It’s surprising how many people get carried away (ha ha) just by taking their car for a basic service. Many people think too much about modern car technology and believe everything the repair shop tells them. Modern cars actually require much less maintenance, although the basic concept is the same.

With all this power and comforts, most people forget or never knew that it is the same basic internal combustion engine that was used over a hundred years ago. And electric and hybrid cars require even less maintenance than conventional cars! Learning basic vehicle maintenance can save you thousands of dollars over time and minimize potential breakdowns.

Three thousand mile oil change is a thing of the past. If you still change the oil in your car every three thousand miles, you are wasting your money. You need to know what type of oil your car requires and the capacity. You need to know where the oil filter is located. Cheap oil filters will damage your car over time because it can take up to nine more seconds to reach full flow when starting. If you use one of those quick-lube shops, make sure you know what type of oil they will use to fill the crankcase. Be sure to check the level on the dipstick before you leave the store. I mentioned earlier that you need to know where the oil filter is located, here we explain why, some stores will not change the filter, but will charge you for one, if you check the above before taking the car in for maintenance, to be able to verify that it has been replaced. Most of these stores lose money on the $ 29.99 oil change. A good liter of oil will cost you about five dollars, so if your car requires five, that’s twenty-five dollars, add the oil filter and you will be above the thirty dollar mark.

Now pay close attention. This is where you should be up to date on your car’s maintenance schedule. The $ 29.99 oil change is a lure, it’s to lure you in and then charge you double or triple for a filter or a drive belt or some other regular maintenance item that you didn’t keep up to date. We’re not trying to make everyone a weekend mechanic, we just want car owners to read the owner’s manual so they get an idea of ​​what maintenance should be done at the recommended mileage intervals. That being said, can you tell me if it makes sense to take your new car for fifteen thousand mile service and get charged between $ 400 and $ 600? What did they do to a car with only fifteen thousand miles besides changing the oil?

You need to know which maintenance items to accept and what to say not to, and still be sure that your car is in tip-top operating condition. A great benefit of learning how to properly maintain your car is also learning how to diagnose potential repair problems.