VEHICLE MAINTENANCE EMPOWERMENT
All the Knowledge Neeeded to Make Good Vehicle Maintenance Decisions
All the Knowledge Neeeded to Make Good Vehicle Maintenance Decisions
Since the year 2000 we have been involved with the design, manufacture, distribution and training around products for maintaining the performance and value of vehicles. What guides us is the development of products and services that provide real, verifiable value - that we would be comfortable with a repair facility selling to our parent
Since the year 2000 we have been involved with the design, manufacture, distribution and training around products for maintaining the performance and value of vehicles. What guides us is the development of products and services that provide real, verifiable value - that we would be comfortable with a repair facility selling to our parents or neighbors.
We do not promote our products here. We will only provide the best, most credible information that we can provide so that you can make the wisest decisions to maintain a safe and dependable vehicle at the lowest cost of ownership for the period that you plan to own it.
Most vehicle owners do not know that the car companies are evaluated by JD Power on the cost of vehicle ownership for 5 years and 100,000 miles. Every purchase of repair or maintenance that you make for your car is recorded and reported. That data is averaged for every make and model similar to yours for the first 5 years or 100,000 mil
Most vehicle owners do not know that the car companies are evaluated by JD Power on the cost of vehicle ownership for 5 years and 100,000 miles. Every purchase of repair or maintenance that you make for your car is recorded and reported. That data is averaged for every make and model similar to yours for the first 5 years or 100,000 miles and compared to similar models from other car companies.
The average American keeps their vehicle for over 11 years and over 140,000 miles. You will greatly change your maintenance decisions if you plan to keep the car for 10 years versus 5 years.
Soon after this evaluation was introduced the car companies extended oil change intervals from 3,000 miles to up to 18,000 miles. Did oil suddenly get 6 times better? Did smart folks figure out how to game the evaluation AND shorten the life of vehicles? Oops you gotta buy a new car! You can decide.
The point is to think about what information you use to maintain YOUR vehicle. Don't even trust us - there are thousands of webpages to cross reference.
For most people their vehicle is their second largest asset yet few know how to make good decisions on what to spend money for their vehicle.
Many people use the strategy to not spend money until things break. The truth is that allowing fluids to stay in a system past their useful life will break down mechanical parts and destroy the asse
For most people their vehicle is their second largest asset yet few know how to make good decisions on what to spend money for their vehicle.
Many people use the strategy to not spend money until things break. The truth is that allowing fluids to stay in a system past their useful life will break down mechanical parts and destroy the asset value of the vehicle.
The purpose of this site is to help you make wise spending decisions to maintain a safe and dependable vehicle at the lowest cost for the period of time that you plan to own it.
We will help you to know when to spent money for the best return on investment for you.
One area of confusion for a lot of vehicle owners is something called a "recommended service interval". The confusion comes in when there is a recommended service interval from the vehicle manufacturer and a different one from the dealership or repair shop.
There is additional confusion because the vehicle manufacturer will also publish a "normal use" maintenance schedule and a "severe use" maintenance schedule. Let's sort this out.
Vehicle manufacturers' "normal use" for a vehicle means that the vehicle is not used in stop and go traffic, is not regularly used on steep grades, is not used to haul or tow, and is not operated in hot temperatures or cold temperatures. It is estimated that about 8% of vehicles in the U.S. are operated "normally". Does that make sense other than to cause people to under maintain their vehicle?
This is where "dealer recommended" service intervals come into play. Your dealership obviously knows whether your location is "normal" or not and they know the particular challenges that your vehicle faces. The dealership then takes that local knowledge and advises you of what they would do on their vehicles.
Dealership recommended service intervals usually provide the best guidelines for you to budget needed maintenance services, but the best way to determine when to change the operating fluids in your vehicle is through testing.
The wise vehicle owner knows the operating fluids in their vehicle and where to go to check fluid level and condition. If you do not know this you can probably locate by putting your make, model and year into a search engine and a related question such as "where do I test brake fluid on a 2009 Toyota Camry?" Your dealership or repair facility would likely be happy to do a "walk around" with you at your car to show you where your transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, gear oil, coolant and motor oil are.
Once you know there location you can do a quick color inspection. For the most part you can get a quick evaluation by putting the fluid on a flat white or light colored surface. "Good fluid" will tend to be clear and easy to see through and not have a strong smell to it.
"Dirty" looking fluid is not necessarily fluid that needs to be changed. There are technologies for testing the amount of debris in the system and the quality of the additive package in the fluid.
We recommend the FluidRx technology to test lubricating, hydraulic fluids (ATF, power steering, gear oil, brake fluid, motor oil).
Chromatographic paper has been used in laboratories since the 1920’s as means of analyzing the condition of fluids. This technology has now been made available for use in personal vehicles through the Fluid Rx program.
Hydraulic, lubricating fluids have additive packages to maintain the ability of the base fluid to suspend debris in the system to help prevent mechanical wear and damage to seals. When the additive package becomes depleted, or too much debris is accumulated in the system for the fluid to suspend it effectively, a sample of the fluid on chromatographical paper will show distinct patterns that indicate that the fluid is good, the fluid package should be changed for maintenance, or that the fluid has broken down and should be changed immediately.
Coolant is obviously different that the hydraulic lubricating fluids. Phoenix Systems has an excellent test strip to determine the health of the coolant. The test takes under a minute to complete and let's you know when it makes sense to spend money for a coolant system flush. Clear here for more information on coolant test strips.
Your main interest is to keep the fluids (oil, brake and ATF) that are typically checked by a potential buyer (especially the professional buyers at a car dealership), and to keep the vehicle looking and smelling good (yes odors have a significant impact on selling price). If the service record for your vehicle is pulled you want to show a good maintenance schedule.
Click here for a plan to download.
You want to minimize major repair costs for the period that you own and maintain the asset's value so you have an asset to sell to provide a significant portion of the purchase cost of your next vehicle.
Quality, full synthetic oil changes, regular testing and changing of key fluids like transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering. Use a leak prevention product in your air conditioning system.
Protecting the engine, transmission and air conditioning systems will protect you from the largest repair costs that you will face.
The approach will be similar to a plan for 3 to 5 years of ownership but with use of fluid additives to maintain fluid quality in the second half of their service interval.
You want to minimize major repair costs for the period that you own and maintain the asset's value so you have an asset to sell to provide a significant portion of the purchase cost of your next vehicle.
Quality, full synthetic oil changes, regular testing and changing of key fluids like transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering. Use a leak prevention product in your air conditioning system.
Protecting the engine, transmission and air conditioning systems will protect you from the largest repair costs that you will face.
Look at the plan for a vehicle being kept for an extended period of time (above) but also pay attention to regular protection of the paint with a high quality wax. Use rubber treatments to maintain the door seals. Use high quality leather and fabric protection on your seats.
Regularly replace the key suspension parts.
Do not wait for the end of the lubricating fluids life - change your motor oil every 5,000 miles (use a quality full synthetic), change your transmission fluid and coolant every 30,000 miles and your brake fluid every two years.
Safe and dependable at the lowest cost of ownership for the period of time that you plan to own it should be your goal. Your investment in knowledge will earn financial returns.
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