To keep your car running as designed you do need that oil change. Yes, you do need some type of scheduled service plan. I don’t like buying tires, so I rotate them at every oil change interval. So should you. There are some things you can skip, or skimp on, and some things you shouldn’t. Just as all people are different with different needs, all cars require different maintenance-style intervals. To assess your particular vehicle’s needs, here are some questions that require honest answers : Do you drive a lot (i.e. more than 12,000 miles/yr.)? Does the vehicle idle a lot? Is the vehicle in question subjected to a lot of stop and go driving? Do you frequent dirt roads? Do you avoid pot holes or just drive straight through them? If you answered “yes” to most or all of these questions then your vehicle is in what’s referred to as a “severe” maintenance schedule. It requires more- frequent-than-usual service. (More stop and go traffic = more brake service needed.) And if you live on a dirt road or drive in correspondingly similar (dusty) conditions, you will need that air filter and/or cabin filter replaced at the 12,000 mile interval. Your car is one of the most costly investments you will make so let’s try and keep that “new car smell” for as long as we can.
That new car smell…
