The fast pace of life these days and the fact that vehicles are designed to go longer without breaking down due to lack of servicing is causing some folks to skip much needed auto care.
That said, shrugging off that blinking check engine light one too many times can have pretty catastrophic repercussions for your vehicle. That’s why the experts advise routine car maintenance, a round of diagnostic tests, and auto car servicing if necessary.
Only trained, certified mechanics can definitively tell you whether you simply need your oils topped off, a new filter, new brake pads, or something more comprehensive like a new transmission.
Auto car experts know the warning signs and have been around the block enough times to immediately tell you whether you have an easy fix on your hands or a more serious issue.
Going Too Long Between Oil and Filter Changes
With family, friends, and your career it can be tempting to let all of the moving pieces of your life move routine car maintenance and auto care to the back seat. Do that for too long, though, and you might have more serious issues on your hands.
While it’s true that vehicles these days are, by and large, more reliably made. Some vehicles only need their oil changed every 5,000 to 10,000 miles – depending on what’s recommended in the owner’s manual – whereas cars from yesteryear frequently needed a change every 1,000 to 2,000 miles.
The pitfall that some owners make nowadays is assuming that they can go longer and longer between all kinds of service intervals without their vehicle feeling any ill effects down the road. That’s just not true.
What happens, for instance, when you don’t change your vehicle’s engine oil on time? Well, it will keep going and help to lubricate your engine somewhat, but it won’t work as well as it should and it might cause some serious issues.
Your motor (engine) oil will get contaminated over time, provide less lubrication, and perhaps cause your engine to overheat. Given enough time, your engine will become warped and parts will start to break down. Your engine will then stop working.
Auto Care 101: Brake Fluid and Cooling System Flush
Before your engine totally hits the skids, though, you’ll experience reduced fuel economy and a lot of exhaust problems. A similiar thing happens when you wave off a break fluid flush or cooling system flush.
Brake fluid is a glycol-based hydraulic fluid that increases the braking force of your vehicle. If you don’t change your brake fluid as often as you should – around every two years for many vehicles – then you could experience a lot of corrosion within your braking system and suffer a costly breakdown of your vehicle’s anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Getting a flush of your coolant system is also important because if you go more than five years without doing so you could wind up with a real headache. Corrosion can disintegrate your vehicle’s radiator tubes under the hood and a buildup of sludge can do further damage.
The main culprit behind damage done to an engine, your brakes, and your radiator when you go too long between fluid changes is heat. If your vehicle’s coolant is working optimally, the coolant moves heat from the engine to the radiator under the hood.
New synthetic fluids used today contain additives that keep the glycol-based fluids in your brake fluid and coolant from corroding the metal components of your vehicle. Come in to All Around Auto Repair for routine car maintenance to get the best modern auto care technology for your vehicle.
