Auto Maintenance Services

Check fluids. Even if you don’t ever learn how to change your antifreeze, power steering, coolant or even your wiper fluid. Most importantly, never ignore a leak.

Inspect and get your timing and serpentine belts replaced when necessary. Many people will tell you to get your timing belt replaced every 60,000 miles or so, and your serpentine belt replaced every 40,000 miles, give or take. Use it as a guideline and ask your mechanic to inspect the belts when it gets time to replace them mileage-wise. If they’re still in good shape, don’t bother, but if they’re worn out, get them replaced before they fail. If you wait and those belts do fail, you’ll break down, and the damaged belt can damage other accessories, making the repair even more expensive.

Oil changed regularly. Whether your car has a dipstick to check the oil’s color and oil level or the dipstick has been replaced with an electronic gauge, you should know how to check it. Knowing the difference between clean oil and muddy, murky oil will save you a ton on unnecessary changes and gives you a way to tell if something’s wrong with your engine (e.g. the oil looks terrible but you just had it changed). 

Check your battery and clean contacts. Most batteries these days don’t require much in the way of maintenance, but you should check it to make sure it’s not leaking and there’s no mineral or other buildup on the contacts. If there is, get it cleaned. 

Replace your windshield wipers when the view gets streaky. Your visibility is important, and you wouldn’t wait until you saw an optometrist to clean your glasses, would you? While you’re at it, give your windshield a good cleaning inside and out.

Replace your cabin air filter. It may not be critical to your car’s operation, but it’s easy, it makes the ride more pleasant, and it’s a repair you’ll never have to pay someone else to do.

Replace your engine air filter. Your owner’s manual will give you a mileage estimate for how frequently you should replace your engine air filter, but if you can get to it, check it. If it’s dirty, replace it. If you drive a ton, especially in stop-and-go traffic or have a long commute, your engine air filter may get dirtier faster than someone who drives open roads or only drives around on the weekends. 

Get your tires rotated and balanced and your alignment checked. it’s important to do to make sure your tires wear evenly, and your car drives smoothly. If you’re fighting your car to keep it straight, that’s a bad situation that’s easily corrected.

Change your spark plugs. If your spark plugs are worn out or covered in buildup, your engine isn’t working efficiently. That can cost you money in fuel for one, but it can also lead to a breakdown. It may sound daunting, but in some cases checking and replacing them isn’t that difficult. If you don’t feel like doing it yourself (or it’s a big and complicated job for your vehicle), follow your manual’s recommendation and get them changed regularly—for most standard copper spark plugs and vehicles, that’s around 30,000 miles (but again, it varies—some iridium plugs can last up to 100,000 miles).

These are just a few things that every vehicle needs, and almost all of them.