MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
Your car is one of the biggest investments in your life. Do you want the value of your investment to drop significantly? If the answer is clearly no, then you need to prioritize vehicle maintenance every month. Keeping up with your vehicle’s maintenance services is an extremely important part of keeping your car running right. But oftentimes it’s these maintenance services that seem to get the backseat! The older we get, the busier we get, and the busier we get, the less likely we are to bring our cars to the shop when seemingly nothing appears to be wrong.
The truth of the matter is, however, that a good car owner knows getting regular auto maintenance services performed is the best thing you can do for your vehicle – and for your busy schedule! On average, maintenance services take much less time, and cost much less, than a major auto repair service.
GREAT REASONS TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR VEHICLE’S MAINTENANCE
Save money. As we mentioned above, vehicle maintenance services usually cost much less than an expensive auto repair. For example, getting regular oil changes keeps your engine working. But if you never get your oil changed and your engine blows out, you’re looking at a major auto repair that costs hundreds of dollars and extra time in the shop that could have been avoided!
Protect your investment. Your automobile is one of your largest investments. Getting your vehicle serviced keeps all of the parts working together correctly, making it less likely that your car will breakdown on you while you’re driving. If parts stop working together, you could find yourself stuck on the side of the road, or even worse, in a car accident.
Get better gas mileage. Keeping all of the parts of your car in top shop also helps it to perform at the optimum level. This helps you get better gas mileage and save money at the pump.
Maintain your warranty. Especially important with new cars, if you don’t follow your vehicle’s factory scheduled maintenance services it could void your warranty. That warranty is something you want to keep in case any part fails when it shouldn’t!
Hold value. Being able to show that your vehicle has been well maintained helps your car hold its value when it comes time to sell it.
Protect the environment. When parts of your car are malfunctioning, it can cause your vehicle to release more harmful emissions into the air. Protect the environment by getting your car checked out regularly and reducing your carbon footprint!
Increase vehicle safety. Most importantly, keeping up with your auto maintenance services makes your automobile safer for you and your family. With the amount of time you’re spending on the road, it’s vital to make sure you’re driving a safe and reliable vehicle!
MOTOR OIL
If you are confused about motor oil — the right time to change it, how often to change it, or what is the best oil for your car, the answer to a lot of these questions is the same:
Check your owner’s manual!
It should be your car maintenance and operation bible. Don’t make assumptions on the interval based on past experiences or guidance from mechanics who profit from the work, because the timing for oil changes has evolved over the years.
TYPES OF MOTOR OIL
Motor oils today are a blend of base oils that have been enhanced with chemicals, additives, detergents, and dispersants. Polymers are used in multi-grade oils to ensure the oil has proper viscosity or thickness so that it can adapt to temperature extremes. Thin oils have lower viscosity and are designed for driving in cold temperatures, while thicker oils have a higher viscosity. Motor oil can be segmented into four basic varieties—synthetic oil, synthetic blends, high mileage oil, and conventional oil.
Synthetic Motor Oil: Synthetic motor oil has gone through a chemically engineered process. Synthetic oil molecules are more uniform in shape with fewer impurities and better properties than conventional oil molecules. In general, synthetic oil has better extreme high temperature and low temperature performance. Synthetic oils are generally formulated with higher performing additives.
Synthetic Blend Motor Oil: Synthetic blend motor oil uses a mixture of synthetic and conventional base oils for added resistance to oxidation (compared to conventional oil) and provide excellent low-temperature properties.
High-Mileage Motor Oil: High-mileage motor oil is specially formulated for late model vehicles or newer vehicles with over 75,000 miles. High mileage motor oil, with its unique additives and formulation, helps to reduce oil burn-off, and helps prevent oil leaks that may occur in older engines.
Conventional Motor Oil: Conventional motor oils can be formulated in a range of viscosity grades and quality levels. Conventional motor oil is recommended for drivers with simple engine designs and regular (as opposed to severe) driving styles.
Motor Oil Grade Designations
Motor oils use a rating system developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), to classify oil by viscosity. Viscosity is a fluid's resistance to flow. Fluids that are thin (like water) have a low viscosity, and fluids that are thick (like honey) have a high viscosity. Motor oil also changes in viscosity measurement as it is heated or cooled.
