I want to see what other people do for basic scheduled maintenance to their vehicles such as fluid changes, filters, cleaning, and so on. Im not talking about timing belts and things like that… unless you change them every 6k miles. Just the normal 3k, 6k, 15k, interval stuff.
For the nice car
3-6k/every 3 mo. Oil change: Royal Purple 5w-30 Mobil 1 or K&N filter. Check other fluids and top off if needed. Check air filter
6-15k/every 6-12 mo. Clean air filter, Throttle body, MAF sensor. Check PCV valve and replace if required. Change ATF and filter(if auto). Change coolant/ flush system
occasional light checks and engine cleaning
and the beater
3-6k Oil change with either Mobil 1 synthetic or non-syn. oil (depending on condition of vehicle) Mobil 1, AC Delco or Purolator filter. Check other fluids and filters.
6-15k Replace or clean air filter if needed. Clean TB/MAF. Check PCV.
once a year change coolant and flush
Oil every 6k, filter every 3k.
Coolant flush every season
New trans fluid/diff fluid every season
New tires every season (:rofl)
I should really clean my air filter this season, I inspect it every season and if it looks ok, I run it as-is (ITG)
Sentra:
I changed the waterpump when it started weeping???
A number of reasons, (i)I won’t own the car long enough to realize any benefits, if they exist at all; (ii)conventional motor oils have a higher esther(sp?) package which keeps seals/gaskets swelled and prevents oil leaks; (iii)S2000 people recommend conventional oil for “normal” driving, in particular while the car is under 10k miles; (iv)I spent greater then half my life in the auto repair business, long enough to remember when synthetics were first heavily marketed, they were brought to market for higher profits, yes they may have benefits but chances are so slim you’ll realize any of them in everyday driving they are a redundancy and (v) if your vehicle is not designed for synthetic chances are high your going to do more damage then good.
Advantages
The technical advantages of synthetic motor oils include:
-Measurably better low and high temperature viscosity performance
-Better chemical & shear stability
-Decreased evaporative loss
-Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown and oil sludge problems
-Extended drain intervals with the environmental benefit of less wastes oil created.
-Improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of synthetic motor oils include:
-Initial costs are usually three times greater than petroleum-based oils, though at one time, man-made oils cost ten times more than petroleum. Initial costs are often mitigated by extended change intervals, which individuals may confirm through used oil analysis (UOA).
-The lower friction may make them unsuitable for break-in (i.e. the initial run-in period of the vehicle) where friction is desirable to cause wear. As many vehicles now use synthetic oils as factory fill, this is less of an issue than it once was.
-Potential decomposition problems in certain chemical environments (industrial use dominantly)
-Potential stress cracking of plastic components like POM (polyoxymethylene) in the presence of PAOs (polyalphaolefins).
-Potential on some older pushrod race engines with roller lifters for the roller itself not to spin with camshaft movement, but rather slide while the roller itself remains either stationary or at a lower circumferential speed than that of the camshaft lobe
-In July 1996, Consumer Reports published the results of a two year motor oil test involving a fleet of 75 New York taxi cabs and found no noticeable advantage of synthetic oil over regular oil. In their article, they noted that “Big-city cabs don’t see many cold start-ups or long periods of high speed driving in extreme heat. But our test results relate to the most common type of severe service - stop-and-go city driving.” According to their study, synthetic oil is “worth considering for extreme driving conditions: high ambient temperatures and high engine load, or very cold temperatures.” This research was criticized by some because most engine damage appears to be caused by cold starts, and their research method may not have included enough cold starts to be representative of personal vehicle use.
Synthetic may give better lab results but they won’t equate to any real world gains if the engine that isn’t designed for it. That’s the short version ;D
$138 oil change every 1600-1800 miles.
$350-420 in brake pads every 1600-1800 miles.
$800-1000 in tires every 1600-1800 miles.
Rotors every 3800-4000 miles.
Diff/trans fluid every year
Bearings, various bushings, and mounts every year
New freaking motor every year at this rate, hopefully not anymore
But I’m probably not the norm.
:lol Kill me please.
In the AF everything got 15w-40 conventional oil, even police cruisers (intrepid) and staff vehicles (taurus). I did a compression check on a 5.3L police tahoe with over 300k miles on it and all 8 cylinders were 210-225psi which is within factory spec. Oil pressure was 35-40 psi idle. This wasnt once this happened but it was the norm for these trucks and other vehicles. They got oil changes every 3k and for some that meant once a week. I was also pulling out the original ac delco plugs for the compression check as we stocked autolite.
300k on conventional oil and one set of plugs… :wow but I will still use synthetic
oil change once a month (10w-30 pennzoil)
new oem subaru oil filter every month
clean and reinstall k&n air filter every month
clean MAF sensor
brake fluid flush/refill once a year
coolant flush/refill once a year
drain and refill differentials,transfer case and transmission once every 18 months
resurface/replace brake pads/rotors every 25k miles
flush power steering system once every 30k miles
and for the beater… add oil after it leaks/burns off, same with coolant. who cares about the rest.