My Vehicle is Maintenance Free for the First 100,000 Miles!
Newer vehicles today are being sold with the misconception that they are maintenance free. For example the manufacturers’ have extended the life of oil changes to every 7,500 to 10,000 miles, instead of what has always been the automotive industry standard of every 3,000 miles. Transmission services have been extended to every 100,000 miles or even that they have “lifetime fluid” that never needs changed. Manufacturers’ suggest that coolant has been changed over to an extended life coolant that is suppose to last up to 100,000 or even 150,000 miles. Keep in mind that our vehicles are machines, just like before, that are computer controlled and driver operated. I have personally not seen a machine or computer yet that did not need maintenance, updating or repair.
In an effort to increase fuel economy and lower emissions, engines in today’s vehicles have been designed with much tighter tolerances than those of the past. Some of the tighter tolerances require lighter oil to flow into these smaller spaces. The duties of oil are to clean, cool and lubricate. One other property of oil is to suspend particulate. This particulate is a normal byproduct from wear and the combustion process inside the engine. This particulate is abrasive and accelerates engine wear. While engine oils have improved in quality in the last 10 to 20 years, they still get dirty! Waiting to have your oil changed every 7,500 to 10,000 miles just adds to the amount of dirt/particulate that the fluid suspends. The goal is to keep the oil inside your engine clean, not allow it to get extremely dirty and then change it. When dirty oil is being used in your vehicle a product we call sludge, which is a build up of particulate matter can start accumulating. This will accumulate inside the oil pan, the valve train area and in worst cases in the engine oil galleys. This sludge can cause a restriction or starvation of the oil getting to the internal moving parts of the engine causing engine damage.The engine oil is just one of the fluids of the vehicle.
If you look at the transmission fluid the automotive industry standard is to replace the fluid at minimum every 30,000 miles. If you talk to a transmission specialist who spends 100% of their time repairing transmissions that have failed they are going to tell you they should be serviced closer to every 20,000 miles. Transmission fluid is full of detergent and like engine oil it is designed to clean, cool and lubricate. Dirty fluid has suspended particulate in it that can be abrasive and accelerate the wear of the transmission.
Coolant is designed to keep the engine cool. It provides a higher boiling point and a lower freezing point as well as lubricating the engine water pump and has corrosion inhibitors to help reduce corrosion in the coolant passages of the engine. Coolant for your vehicle, in our climate should be kept at the freeze protection level of – 32 degrees fahrenheit. Coolant has a ph balance between alkaline and acid, if it is allowed to age and become acidic it can actually do damage. The acidity can eat away at hoses, gaskets even metal overtime. Keeping coolant changed regularly, can keep it clean, at the proper protection level and at the proper ph balance for the best results. The industry standard is to flush the coolant every 2 years or 30,000 miles to keep it in the best shape.Engine oil, transmission fluid, and the cooling system of your vehicle is just the beginning of proper maintenance.
When you are on the repairing side of vehicles rather than the building side, you can see some of the effects of good and poor maintenance on the different systems of a vehicle. Maintenance is always the more economical way to approach the care of your vehicle. Repairs are usually more expensive, cannot generally be planned out or budgeted for and can leave you stranded without your vehicle for a longer period of time.
Bottom line is that if you want your vehicle to last more than 100,000 miles, then it is not maintenance free. Maintenance when performed regularly can add longevity, reliability, and value to your vehicle. We recommend consulting with your trusted repair facility to find out the best way to maintain the vehicle that you own.