Multi-grade viscosity motor oils are able to perform at a wide range of temperatures. For an oil with an SAE viscosity grade of 0W-20, the “0” is the cold-temperature viscosity rating (the "W" stands for "Winter"), and the “20” is the high temperature viscosity rating. Multi-grade viscosity motor oil flows well at low temperatures, but still protects the engine at high temperatures.
For comparison’s sake, SAE 5W-30 and SAE 0W-30 will flow better at colder temperatures than SAE 10W-30, while still providing protection at higher temperatures.
Always follow the vehicle owner's manual to determine the correct motor oil specification, viscosity grade, and oil drain interval for your engine.
HOW OFTEN TO CHANGE MOTOR OIL
Every automobile engine needs oil, but not just any oil will do. Modern engines are designed and built to exacting standards and require oils that meet very specific industry and automaker specifications to ensure a long service life. Most late-model cars require synthetic-blend or full-synthetic, low-viscosity, multi-grade, resource-conserving oils that minimize friction and maximize fuel economy. However, choosing the right oil is not always easy. The proper oil for your make and model of vehicle must have the correct SAE viscosity grade, meet performance standards set by the API, ILSAC and/or ACEA, and comply with any unique specifications established by the automaker or engine manufacturer. These requirements are detailed in your vehicle owner's manual, and your auto repair shop can provide information on your vehicle’s recommended oil specifications as well.
Depending on vehicle age, type of oil and driving conditions, oil change intervals will vary. It used to be normal to change the oil every 3,000 miles, but with modern lubricants most engines today have recommended oil change intervals of 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Moreover, if your car's engine requires full-synthetic motor oil, it might go as far as 15,000 miles between services!
OIL CHANGE INTERVALS – OLDER CARS
Older cars typically have oil change intervals based on mileage, and have two maintenance schedules, one for cars driven in "normal" operation and another for those used in "severe service." The latter category involves operating your car under one or more of the following conditions:
Primarily short trips (5 miles or less)
Extremely hot, cold, or dusty climates
Sustained stop-and-go driving
Carrying heavy loads or towing a trailer
If your vehicle use falls under the severe service definition in your owner's manual, maintain your car using the more rigorous schedule. However, if you drive your car under normal conditions, be wary of spending hard-earned money on oil change services and other maintenance work your car may not need or benefit from.
OIL CHANGE INTERVALS – NEWER CARS
Most newer cars are equipped with oil-life monitoring systems that automatically determine when an oil change is needed and notify you with an alert on the instrument panel. Early simple systems are time and mileage based, but current advanced designs analyze actual vehicle operating conditions to identify when the oil will begin to degrade. In fact, the owner's and maintenance manuals for many newer cars eliminate "severe service" recommendations altogether because the oil-life monitoring system automatically shortens the oil change interval when it detects heavy-duty operation.
Whenever you have your car's oil changed, the service technician should reset the oil-life monitoring system. If you change your own oil, you can reset the system by following the instructions in the vehicle owner's manual.
Less frequent oil changes on newer engines make it essential that you check the oil level monthly and top it up as needed. While many engines will use less than a quart of oil between changes, others can consume as much as a quart every 600 to 700 miles. Maintaining proper oil levels can help you avoid costly car repairs; engine wear or damage resulting from low oil levels will not be covered by your new-car warranty. Note that if you do not put many miles on your car, most automakers recommend an oil change every 12 months, even if the maintenance reminder has not come on.
CHECKING THE OIL LEVEL
You should keep an eye on your car’s oil levels. Reliability survey results have shown that even newer cars can need the oil to be topped off between changes. It is recommended to check your oil level at least once a month and to be sure to get repairs done at the first sign of a leak.
Check the owner's manual and follow the automaker's recommendations. Some newer cars have an electronic oil monitor and don't have traditional dipsticks for manual inspection.
