What Regular Maintenance does my Vehicle need?
You might be wondering where your vehicle is at with all its maintenance needs. At American Import Auto, Inc. we keep a detailed report of your vehicle’s maintenance history. By keeping on top of your vehicle’s maintenance schedule you can prevent any major repairs from occurring ahead of time. Every vehicle manufacturer maintenance recommendations are different. Every environment our driver’s live in is different. We have a lot of seasonal visitors with vehicles that accompany them. Even clients that live by the beach in the same city as another who lives more inland, still have different maintenance needs. Our client’s driving habits are all different as well, which is another factor that must be taken into consideration for vehicle maintenance. For example, someone who drives a long distance to work every day, would have different maintenance recommendations versus someone who may do a lot of stop/go and turning with their vehicle.
Something very user friendly we have in our shop provided by our partners at BG Products, are these maintenance trays. Each has a corresponding color of what each oil should look like when it is a clean or “normal” fluid.
We go through a much more in depth and detailed list to ensure your vehicle is all checked off on the maintenance needed. We also ensure that if your vehicle is not ready yet for the service listed, we usually put a recommendation in for a later date. Below, we have listed some of the services we check and the recommended time and mileage for each:
LOF or Lube, Oil, Filter:
- We recommend every 3,000-5,000 miles, depending on how often you drive your vehicle. If you change your oil here at our shop, we apply a sticker to your windshield so you are always aware of when your next ideal LOF service should be performed. The mileage also varies if you drive with non-synthetic oil or full synthetic oil.
Air Filters:
We recommend you replace every 12 months or 15,000 miles. Again, subject to your driving habits and environment in which your car is kept, it may be different.- Cabin Air Filters we recommend 12 months or 12,000 miles. Example below of a Cabin Air filter that needs to be changed out with all the seasonal pollen, leaves, and dust collected on it.
Alignment:
- We recommend every 12 months, or 12,000 miles. If you do a lot of turning while driving or are around heavy road construction, we may recommend sooner. Also, when we install new tires, we always perform a wheel alignment.
Brakes:
- Including all Brake parts, Fluids, Rotors, Pads, & Shoes. We recommend when your brakes are down to 3-4 MMthat is a good time to have them replaced. The brake fluid flush we recommend about every24 months or 24,000 miles. Brake rotors are checked for warping and wear during your visit. Depending on wear, we can opt to resurface them, but it can only be done once before replacement is needed.
Coolant:
- We recommend every 36 months or 50,000 miles, flush the entire cooling system, you are going to need it to be in tip-top condition going into these hot Florida summer months.
Belts:
- We recommend every36 months or 30,000 miles. If necessary to replace after inspection.
Fuel Filter:
- We recommend you change out the fuel filter every 36 months, or 30,000 miles. Again, depending on wear and how your engine is running you may have to replace as early as 30,000 miles.
Power Steering Fluid:
- We recommend replacing every 36 months or 30,000 miles. Or earlier if you are noticing symptoms like hard steering or loud noise.
Battery:
- We recommend every 4 years. We consider the temperature exposure, the amount the car is driven, and how old the vehicle is when put into our care. We provide warranty on our Napa Batteries, anywhere from 12 months and up depending on the type of battery.
Transmission Fluid/ Flush:
- We recommend every 60 months or 60,000 miles. This also depends on the strain you put on your vehicle for instance, towing. We can test the liquid color to see how dark it shows up on our fluid sample pan.
Spark plugs:
- We recommend you change around 60 months or 90,000 miles. Especially if they are iridium or titanium spark plugs, they will be the kind you replace after 90,000 miles.
Hoses:
- We recommend 60 months or 60,000 miles. If we notice cracks, leaks, or any breakage to the hoses anywhere within any earlier mileage, we recommend replacing sooner to avoid more damage.
April is National Car Care Month, so with winter coming to an end, you can look forward to the spring and summer road trips that lie ahead! It is important you bring your vehicle in for all its regular maintenance needs so we can ensure your safety on the road, and keep you traveling with no dwelling on car issues. Our trusted technicians and knowledgeable service managers will ensure you are in good hands here and keep you up to speed on each service your vehicle is due for.
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