My wife drives a 2003 PT cruiser with a 2.4L Non-Turbo engine with about 14,000 miles on it (she’s drives like the little old lady from Passadena). From the owner’s manual, since her average trip is <10 miles and temps in winter are below freezing, we are supposed to follow maintenance Schedule B, which only specifies certain procedures at particular mileages (vs. Schedule A, which specifies a mileage OR # of months, whichever comes first).
I know that even if a car is just sitting around, its component parts will age. My question is whether I would be wasting my money if I tried to stick more to Schedule A’s time recommendations, or is that the prudent thing to do? I haven’t had any maintenance done to the car other than regular oil changes (again, if I follow Schedule B, I would probably change the oil only about once a year, but I’ve been doing it every 3 months or so - is that also a waste of money?)
If Schedule A is for more “severe” service - or harsher driving conditions - then that is what I would follow. Regular trips at <10 mi are very hard on a car. Err on the side of caution as maintenance is cheap when compared to things like new engines.
ElDubz, I think you have the right idea. I would use the time recommendations from Schedule A, or the mileage recommendations from schedule B, whichever comes first.
Dear Whitey and cigroller,
Thanks for your rapid replies! Schedule B is for the more severe service, and it lacks the “months” maintenance schedule, which is what threw me. In any case, it sounds like you guys are on the same page. I will bite the bullet and play catch-up on the non-oil maintenance steps.
ElDubz