I have a 10 year old car. I’ve owned it for the last, oh, two or three years, and I’ve been pretty good at keeping it up. I get the oil changed and whatever else they tell me needs done.
But now, I’m moving, and instead of living 5 minutes from work, I’m going to be commuting 45 minutes each way, so I want to get it all checked out and maintained so the poor old thing doesn’t die on me.
So I’m planning on taking her in to get checked out, and get an oil change and whatnot. But, although I have a mechanic I mostly trust, I want to get some idea of what I should have checked out and done before I go in. I don’t want to just go in and say, “find everything that might need replacing and replace it,” since I might as well write them a blank check.
I had the brakes checked not long ago, and they’re OK, and I have brand new tires. OTOH, I think one of my spark plugs may be faulty, so I’m going to ask them to check those.
So, in a nutshell, what else should I tell them to do?
<smart ass>Just get a cell phone and start saving for a new (new used?) car.</smart ass>
Well that’s what I’d do. But if you want to keep the car for awhile just tell your trusted mechanic of your situation and your concerns. If he isn’t going to rip you off, he will give you the Straight Dope on your car after giving it a thorough going over. Tell you what needs replacing now and what needs replacing soon but you probably shouldn’t do it because it will cost more than the car is worth.
For the record, what kind of car we talking about here?
Have your cooling system flushed, new hoses,thermostat, radiator cap and have new belts installed.
Along with the plugs get a new distributer cap rotor and plug wires.
Have your injectors cleaned and get a new fuel filter.
Do you have the owner’s manual for this vehicle? They usually include a chart of recommended scheduled maintenance. I’d pick the most extensive list closest to the mileage of your vehicle and have those things checked out as a start. I’m a believer in preventative maintenance - inspect and replace before something fails in the middle of rush hour during a storm right before a holiday weekend … well, you know, the least convenient time and place of all.
My vehicle is only 6 years old, but it’s got over 121K miles and it’s never broken down on me. I’ve had a few costly repairs, but until I’m spending more to maintain it than car payments would cost, I’ll keep this one going.
herman_and_bill came up w/ a good list. Other items are:
Timming belt (if you have one) they last about 90,000 miles.
Brake fluid flush
possible transmission fluid/filter change (though it might be better to just leave it alone)
I agree with the belts & hoses. Also, have you had your water pump replaced? If that goes, you’re in deep poo.
I have a '96 Acura Integra GSR which has 130K miles on it, and my mechanic and I are trying to see if we can keep it going for a world’s record. The best advice I’ve received that seems to work for me is to keep that oil changed, and inspect everything. If it needs replacing, replace it. Mine still runs like it was new, and I’ve had offers to buy it from complete strangers.
It’s a 93 Ford Probe. I don’t have an owner’s manual - if anyone knows where I could find one online or something like that, that’d be great. It’s been really good to me so far. There was a slight problem where one of the axels kept falling out every so often, but that’s fixed now, and since then, I haven’t had a lick of trouble. Knock on wood.
Well, it sure made a funky noise, and made the car instantly undriveable…
After weeks in the shop, and more money than I care to remember, it was discovered that my car has some sort of “special edition” transmission that takes axles that are - get this - a HALF INCH longer than the standard axles. Also, judging from the price, they’re handcrafted from raw platinum by monks that live high in the remote Tibetan mountains, only accessible by donkey-back.
The key elements…especially in a ten year old car…are making sure the fluids get changed. Your mechanic will know what you are talking about.
It may cost a bit, but if you haven’t had it done in the past few years, make sure you have the transmission and the radiator flushed. Since you mentioned tranny problems already, chances are that may not be necessary. I’ve had tranny repairs done twice, and both times the repair included a flush.
Also, a standard “tune-up” has been mentioned. This involves changing spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap, and rotor. This can also be a bit spendy…but, ironically, is often very easy to do. However, a '93 Ford Probe will likely have a plug or two that are very difficult to change.
This happens to be about 90% of my maintenance schedule. However, if I was to move to a city where such a long commute was necessary, I would seriously consider investing in a newer, more fuel effecient vehicle. Age, even with proper maintnance (and often becuase of proper maintenance), costs money when talking about a vehicle.
“Chilton Manual.” I think the Haynes manual is better for the average person. I did have a Chilton Manual set of three books, but I sold them on ebay for $210.00…
Chilton writes books that cover a whole set of cars, haynes makes them that cover one car at a time.
PCV, it is cheap and improtant, also did not hear mention of an air filter.
If the trans fluid has not been changed, it is often better to not change it. The high detergents in trans fluid might attack the clutch material and begin to wash, and move, some of the dirt around.
deadOman, I disagree with you on the “don’t fix it if it’s more than the car is worth.”
I drive an '86 Jetta. Sure, it’s only worth about five hundred bucks, but in the big picture it makes ALOT more sense for me to keep it maintained, driveable, and safe. I may put more than $500 into it in a bad year, but taken over the course of a year, that’s still much, much cheaper than dropping thousands for a new car. My average cost to run my car every month is $60 (including insurance). It costs me $50 to re-tag it each year. An average monthly cost to run my $500 vehicle (even in a bad year) is much cheaper than buying a newer car with “no” mechanical problems. Plus, the I put the money I save into and account so when I do absolutely, postively HAVE to get a new car, I can pay for it in cash, or at least make a big down payment.
For my money, it is definitely worth it to drive a very old, safe, well-running car. Henry (my car) ain’t pretty, but he gets me where I need to go. And he’s a cheap bastard.
