I was just thinking about how people maintain (or don't) their cars. I remember working at Honda and seeing a Civic come in with the maintenance minder showing the service 8,500 miles overdue. My friend once saw one stuck at 9,999 miles past due simply because it couldn't count higher than that.

I think the longest I've ever let the oil in my Elantra go between changes was 7,000 miles and I change it myself every 5K using an OEM Hyundai/Kia filter and Mobil1 oil. I also only use OEM filters for the engine and cabin air filter. I follow the maintenance schedule to the T except for oil and filter where I split it between normal (7,500 mi.) and severe (3,750 mi.) use schedules. If I did more highway driving I would have no qualms in going 7,500 miles before changing the oil.

In between services I'm very proactive, keeping an eye out for blown light bulbs, checking the oil and coolant levels at every or every other fuel stop. Some might consider this excessive but the way I see it, maintaining a car properly is absolutely key.

 

Two very different schools of thought.

One is that you have people that consider cars a throwaway asset. They do no maintenance (or VERY little) on it. Why dump money into a depreciating asset? My wife's uncle would get a new car every 14 months to avoid having to take it in for an oil change. He did not wash it, change/rotate tires/clean it, nothing.

I'm of the opposite camp, mainly because until I have that amount of money to throw away, I will continue to maintain my cars in top shape. I want the cars to last.

I have performed a Reliability-Centered Maintenance analysis on my cars, so I know the cost-effective maintenance strategies to use to properly maintain my cars over the long run.

 

Each and every car and owner are different. I typically run 15k intervals for oil changes. And that is usually severe condition driving too. I know my motor and my oil from all the years of sampling. While some would shake their head and call it neglect or wouldnt ever think of doing such a thing, i see it as normal. I have torn down my motors (every time i get a hair up my ass and decide to swap or convert) and i HAVE seen the inside of them, and my bearings to tell me what i have been doing isnt harming them. As for the other maint, i dont follow a schedule. I will however inspect most all fluids and greasable parts every time i change the oil just to inspect and see what needs what and when.

 

I do everything early, every time. Nothing pisses me off than seeing a car with maintenance that is past due.

 

I try to do my maintnance early as well. Although, the Accord is at 10% oil life remaining, but hopefully I can squeeze it in for an Oil Change this weekend.

 

I do all the maintenance on time, and fix stuff that breaks.
The only issues right now are some dead lights for my TL's climate control and steering wheel audio controls -- removing the console trim and Navi screen to get to the bulbs seems like a pain in the rear, as is disconnecting the airbag.

 

I just have my oil changed per maintenance minder. My first was at 9500, second at 18k, third at 29k (500 miles over due to crappy schedule.)

I'm at 39k with 20% oil life left. My driving is 90% highway.

I'll probably have it done within the next week or so, headed to Vegas for vacation.

 

I, like most Americans overmaintain my cars.


If you go to a 3rd world, you see lack of maintenance. Then again everyone is driving Corollas and Land CRuisers, and those will basically go 300-500k miles with eyes closed.

 

My Corolla is at 102k... Hate that damn car.

 

I had a 85 corolla and a 91 corolla (both coupes), GTS. Aside from those, I swore to never own one again.

 

Maintenance is like anything else in life, you either 'get it' or you don't. My cars are mechanically immaculate. Having two dogs and a Portlandia drizzly winter will do a number on their interior appearance though

 

^^
How do you keep cars clean?


When I did two internships in Seattle back in the day, I recall people just didn't wash cars.

 

The S2000 stays relatively clean, it's garaged and hand washed/vacuumed frequently. The MDX and Accord though...

It's nearly futile between October and May. Both of them have all-weather mats and interior sealant treatments on the leather, so they clean up well.

And yeah, most people here seem to just buy silver cars and never clean them.

 

Same here. Attempting to keep the car clean is next to impossible. There are stretches where the inside of my car gets cleaned/vacuumed 5 to 1 to the exterior getting cleaned. Its been 2 months since ive washed a car around here.

 

This is the first car I've owned that I do all the maintenance. I'm far from a mechanic so it's the basic stuff, mostly just the fluids (oil, MTF, brake, rear differential), tire rotations, air filters, etc. I follow the MID and perform the needed maintenance as soon as it hits 15%.

I also wash my car pretty much weekly, and polish/wax/seal every four months (not necessarily all three though).

I do it all because I enjoy it and because I don't like other people touching my car. Washing in particular is relaxing for me. I get out there first thing in the morning (to avoid the sunlight) with my coffee and my headphones and do my thing.

 

So Oct to May you guys just don't wash them, let the rain do it?

 

I don't expect to change the oil in my car until around 10K miles. Around 95% highway.

Things that are safety-related, get worse with time or affect other aspects of the car get taken care of as soon as I can. Brakes, CVs, etc.

But something like a new muffler, can be done at my convenience.

FTFY.

Add in road salt, and no car is staying clean. Washing a car in subzero temps isn't fun, no matter how much you love it.

I try to wash my car maybe 2 or 3 times in the winter (November-March), and make sure there's some wax/sealant underneath.

 

I wash it maybe once a month during winter, if I'm lucky. There's no point really.

 

This is terrible generalization of both groups.

 

Hmm, maintenance or repairs?

