So, I know this isn’t good on my part but somehow I completely forgot about my 60,000 mile service on my '06 Mitsubishi Lancer. I kept thinking the first one was at 75,000 for some reason.
Anyways, my car is now at 71,000 miles and my ‘Service Engine Soon’ light went on. Turns out it is my catalytic converter which I am having replaced because it is under warranty. I am also having them replace the timing belt at the same time.
I always get my oil changed every 3,000 miles and replace the air filter when needed. Anything else that I absolutely need to do right NOW for my poor car that I neglected 10,000 miles ago?!? Any flushes that stand out at this time? I haven’t done any.
Thanks for the help. I’m trying to make it right, now that I have remembered.
Your owner’s manual has the answers. Just find the recommended maintenance schedule.
The one thing to ignore your owner’s manual about is whatever it says about transmission service. Have a transmission shop drop your pan & change the filter every 3yr/30K miles. Its likely that your manual says something ridiculous and unhealthy about when to service it.
cigroller has it nailed. You don’t need more and should not do less that what he wrote.
BTW 3,000 mile oil changes will not harm your car (assuming you are using a correct oil) but it is not needed on a modern car. Better oils and engine design meaning 6-7,000 mile changes are fine if they meet the recommended (in the owner's manual) by the manufacturer.Have the vehicle repaired and don’t mention the missed service.
The check engine light might be related to a missed item at 60k however the changes are low. Many cars simply require fluid changes and some spark plug changes.
Regarding the cat. converter - often it is something else wrong that causes the cat. to go bad. How do they know it’s bad? For example, a bad sensor could trigger a cat. warning code. Given that it’s under warranty you’re not at $$ risk, but I’d hate to have to take it back in later to fix the real problem.
The one thing I do on all of my cars, even if the manual doesn’t call for it, is a transmission flush at 50-60k miles. Other than that the owners manual should tell you all you need to know. Like texases said, it could possibly not be the cat itself that’s causing the code. You might want to browse some sites out there to see if there is a common problem attributed to the code for the converter. Many websites out there go over some common problems associated with a Service Engine Soon Light for your particular vehicle.