If you want to avoid nasty and unexpected vehicle maintenance costs, sticking to a regimented schedule of preventive maintenance is something you are going to want to get used to. The reason is simple. Frequent maintenance will keep your car in good health, ensuring you get the most out of all those expensive-to-replace parts. Keeping your vehicle’s fluids new and clean is the number one priority when it comes to minimizing future costs.
Frequent oil changes can prevent buildup of harmful deposits that can rob your car of fuel economy and power, as well as make internal components work harder. A harder working engine is one with a shorter life span.
Your vehicle’s other life bloods such as transmission fluid, radiator coolant, and brake fluid, all need to be serviced and changed per your vehicles’ maintenance schedule as shown in the owner’s manual.
Other components that need regular replacement are the belts and hoses, including the timing belt. The timing belt (or chain in some vehicles) keeps the many different parts of an engine in sync with each other. If a timing belt fails, it can cause very serious damage to the engine that can cost several thousand dollars to repair.
The bottom line is…..do yourself a favor and follow the routine scheduled maintenance. It will only save you money in the long run.