I am going to resume my summer job here soon on a part time basis (1 night a week aprox.) and was wondering if I should adhere to the “severe conditions” maintenance schedule. The oil gets changed every 2500 miles as is. I will be commuting ~ 40 miles round trip to and from my other job too.
It’s an 87 Accord and I just want one more summer out of this old thing so any advice is appreciated.
Yes, continue to do the severe maintenance conditions. You are going to do a lot of stop and go driving delivering pizzas. You will also shut the engine off and turn it on alot, which is also hell on the engine. My other recomendation is to keep the engine running while you are dropping off a pizza.
are you going to be getting the mileage allowance for using your car? you should discuss this with your prospective employer. you are entitled to get mileage; or a “gas and tolls” & wear and tear on your vehicle for using it for their job.
this is probably the hardest driving you are going to be doing to your vehicle in its life (maybe your own life as a driver too!)
i know from my son’s experience the pizza joints always try to rip off the delivery guys for mileage, figuring you don’t know any better. watch out.
My son did that for a while. It is very hard on a car. Consider the Severe maintenance schedule as minimum.
yeah where I work we get $1.50 for every run + an hourly wage + tips.
you should take the time to keep track of the mileage. the IRS reimbursement is around $0.48 cents /mile. make sure you arent getting gyped.
you are probably getting that 1.50 portion just added onto your wages, then getting taxed on it too and paying solcial security too. that is NON taxable earnings. you are loosing the tax $$ on that. it should be a separate check. these pizza joints do it to everyone!!!
No, it’s added on to my tips at the end of the night. We take home that money as cash and only credit card transaction is automatically reported to the IRS. Everything else is employee discretion.
oh yeah, i forgot restaurant wages are reported differently.
as long as you are getting paid for it, and then you have to make sure the car lasts.
the heavy duty maintenece is really what you should be doing anyway, but the hard driving for the summer really eats up brakes, and rotors, and suspension.
Yea it’s really hard on the car, all that starting and stopping, hot engine starts, etc. I’m only going to do it 4-5 hrs a week.
Hi Jeff! So how did the Accord work for you on Spring Break? Running OK now? I’d do a few things , some already mentioned . . . change the oil more often . . . I’d go for every 2000 miles. I’d change the coolant before the Summer . . and I’d leave the car running while dropping off or picking up a pizza. Good luck! Rocketman
I’m going to go against the grain here on this reply.
You have a 21 year old car that you only want one more summer out of, and you’ll be delivering pizza only 1 night/week.
Why spend your pizza profits on any maintenance unless it’s critical to safety or to keeping the car running through the summer?
I concur. Just change the engine oil. Warm starts are VERY EASY on the motor. The only real wear is the starter itself.
Don’t leave your car running as it is illegal and can easily get stolen as Honda’s are very attractive to thieves. I am guessing no theft insurance on a 21 year old Honda.
Hi Rocketman! The Accord got me to Florida and back without any problems whatsoever. Thanks for the tip on changing the oil more often. Sounds like a wonderful idea.
I always leave my car running when dropping off a pizza. It is usually a 00:30 transaction and 90% of the time the car is in my sight the whole time except when my back is turned, talking to the customer. If I was a thief I wouldn’t go for a car with a pizza delivery business topper, lit up for all to see. Getting the car itself stolen is the last of my worries. Getting robbed of petty cash/credit cards (which I usually leave at home before my shift)/ etc is a much greater risk. Thanks for the advice though.
So get another key made for a buck and put it on a rubber band around your wrist. I stop at the Post Office every day to pick up my mail on my way to my office and always let it run . . . lock it when you get out, open it when you go back. Another thing I might do is to turn ON the AC when you stop to dewliver the pizza. This will turn on the second cooling fan (the first comes on by temp of the coolant) the second fan comes on when the AC is turned on and runs (almost) the whole time, and will keep the air flowing through the radiator when you are stopped. Glad to hear about the Spring Break trip bud, good luck! Rocketman
Hey Rocketman does your A/c still work? Mine does but has to be charged up about once every month or two. Just curious.
It will freeze your a55 off . . . colder than any AC I’ve ever owned . . . and I never touched it, use it all the time. Never even recharged it once . . . you have got to have a leak somewhere. Rocketman