QOTD: How Do You Keep Your Car Rolling?
Matthew G. went over a few ways to keep your car running well for a long time -- a few inspections that can take just 15 minutes a month.
My question is, what do you do with your own car? I assume you guys do the things Matthew mentioned, but what else?
It's been a long time since I've owned a car, and I admit when I was young and broke I wasn't good at taking care of my ride. When I got a bit older, I was pretty good about getting the oil changed and tires rotated on time, I kept it cleaner (my first car got embarrassingly messy and I don't like to recall that), and I paid more attention to its needs.
It's your turn now -- sound off below.
[Image: Eakrin Rasadonyindee/Shutterstock.com]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Usually do my oil changes at 5,000 with Mobil 1 full synthetic, transmission fluid change at 60,000 on my newer vehicles. For the older vehicles I do the ATF, Manual transmission, trans axle fluid at 50,000 or at two years. Air filters are changed at a shorter interval at around 2000 mi.
Road trip today, call it 250 miles. Took the fancy newest vehicle (spouse's 2013 Toyota Highlander). On the way home threw a C code and a P code, traction control switches off and cruise control won't engage. Check engine light steady not flashing, engine running fine. [Other details not important right now.]
Plotted a course for an auto parts store 'along the route' and stopped and borrowed their fancy-pants scanner [mine are all at home, sad face]. The tool tells you nothing until you go back into the store and get their printout ("now I know why you weren't concerned about me walking off with this," I tell the counter person). She kind of shrugs at any kind of diagnosis, but the customer next to me perks up and offers some genuinely helpful insight [turns out he used to own a shop]. He is offered payment but refuses. What a country!