dodge guy wrote:
To add to my earlier post I do my oil every 4k with synthetic, trans and rear diff every 25k miles. fuel filter every 50k, coolant every 50k, brake fluid approx. every 30k, t-case and front diff every 50k. Belt was done at 50k and plugs done every 50k. [COLOR=]Never had a failure of any system!
That's what so many seem to be unable to get through their heads. It's a lot cheaper to aggressively maintain a vehicle, than it is to repair whatever fails prematurely. I do a similar PM schedule on every vehicle we own, and have done so for the last two decades. I rarely will mention it online, since the usual response is, "whatever is in your manual". Or somebody "educating" me on what a waste of time and money it is.
Twenty years ago I bought a new Dodge Intrepid, which over time got a well deserved reputation as fairly poor vehicle with an awful engine. It has had maintenance that exceeds the severe duty schedule, since new, and 5K oil changes. It spent a few years as a daily loaner for a repair shop, and it currently runs just fine on the original trans and engine, with over 300K on it, and no significant repairs. In the ten years, and 200K miles I owned it, I spent almost nothing on repairs.
Sadly, we have reached a point where drivers are destroying their vehicles, since they have been brainwashed into believing that they own a maintenance free transportation appliance. My mechanic buddy reports that his shop ends up with at least one engine replacement job a week, on fairly new cars. Customers are using the car's "maintenance minder" to determine when oil changes are needed, and frequently ignoring that warning light for a while. As a result they are grenading motors due to not knowing that the engine was consuming little oil from the last change to the 5-7K mark, but starts to guzzle the stuff as the mileage between oil changes gets to the 10-12K mark, which can be before the change engine oil light even comes on. They don't check the oil regularly, and end up destroying an engine that arrives at the shop, with a quart or two in it. The other issue is that they end up at the 100-125K mile mark and have done oil changes at 10-12K intervals. The car arrives in limp mode, since the variable valve timing is shot, or the cam chains, guides, tensioners, valves seals,etc.... are totally worn out, and it needs thousands in repairs to the top end.
As you might guess, if they can't be bothered to check and change the oil regularly, there is zero chance that anything else was maintained on a regular schedule, or done at all. For somebody as picky as I am, it makes it nearly impossible to find a used vehicle. I'm shopping now, and it's a 1% shot that you can find evidence that any used vehicle has been regularly maintained.
