Keeping Your Car Running And Stopping With Timely Service

Posted on: 16 June 2018

Servicing your car on a regular basis is the best way to keep the car running and driving properly for a lot longer than a car that is neglected. The engine, transmission, running gear, and drivetrain all need to be checked regularly so that you don't end up broken down with an unexpected problem.

Taking Your Car In For Service

How often should your car be serviced? It depends on a lot of different things. The first thing you need to do is to check the recommended service intervals in the owner's manual. It will give you a guideline as to what needs to be serviced and when it should be looked at.

The oil and filter are the most common service items but along with that the chassis should be lubed and the tires rotated at the same time. In some new cars the guideline is every 3000 miles but with synthetic oils and better filters, there are some cars that can go 7500 miles between oil changes.

The tires should still be checked and rotated at around 3000 miles and the chassis lubed.

Brake Service And Repair

The brakes on your car should be checked if you start to notice any noise coming from them, feel the pedal getting soft, or notice an excessive amount of black brake dust on the outside of the wheels. There is not a set service interval for the brakes because the pads and shoes wear differently under different driving conditions.

If you do not have them changed when they are worn down, the wear indicator tab on the pads will scratch the rotors and damage the surface of them. If that happens, they will need to be resurfaced or replaced, adding to the cost of the job. Having the pads and shoes checked by a brake service when you are having the tires rotated doesn't cost anything and can save damage to the brake rotors and drums.

Tire Service

If you are rotating the tires properly, they will last a lot longer than if you don't, but no tire lasts forever. If you notice a thumping feeling when you are driving, see chords or steel belts showing through the tires, or damage to the sidewall or tread of the tire, take the vehicle in, and have all the tires checked.

If you have damage on one from wear, you more than likely have at least one other tire showing similar wear patterns. A tire with abnormal wear patterns can be indicative of a suspension or alignment problem, but it could also just mean the tires are old and have a lot of miles on them.

Have the tires inspected and replaced if they are damaged is important. A damaged tire is very likely to fail while you are driving and can cause an accident so do not put off dealing with tire problems.

Share