I change my oil roughly every 5000-7500 miles with full synthetic oil and an oversized filter. I grease up the 7-10 fittings underneath while I'm there. Other than that I just repair what breaks which may sound like neglect buts it's more a factor of driving a vehicle with over a quarter million miles on it that turns 22 years old in 3 months.

Last year repairs consisted of a water pump, serp belt, fan clutch, thermostat, and a heat proportioning valve. Tools required were a 1/2" wrench, a 5/9ths" wrench, a pair of pliers, 1 flathead and 1 Phillips head screwdriver. Total cost of repairs was about $130 dollars.

I'd bet some of you pay more than that for an oil change and tire rotation

 

I, like most here, try and do all my maintenance myself. I think you'll find that's going to be the majority on a car forum. Where the lack of maintenance happens is among the common folk who look at a car as an appliance and not a passion or hobby like us. And when they do have it maintained its usually through Jiffy Lube or Walmart, both of which would be my absolute last options to have anything done on a vehicle.

What's interesting to me, working in the auto industry, is the statistics when it comes to tire maintenance. The figures are crazy when it comes to how many cars and trucks are driven with underinflated tires out there. I'm sure most people pay attention to the oil in their car, but the tires are just as important as they are your only real connection to the road.

Many U.S. Passenger Vehicles Are Driven on Under-inflated Tires, NHTSA Research Survey Shows To Check Tire Pressure Before Labor Day Travel | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

 

I wash all of the cars, but it's relatively pointless since they just get filthy with the drizzle, mud and general winter-ish slop that's on the roads.

 

Yep.

My car is gray and with the first rain after a wash, you can see the big dirty spots already accumulating down the sides. Within a week it already looks like a darker matte gray.

 

I keep up on the car maintenance as it is needed. I do a lot of the simpler stuff myself like

hose replacements
belts
fluid changes
brakes

I let the dealer do stuff that requires more tools than I have such as A/C repair, major suspension work and oil changes (simpler to let them deal with it for $35)

 

Having lived in America and Third World Country, I feel my "generalization" is quite accurate.

 

Shit, when I had my 2004 Accord EX V6 and when I lived in Maryland, I used to wash the car every day in the winter to get the road salt off. I made a deal with the owner of the local carwash for $1 a carwash if I came in every day after work. It was touchless, so I just needed to get the road grime off the car.

 

Pretty much pointless. Roads are usually covered with snow and salt. Wash your car and by time you get a block away from the car wash you have snow splashed up the side of the car making it messy, or its -10 deg out making it too cold to wash it. I usually go thru a quick touchless carwash just to get the under body wash, i could care less usually about what the top side looks like as long as i can remove as much salt and snow from the bottom as possible.

 

So for those of you, obviously car people being on the forum, doesn't it bother the heck out of you to drive a filthy car for half the year???

 

Through the winter, there's always enough sunny days above 5 C to wash and dry the cars. I put on a good coat of polymerized wax before winter and then again around Feb.

Waxing the wheels makes a huge improvement in cleaning off brake dust/road grime.

I do all my own maintenance and have not flipped through a Newsweek or People magazine at the service department in decades.

So what are Richard Nixon and Michael Jackson up to these days?

 

Yeah, it is staggering. There are times I am driving behind cars and can tell that a tire(s) is underinflated. If I can see it... I'm sure there are all kinds of reasons why people don't keep their tires properly inflated, or replaced. I bought a air compressor years ago, and it was one of the best investments I've made. I wonder why I didn't have one before then.

Service departments really should chuck their old magazines.

 

Last I heard from Harvey Levin is that MJ is riding reverse cowgirl on Nixon.

You know in order to maintain his figure...

 

Its something i have gotten used to. If i get a chance to wash it i will. If not it will just have to wait. Never had a car rust or have bad paint due to it.

 

Heard a story about a lady who bought a new Suburban. Towed it to the dealer around 20k miles with a frozen engine. Service took a look and there wasn't a drop of oil in it.

"Have you ever changed the oil?"
"Change the oil?"

New engine under warranty. Is it true? , but some people really don't know that you have to maintain cars.

 

I kept my old modded 2000 Accord V6 for 13 years and 200k miles with synthetic oil changes 2-3x a year before selling it. Did them myself including brakes and other minor things.

 

BMW maintenance minders coming on at 15-19K miles for the first oil change. Not uncommon.

 

Timing belts on interference engines were specifically designed to sell new cars to the clueless.

 

Washing is when I get the opportunity. Here in the Fatherland, you can not wash a car in your driveway. And on Sunday you can not do work (gas stations are open, the car wash is closed. Everywhere), So I have to have a free Saturday or a quick one after work.

The Volvo is under warranty, so I just follow the maintenance book (the first three services were free). Next one is at 40k, and the dealer will do it.

I do the Subaru myself. Brakes, tires, oil, filters, and recently a differential half shaft boot are things I'll do. But the car is 9 years old (38k miles on her) , so oil is onec a year, and while I am under the car, fix what I can.

 

She may have gotten lucky but warranty covers manufacturer issues not blatant neglect. They wouldn't need to replace the engine under warranty for that but they could if they were being nice.

 

Or no CEL or oillight came on at all. Then she would have no idea. Or even a service soon light. That would be the dealers way to make her pay.

 

OK, I don't know of any new engine that isn't defective that burns that much oil; changing the oil would not have made a difference if the engine was losing that much oil.