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Want to save hundreds of dollars a year on automobile maintenance? Then
stop over-maintaining your vehicle. Sales pitches by fast-and-furious oil
change shops and service centers touting all sorts of fluid flushes and lube jobs
have Americans wasting wads of cash on unnecessary service items -- particularly
on vehicles built in the last 10 years. Often bewildered by the mass
of electronics, wires and hoses that adorn a modern engine, many drivers simply
put themselves at the mercy of service facilities that may only be interested
in running up your bill. Of course there's the flip side to all of this: Some
drivers never gets cars serviced and then wonder why the engine seizes after the
oil has turned to sludge. But it's more likely that you're one of those drivers
who follow the maintenance advice your dad gave you 30 years ago when you got
your first car. Thanks to computer-controlled ignitions, improvements in filter
technology, upgraded suspension designs and other mechanical improvements developed
by the manufacturers, today's vehicles require far less maintenance than the cars
our parents drove. Doubt that premise?
Check
your owner's manual and see what it says about when to change oil or do other
maintenance. The 2005 Honda Civic, for example, calls for oil changes every 10,000
miles. The average recommended oil change interval industry-wide tends to be 7,500
miles. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and other manufacturers have added
an oil life indicator on the instrument cluster that tells you when the oil needs
changing. The car's computer keeps track of starts and stops, as well as other
factors, and calculates the oil's useful interval. Depending on how you drive,
GM says it's possible to see 10,000 miles or more between oil changes. These
guidelines are coming from companies that have a vested interest in keeping your
car running trouble-free: If you're happy with the car or truck, you're more likely
to buy another one. And a well-maintained car means the manufacturer has to pay
out less in warranty claims. Even Motor Age magazine -- the publication
for the automotive service industry (the people who want your service and repair
business) -- put it succinctly: "Following the factory schedule should keep
nearly any car or truck healthy past the warranty period.'' Consider that
the average household has two vehicles and drives each 15,000 miles a year. Following
the advice of the local change-a-lot fast lube outlet -- to change oil and filter
every 3,000 miles -- the average family would pay for 10 oil and filter changes
every year. At, say, $30 a pop, that's $300. That same family could cut
its oil change bill by $180 by following the manufacturer's advice to change oil
every 7,500 miles. There are some exceptions that might require more frequent
oil changes: Driving in an abnormally dusty climate or taking a lot of short,
stop-and-go trips. But the oil change interval for such conditions is again spelled
out in the owner's manual. No need to do it more frequently. A word of caution
about owner's manuals: Some dealers, in an effort to boost profits, give buyers
a "supplemental" owner's manual or service guide that calls for more
frequent servicing. Don't be fooled into thinking you have to follow these recommendations
-- it's just the dealer's way of competing with the fast-lube places for your
money. | 
