| Routine Maintenance |
If you plan on owning your vehicle for any period of time, standard care and maintenance
should be kept up on the vehicle. Some people are perfectly happy having work done at the
dealership or a quick stop location. However, with labor rates upward of $100 per hour there
are many things you can do to put some of that back into your pocket.
should be kept up on the vehicle. Some people are perfectly happy having work done at the
dealership or a quick stop location. However, with labor rates upward of $100 per hour there
are many things you can do to put some of that back into your pocket.
Poor maintenance on your vehicle may leave you
stranded due to engine, brake, tire, suspension
problems, or a combination of them all.
The first thing is making sure that engine fluids
are filled. The most common fluids that the
average home owner can top off are the oil,
coolant, brake fluid, automatic transmission
fluid, power steering fluid, and windshield wiper
fluid.
As the vehicle starts to reach upward of 50,000 -
75,000 miles there are some Items that you may
consider flushing regardless of how they look.
Your vehicle is roughly 4-5 years old, it has been
through numerous winter / summer weather
cycles, and the original fluids and gaskets have
started to deteriorate. These items usually take
more time to replace and may require additional
knowledge of the working vehicle systems.
These items include the transmission fluid, brake fluid, differential fluid, power steering fluid,
and coolant. I've seen the advertisements for 100,000 mile coolant, but the reality is that it's
probably better to replace it and keep it fresh. If you've been using regular water vs. Distilled
water to top off the radiator, there's probably obvious white scale looking deposits visible in the
radiator and throughout the entire system. This will eventually clog parts of the system and
either cause the engine to run less efficient or to overheat in a worse case scenario.
Failure to change these fluids at this interval isn't a "requirement", but a general suggestion. I've
owned numerous vehicles, and it's about this point in time where you can expect to start having
issues. Having clean fluids will help the engine and other systems function the best they can in
their older condition.
and coolant. I've seen the advertisements for 100,000 mile coolant, but the reality is that it's
probably better to replace it and keep it fresh. If you've been using regular water vs. Distilled
water to top off the radiator, there's probably obvious white scale looking deposits visible in the
radiator and throughout the entire system. This will eventually clog parts of the system and
either cause the engine to run less efficient or to overheat in a worse case scenario.
Failure to change these fluids at this interval isn't a "requirement", but a general suggestion. I've
owned numerous vehicles, and it's about this point in time where you can expect to start having
issues. Having clean fluids will help the engine and other systems function the best they can in
their older condition.
|
This information is in reference to 1980 - 1995 Mustangs