Hey Guys, I am kind of a newb in that I have never had a car before my G that I actually worried about taking care of? i have a few questions:

1. How do you know what maintenance you really need at a minimum and what the dealer wants to charge you an arm and a leg for?

2. Do you really have to do every requested maintenance or can you combine them less frequently and only do the critical ones?

3. If I have a regular mechanic, can I get them to do the maintenance or is there any specific reason I should be going to the dealer?

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks.

 

if you are out of warranty, I have always gone to a private (but reputable) mechanic for my routine maintenance work that I could not do myself in my garage.

But on the most important note.....if you can afford to spend the $$$ on this type of car, and you are worried about maint. cost's, then next time, you might want to do a little research on the maint. cost's on the life of the car.

But thats just my 2 cent.....and welcome to the forums!

 

if you know what you're doing then you virtually never have to go to the dealer for maintenance. This is what you usually need to do to maintain your vehicle (hope I don't leave anything out since I just woke up and am still a little disoriented lol):

1-change oil every 3000-3500 miles
2-change the oil filter once for every 3 oil changes.
3-check on various fluid levels (coolant, transmission, power steering, brake, windshield wiper)
4-check air filters/belts/headlights and tail lights
5-check tire pressure and how much tread is on the tires
6-some people like to rotate their tires during oil changes to extend the life of their tires but I don't think that's absolutely necessary

my family and I have maintained a 95 maxima to 200K miles (until my brother crashed it ), an 80s accord to +200K miles, mercedes s class for 130K miles (still going), and my 08 G which has never cost me a dime at the dealership for maintenance

hope this helps

 

I must say I differ markedly from ahmsg420's maintenance schedule. I have found you would be best off if you stick closer to this:

Fluids - all using a quality synthetic:
- Oil and Filter, every 7,000 to 10,000 miles
- Manual trans fluid, first 15,000 then every 30,000
- Rear end grease, first 15,000 then every 50,000
- Brake Fluid, Power Steering fluid & Engine Coolant every 2 years

Belts, hoses, lights, etc check annually.
Tire pressures & wear - check monthly

FWIW - the lowest mileage vehicle I usually drive has 247,000 miles on it, the others a bit more.

Oil changes at 3k are a product of Jiffy Lube marketing, not good vehicle maintenance.

 

I do my oil and filter change every 5k mi using synthetic mobil 1. Differential gear oil at 30k mi. atf and drive belt 45k mi. I haven't done any brake or power steering fluid yet.

 

I second all of this info. Just pay close attention to all the main areas of your car and you will be fine.

 

Thanks for the comments. To the guy who said I need to research, I don't really care about spending the money, trust, me, not a problem. Just want to get people's oppinions on the matter. For car companies that rely on you coming back for maintenance for them to make money, I would think they would try to market the fact that you should go in more often. I just wanted to see what others follow.

 

very good post

 

thanks guys

@Kirkules, I think it largely depends on how often you drive your car, how much time you spend in traffic, and how hard you push it. I find that during periods where I drive my car 5-6 days a week and am stuck in traffic for quite a while that my oil gets dirtier a lot quicker. and since I use my G as a daily driver I find every 3500 miles is a good time to change my oil, even though you may be fine changing it every 5000 depending on your driving style. Either way I don't pay jiffy lube a dime since I do my own oil changes lol