The Importance of Scheduled Maintenance
Realizing it’s time to take your vehicle in for service is almost never fun. Despite the hassle and upfront cost, staying on top of your preventative maintenance is the best way to protect your vehicle and your wallet in the future.
Modern cars consist of various systems all working in unison to provide you with a safe and comfortable driving experience. While vehicles have become more reliable as time passes, there are still many routine scheduled services that your car needs to prevent expensive damage and a huge headache.
Here are five of the most important scheduled maintenance services for any vehicle, as well as why each is so crucial to keeping you on the road and out of the shop.
Oil Changes
This one is a no-brainer, but it’s not uncommon for our shop to see vehicles that have run well past the manufacturer’s recommended date for a replacement. Oil is the lifeblood of your engine, providing essential lubricating and cooling properties for the various internal components.
Without adequate oil, these metal components will rub against each other creating heat and friction. Your engine is constructed with a very low tolerance for error internally, as even the smallest warping or cracking of a component such as a valve or head will lead to irreparable damage.
Oil also degrades over time, picking up contaminants and breaking down gradually. If neglected, the oil will become less and less effective to the point where it may cause similar damage to running without oil in the first place. This is why regular changes are so crucial, even if you have yet to notice any issues driving your vehicle.
The recommended interval for replacing your oil depends on the make/model as well as the type of oil used. Conventional oil is typically the lowest cost and quality, giving it the most frequent interval for replacement (typically 5,000-7,500 miles). Full-synthetic oil has a much longer lifespan, and contains various additives that give it superior performance in high and low temperatures. Despite its higher price, the improved protection and durability will save you money on oil changes in the future. Synthetic oil has a claimed life of between 7,000-15,000 miles. Changing your oil more frequently than recommended will help keep your engine healthier for longer.
Coolant Flush
As another crucial fluid in your vehicle, the coolant/antifreeze needs routine replacement to keep your cooling system operating at its best. Responsible for cooling your motor, coolant draws heat away from sensitive components and disperses it to the surroundings through the radiator or to the heater core where it’s used for cabin heating.
Over years of use, coolant will accumulate contaminants and debris that can reduce cooling performance as well as cause corrosion and wear on the hoses and gaskets that keep it flowing smoothly through your powertrain. In severe cases, the coolant can become sludgelike, gumming up and restricting flow throughout the entire system.
Similar to running old and contaminated oil, the inability of the fluid to do its job effectively will result in overheating that can warp and crack engine components. It only takes a few minutes of overheating to completely destroy the internals of an engine.
The frequency of your coolant flush again depends on the make and model, but it’s a good idea to consider a change around every 50,000. Checking your manufacturer recommendation is the most accurate source on the proper interval.
Transmission Service
As the system responsible for managing the engine’s power and sending it to the wheels, the transmission requires routine service to continue shifting smoothly and transferring power to the rest of the drivetrain.
The many moving parts and gears within an automatic transmission use automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for its hydraulic and lubricating properties. Like any automotive fluid, this will need to be replaced at some point to avoid internal damage.
Transmission services also generally include the replacement of the filters and gaskets within your gearbox. With consistent use, these filters will become gummed up with the contaminants they’re meant to catch, restricting the fluid’s flow. The soft gaskets used to create an airtight seal will degrade with the high temperatures of the transmission and contaminated fluid.
We recommend a full transmission service between 50,000-60,000 miles, however, certain vehicles may require more frequent changes if recommended by the manufacturer.
CVT Service
Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) operate quite differently than their regular automatic and manual counterparts. CVTs act as a single gear but allow for variability on the fly. As your RPMs climb, your CVT will switch to the optimal gear ratio for that situation.
Since their makeup is different from normal transmissions, CVTs require their own specific type of fluid (CVT fluid).. Like any other transmission, this fluid will need to be replaced to ensure smooth internal operation.
We recommend CVT owners bring theirs in for a fluid drain and fill at least every 30,000 miles.
Brakes
Brakes are the single most important safety system in your vehicle, allowing you to safely and predictably stop whenever needed. Of course, such an important system needs occasional maintenance.
Disk brakes, which are fitted on the majority of modern vehicles, will need to have both their pads and rotors replaced. The pads and rotors are what allow the brakes to create friction, but this process wears away at both components gradually. You may hear a screeching sound while braking if your pads have worn down past their limit which means they should be replaced as soon as possible.
Pads generally wear much quicker, usually requiring replacement between every 10,000-20,000 miles. Rotors can last considerably longer, and we recommend replacing them every 50,000-75,000 miles.
Brake fluid provides the hydraulic medium for transferring and amplifying power from the brake pedal toward the calipers, allowing the brake pads to clamp down on the rotor with adequate force to stop your vehicle. This fluid, like the others, accumulates contaminants and air pockets over time. These can reduce the hydraulic properties of the fluid, decreasing stopping power and causing a spongy feeling in the brake pedal.
You should keep a close eye on your brake fluid change interval, which we recommend every 24,000 miles or two years of driving.
Differential Service
Differentials are a largely unsung hero of your drivetrain, allowing each wheel to rotate at an independent speed. This is necessary to avoid certain wheels being dragged along by those rotating at a faster rate, which leads to loss of traction, excessive tire wear, and decreased handling ability.
This effect is accomplished through a complex combination of gears, all of which need sufficient lubrication to avoid damage. Your differential fluid acts similarly to transmission fluid, lubricating the internals and ensuring smooth operation with minimal friction.
Neglecting differential service can cause problems within your drivetrain, leading to symptoms such as grinding sounds, excess tire wear, difficulty turning, and even the complete failure of your differential internals.
We recommend that any differential service should be completed at least every 30,000 miles to provide the best protection from damage. This should be more frequent on vehicles that are often used for towing due to the increased strain it places on your differential.
Fuel System Cleaning (GDI Service)
A gasoline direct injection (GDI) service consists of cleaning out the carbon buildup that has accumulated within the injectors and fuel system of a direct injection engine. Direct injection systems inject gasoline directly into the cylinders rather than from the intake port, which while improving performance and efficiency, lacks the self-cleaning process of gasoline spraying over the valves cleaning off any carbon buildup.
Because of this, carbon buildup can become an issue on GDI engines and needs to be dealt with every so often. Carbon deposits interfere with the precisely timed opening and closing of your engine valves, which can lead to a performance and efficiency decrease or even lasting damage.
To combat this, an occasional fuel system cleaning is needed to remove carbon buildup within your engine. Using a cleaning solution and walnut blasting, we’re able to strip the carbon from anywhere around the valves, injectors, and passages. We recommend a GDI cleaning around every two years or 30,000 miles, or any time your spark plugs are replaced.
Scheduled Maintenance Services at Red Rock Repair
Scheduled maintenance is crucial for your vehicle, but so is finding a trustworthy shop to carry out those services. At Red Rock Repair, our experienced technicians have all the proper training and equipment to perform any maintenance on most makes and models!
We ONLY use manufacturer-recommended fluids that are specifically chosen for each vehicle and do not use the bulk fluids used elsewhere. It’s our mission to make the service process as painless as possible for you, and that includes using only the best fluids, gaskets, and replacement components to keep you out on the road and not in our shop.
Give us a call at (702) 385-7887 to speak with our friendly advisors and find the best path forward for you and your vehicle! Through the month of June, take $10 off each fluid service you have performed at Red Rock Repair (excluding oil changes).
Better Service Starts Here!
We know just how impotant it is to have a repair shop you can trust. Red Rock Repair offers a level of service you wont find anywhere else in Las Vegas!
DIRECTIONS (702) 385-7887