Manual Interval Maintenance: A Brief Guide to Increase Your Auto’s Life

Driving. We all love it.
Servicing. Not a passionate pursuit for most of us.

Most of us tend to avoid car maintenance. What we may not realize is that proactive maintenance keeps untimely repairs at bay and increases our car’s life expectancy, for good. This is essential for every car; however, much more important if you are purchasing a secondhand auto such as one from an online salvage auto auction or a used car. The reason, used machines require frequent maintenance. Regardless, be it an old or a new car, manual interval maintenance is the key to avoiding long-term repair costs and enjoy a smooth ride every time you place yourself behind the wheels.

This article presents a general maintenance guide to help you get an idea of what you need to do at each major service interval. The specifics differ from model to model, though, and you should check your owner’s manual for optimum results.

Frequent Engine Oil Change

Replacing your engine oil and lubricating it properly at regular intervals is indispensable for its health. The simple reason behind this is that your car’s engine oil breaks down or wears out and becomes less effective at lubricating the engine and absorbing heat over time. Given this, change both the engine oil and its filter after every 3,000 to 5,000 miles for a typical gasoline engine. Though, a few synthetic oils may be effective till 7,500 miles, they are only good under ideal driving conditions.

First Interval Maintenance: 15,000 Miles

Carry out your first automatic or manual interval maintenance at about 15,000 miles after you have purchased your car, which is approximately after one year. This involves changing the engine oil and filter oil, and also the engine air filter and in-cabin air filter. While changing the engine air filter delivers optimal gas mileage and inhibits contaminants from entering the engine, a new in-cabin filter reduces your car’s interior dust, and makes it free of contaminants. Also inspect the wiper blades, especially if winter is close.

Second Interval Maintenance: 30,000 Miles

The second major maintenance service involves replacing your car’s fuel filter, besides the steps taken during the first interval maintenance. To prevent overheating, add engine coolant. As the existing power steering and transmission fluids would have broken down and become ineffective by this time, flush them out and add new ones. Repeat this interval maintenance after every 30,000 miles.

Third Interval Maintenance: 45,000 Miles

The third interval maintenance does accompany oil and oil filter changes; however, it mainly focuses on your car’s ignition system. This brings us to spark plugs, the key of your engine’s components, which, more often than not, needs replacement after every 45,000 miles or approximately three years. Worn out spark plugs may lead to dead cylinders and misfire, which would adversely affect the lifespan and performance of the engine. To ensure that your ignition system is functioning well, install a new ignition management system.

Conclusion

A well-maintained vehicle runs and lasts better, and periodic interval maintenance is the key to it. So, be it a used car procured from an online salvage auction providing a decent mileage or a brand new car purchased right out of a showroom. However, while getting manual interval maintenance from an auto service, either visit your car manufacturer or a reputed shop that has ASE certified technicians.

All that you Need to Know About Vehicle History Reports

You are looking for cars for sale at an auction and come across a used Chevrolet that is only 3 years old being sold at a real great price. Before making any decision, it is important that you try to figure out the main reason behind the low price of the vehicle. It is necessary to know whether the car has a major problem, if it was previously owned by someone else or if the vehicle met with an accident in the past. Whether you plan to buy a Chevrolet or Audi Salvage Car for Sale, it is necessary to check the history before buying the vehicle to avoid any problems in the future.

What is a Vehicle Identification Number?

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of a car reveals a lot about its past and there are a number of companies that provide the entire history of the vehicle through VIN. Most of the vehicle history reports providers charge only a few dollars. It may, however, be difficult to decide which company you need to trust. Let’s take a look at some of the leading vehicle history providers:

National Motor Vehicle Title Information System

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) represents 88 percent of the US DMV data and provides title information of the vehicles fetched from the state motor vehicle registries. It is the only publicly available system in the US and many salvage yards, insurance companies and automobile recyclers refer to it for collecting vehicle information.

AutoCheck and Carfax

AutoCheck and Carfax provide more detailed reports about the vehicle. The moment the VIN number of the vehicle is provided on the website, the history of the vehicle is provided immediately. Some of the companies provide single report for free and charge certain amount to limited time subscription for multiple reports.

The vehicle history report reveals the title of the vehicle, overall evaluation of the vehicle, registration details in different states, accident information, number of owners and odometer reading. The information in the report may vary from one company to another. AutoCheck, for instance, provides vehicle score to show how the particular vehicle stands against other similar cars built in the same year.

An important information provided in the history report is the mileage verification, wherein, the mileage of the vehicle is recorded every time it undergoes a smog check or there’s a change in the registration of the vehicle. If the mileage recordings get higher each time, it means the owner might have rolled back the odometer.

A Few Last Words

Vehicle history reports inform the buyers about the hidden problems in the used cars, which could eventually help them in saving time and money. It is recommended that buyers subscribe to a car report service once they decide to buy a used car. Get the history of the vehicle before calling the owner, specifically when you would be driving across the town to meet the seller.