NateDawg

Hey guys, first time posting here.

I purchased an 03, type-s about back in Feb. of 2008. It had about 98k miles on it when I purchased it. There were no maintenance records included with the car unfortunately, so I don't know what all was or wasn't done before I purchased it. However, due to lack of cash and the overall crap economy, I haven't been able to afford to do any of the scheduled maintenance for the vehicle. The car now has about 136k miles on it, and I can afford to get some maintenance done on it now.

The only things i've done to the car since I purchased it have been replacing an O2 sensor, new tires, brake pads, oil changes, and about 10k miles ago, I replaced the transmission fluid with RP. Oh, and I restored the headlights to remove the yellowing and flaking.

The car drives perfectly, has no issues at all.

My question is thus: What should I do as far as maintenance? Should I take it to a mechanic and have him do all the maintenance that should have been done since 100k miles? Or should I go to the dealer? Or would they charge me a whole lot more than non-dealer mechanic?

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I am not a car guy as it were, so I don't know where to start to keep my car in good shape. Its been good to me and I want to keep it for at least another 5-10 years if I can hah.

C25A1guy

At this point, you'll probably want to look into taking care of the serpentine belt and water pump. Also the tensioner for the serpentine belt is a common weak spot as well (get the occasional belt squeak). Also on top of that, you'll probably want to do your spark plugs too. Stick with the NGK iridium plugs. Almost anything else will be a downgrade. That should keep you going well into the next 100k w/ good fluids maintnance.

Mr Marco

So you basically said "fuck it" to the maintenance schedule on a car which the only requirement for reliability is routine maintenance...


good luck with that, maybe you should explore other forms of transportation that are not as expensive.

NateDawg

Thanks for the info. I will go to an independent mechanic for that then, I am sure they would be able to do that sort of thing with little problem, as long as they are a stable reputable business.

I have noticed a little bit of squeak in the belt, so it is indeed time for some of these maintenance things.

NateDawg

Lol, a fail at being helpful, funny, and at reading.

I hardly said "fuck it", as you failed to notice that I did keep the fuilds changed, including the tranny fluid, brake pads etc. I highly doubt the reliability of my car has been screwed because I am just now getting to replacing belts, tensioners, and struts etc...

Maybe you should try a mode of transportation more fitting to your personality