If you do have a dipstick, and you are checking it yourself, make sure the car is parked on level ground. If the engine has been running, be aware of potential hot spots under the hood. With the engine off, open the car’s hood and find the dipstick. Pull the dipstick out from the engine and wipe off any oil from its end. Then insert the dipstick back into its tube and push it all the way back in. Pull it back out, and this time quickly look at both sides of the dipstick to see where the oil is on the end. Every dipstick has some way of indicating the proper oil level, whether it be two pinholes, the letters L and H (low and high), the words MIN and MAX, or simply an area of crosshatching. If the top of the oil “streak” is between the two marks or within the crosshatched area, the level is fine. If the oil is below the minimum mark, you need to add oil or take it to be serviced by an auto professional.
Pay close attention to the oil’s color. It should appear brown or black. But if it has a light, milky appearance, this could mean coolant is leaking into the engine. Look closely for any metal particles, too, because this could mean there is internal engine damage. If you see either of these conditions, get the car to a mechanic for further diagnosis.
If everything is okay, wipe off the dipstick again and insert it back into its tube, making sure it is fully seated. Close the hood and you are done.
CAR CARE TIPS – FLORIDA EDITION
Air Conditioning: A good air conditioning system is of primary importance. If your air conditioning system hasn’t been working well, you should check for leaks and fix it, refill Freon gas, and change filters to ensure minimum stress on the system while delivering maximum cooling. Pro Tip: Keeping your windows slightly cracked open should provide some ventilation if your car is parked under the sun. It ensures that your car is not unbearably hot when you get back in.
Fluids: Just like how humans hydrate ourselves with water and keep ourselves cool, the car cools itself through coolant fluids and engine oil. The engine oil reduces friction and reduces heat. The coolant ensures that your engine doesn’t overheat and remains in optimum temperature. Changing oil filters would also be of help as cleaner oil ensures better efficiency of the engine. During summer when the chances of your car overheating are the highest, ensuring the right amount of fluids keeps your vehicle at top condition.
Battery: Your car’s battery is one of the most vital components. You would not be able to even start your vehicle without a proper functioning battery. During summer, especially when your vehicle is parked outside, the battery’s fluids could very easily evaporate. Check your battery and refill it with distilled water and ensure proper levels. You do not want to be stuck in a car that doesn’t start in a hot summer’s day. Fact: Heat is the primary reason for battery failures in vehicles. Improper maintenance of your batter would also reduce battery life.
Tires: Tire pressure is important at all times and maintaining the right tire pressure in the summer is even more important. The heat on the roads makes the tire to be soft and more prone to erosion. The temperature of the roads during Florida’s summer months could easily melt your tire and run flat in quick time. Maintaining the ideal tire pressure will keep on the right regions of the tire on the road increasing your tire’s longevity. Over inflating the tire will also put you at risk. Florida is also known for its torrential summer rains, you don’t want to have a skidding car with over inflated tires when it rains.
Wipers: Replacing wipers don’t cost you much it is good to replace wipers at least twice every year. In the summers the roads can get dusty because of the dryness this could easily scratch your windshield even if it is parked. Bad wipers could cause this dust to scratch your windshield leading to unwanted expenses. It is also important to keep wiper cleaning fluids filled while going on long drives and road trips. Cleaning your windshield when necessary, ensures clear vision and safety. Pro Tip: Use sunshades while your car in parked on the outside. It has dual benefits. It keeps your interior cool and also prevents the colors in your dashboard and interior from fading in the sunlight.
The IDEA Club
MARK VOKE
AUTO PRO OF ORLANDO, INC.
Mark has been in the car business since 1976, and has lived in the Central Florida area since 1958. Over his career he’s gained a lot of experience from automotive repair and has had the opportunity to work for some of the area’s best known dealerships - Don Reid Ford and Mercedes-Benz of North Orlando. He has since taken his experience and now owns and operates Auto Pro as Orlando’s best independent auto repair business.
Since 1997, when Auto Pro opened their garage doors, they’ve had thousands of vehicles come and go. Each and every vehicle was treated with the care and respect they, and their owner, deserves. The mechanics at Auto Pro perform their work with the highest levels of integrity and quality because they love what they do. They are a Land Rover and Lexus specialist, however they service any and all makes and models.
