Here at Central Ave Auto, one of the most neglected services we see is fluid service and other regularly scheduled maintenance. This is due to a combination of factors, ranging from simple procrastination to receiving misinformation about how often your car should be serviced.
Over the last 15-20 years as cars have gotten better, manufacturers have tried to extend their service times out. To a certain degree, this was a good move. For example, cars used to need their oil changed every 3000 miles because cars prior to the mid-1980’s had carburetors, which dumped extra gas into the engine. This caused oil contamination, which required scheduled maintenance and fluid service more often. These days, most cars are using fuel injection, which is more efficient and cleaner. Now, most cars only need an oil change every 5000-6000 miles.
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What we’ve seen over the last few years, however, is vehicle manufacturers extending their requirements for regular service. This is an intentional move. Cars haven’t gotten much better, but now manufacturers are competing amongst themselves with cost of ownership, which is determined by how much expected maintenance you’re going to need until the car hits 100,000 miles.
When they push service intervals out to 7500 miles, they’re lowering cost of ownership, but also potentially setting you up for much bigger (and more expensive) issues. If your car uses a quart of oil every 1500 miles and your car only holds four quarts, then going 7500 miles is going to leave you with serious engine issues, possibly even the need for an engine replacement.
Based on our observations and automotive knowledge, we highly recommend that most cars driving in Seattle and the Puget Sound area have their fluid service done every 5000 miles. We also perform a vehicle inspection every 5000 miles, which will catch any other issues, as well.
Keeping up with your scheduled maintenance will help extend the life of your vehicle and prevent more expensive potential repairs. Call us anytime with questions or to schedule an appointment. You can also use our online appointment form!
