lot of stop-and-go traffic, taking a lot of long trips (e.g., from one state to another), or towing a trailer in a car that’s not really designed to do a lot of towing can put more wear and tear on your vehicle.
All Around Auto Repair bases its auto maintenance schedules on the vast majority of California drivers whose driving tendencies are somewhere between rough and ideal. Why put it off? Contact us and schedule your auto maintenance today.
