Hello everyone I am eager to join the Car Talk community even though I’m new to it. I like learning about automotive maintenance, solving typical auto issues, and figuring out doable solutions to keep a car in good working order.Which car maintenance habit or suggestion has helped you avoid significant repairs or save the most money? I’d love to learn from the community and hear about your experiences.Thank you and I’m excited for the conversations
Welcome to the community!
Our best habits are preventative maintenance and regular inspections by a mechanic or at least checking oil levels, watching for leaks, and being aware when something doesn’t feel or sound right.
We do 5k oil change intervals or at least once/yr at a shop we’ve used since 1993 that we trust to speak up if something is urgent but will keep a watch list. Previous car they said the clutch was starting to fail at 90k and still worked with 194k.
Our 17yr old Toyota Prius still drives and runs like new. Gets taken in at the first sign of a problem which thankfully other than a headlight going out its only needed an oil change and 5k physical. Having a regular mechanic you trust has saved us $$$$ compared to dealers and kept our cars reliable considering age and mileage. The car we replaced with 194k after 19yrs the school we donated it to said “that’s it?” when mom was disclosing all its known flaws. Still good enough for a student or work car.
Checking hoses can’t hurt, heater hose burst on Dads minivan at highway speed and luckily he coasted to an exit into a parking lot next to a gas station where he called home. Having a 10mi towing plan doesn’t work when you’re 40mi from home.
And always remember the most neglected and ignored parts of the car: Those black round things filled with air at each corner - your tires!
Monthly or half monthly pressure checks will ensure your tires are inflated to vehicle manufacturer specifications.
Every 1-2 months, check the tire tread depth with a tread depth gauge, a small syringe-looking thing you can purchase for $4 or less at any car parts store.
Keep up with general maintenance like oil changes and transmission changes. Just those 2 get you more than halfway there. Tires and tire pressure are also extremely important. Checking Hoses.
What I’ve also found is if you have a sound or feel that wasn’t there a week ago - check it out even if the vehicle is drivable. Don’t wait for it to get worse. Many times, those little things can turn into a huge problem if ignored.
Welcome to Car Talk…
Maintenance, maintenance, and proper maintenance…
Also don’t neglect your CEL (or repairs), just because it may come on for a bad gas cap or something minimal, doesn’t mean something else won’t pop up and you only have 1 CEL to warn you (depending), so things can snowball out of control fast if not repaired as soon as possible…
Check tire pressures and fluids on the weekends, maybe twice a month
Stock up on engine oil, coolant and wipers. Keep them in your garage. Buy oil and wipers on sale at Costco . . . they also have among the lowest prices on 12v batteries and do NOT ask questions if you need to replace it under the free replacement period
Follow the severe usage maintenance schedule. Most people fall in this category, imo
Replace batteries proactively at the 5 year mark, if they’ve lasted that long. Better to replace it early on your terms, versus a roadside call in a bad area
You have been given a lot of great advice and it should help you see many trouble free miles… However, it you do need to ask for advice or assistance, Please help the members to help you…
Include the year, make, and model of your car, type of transmission, Front, Back, or All Wheel Drive, Engine type and size, other information relative to the issues, and photographs or video from your phone is often helpful…
Hope you enjoy the web site!
Welcome, if you plan on working on your vehicle, anytime you jack up your vehicle make sure to use jack stands and chock your wheels. read your owner’s manual to see correct jacking points. it will also tell you what maintenance should be done at a particular mileage. your manual will tell you the correct fluids to use for your vehicle and what bulbs to use when one burns out. happy motoring.
- Washing wet salt off of the under side immediately after use, even in the dead of winter. Dry salt can wait a little longer as long as the the car’s temperature doesn’t drop below the dew point.
- Drain and fill transmission fluid when recommended or more often.
- Stay away from low quality parts in hard to access high labor areas.
- Use a windshield sun shield.
- Put a couple layers Permatex black oil resistant gasket maker or equivalent on the small diameter parts of CV axle rubber boots when surface cracking begins. Clean them off well and maybe sand the surface first. Make a nice smooth bead with your finger while turning the hub and jack it up so the axle is straight when it is curing. Actually I’m still in the process of seeing how long this will hold up. It has been great so far.
- Don’t let an iron block with an aluminum head overheat. It damages the head gasket.
- Don’t be lazy and to repairs that may not last as long as the car will optimistically be on the road.
- 5W20 causes about 30% more engine wear than 5W30 or 10W30. Figure out what works best for you. The fuel economy gain is very little.
- If you think something is about to go but you don’t have time to fix it, order the part now at a discount and store it.
- Don’t replace things like belts until actual signs of failure start to show. Just have the parts ordered and ready to put on.
- Be aware of common failures for your vehicle and at least have the parts ordered and ready to put on if failure would make the car not driveable. A preventative replacement of a fuel pump might avoid an expensive tow.
Please ignore this, no basis for it. Use exactly the oil recommended by the manufacturer.
Me thinks that most everything The Wonderful 90’s posts should be ignored.
You can take it up with the creator of the video. I responded to this on a new discussion so this discussion won’t be turned in to another endless oil discussion and argument.
Why the computer voice?
Why not a single image related to the actual test?
Why should I consider this a credible source?
Do you remember in the Wizard of Oz when the Tin Man needed oil so he could again move… I bet now in this “entitled” environment, he would be asking for 0w-20 Synthetic… 
As demonstrated on your other thread, this video is AI BS.