Factory Scheduled Maintenance
Most people know in order to keep the factory warranty valid, certain scheduled maintenance is required. But, did you know you can have factory scheduled maintenance performed at the shop of your choice? That’s right; you don’t have to return to the dealer for scheduled maintenance.
Scheduled maintenance is required by the factory for good reason- It works!
The factory knows an engine, transmission, or emission system will fail much less often when it is serviced and maintained. They know scheduled maintenance will cost them less money in warranty repairs.
This is a good lesson for every car owner. The key to lower operating costs and increased owner safety is routine, scheduled preventative maintenance.
Every manufacturer has different maintenance requirements and the car owner should check the manual and follow the schedule recommended.
In addition to lower costs, it is also very important to follow the schedule. It is heart breaking to have a major drive-train failure only to discover the manufacturer won’t warranty the repair because of a missed oil change or transmission service.
Factory scheduled maintenance is the best investment you can make. Most of the services are relatively inexpensive and coincide with oil changes.
The major services which can run $300-$400 are only performed every 30k, so most owners will only perform 3 or 4 major services over the life of the car. The most expensive service involves replacing the timing belt and is usually performed at 90K.
As with oil changes, one huge benefit to regular maintenance is the frequency at which a certified technician has the opportunity to inspect the car.
An oil change or maintenance done properly will include a tire rotation and safety & maintenance check. When these operations are performed by a trained technician, the technician has the opportunity to get a good idea of the condition of various systems in the car.
The key to lower operating costs and increasing owner safety is spotting issues BEFORE they are a problem.
Think of it, several times per year the car is inspected and the owner is alerted to a whole host of potential problems, which left unrepaired, could cause expensive damage.
It is amazing to see the difference in a vehicle in which the owner has kept up on the maintenance and one who has not.
The neglected vehicle will have much higher repair bills. It will have oil leaks all over it. When the internal engine parts are exposed, the engine will have several inches of “gunk” built up in it. The neglected car will often-times have several dangerous safety issues.
The car with routine maintenance will have very few issues and the cost of repair is always lower. If the owner changes to oil every 4000 miles, the inside of an engine with 100,000 miles will be as clean as the day it was built!
As a simple example; when a technician performs a proper oil change he should rotate the tires and inspect the brakes. A set of brake pads replaced at 80% wear, will cost under $200.00. An owner who waits until the brakes grind, is not only jeopardizing his/her safety, but is looking at an additional $200.00 in repair costs!
Scheduled maintenance pays big dividends in money and owner safety!
