What car maintenance is actually necessary?

[GreenSheep]

Please help me learn about the care and feeding of cars! I'm tired of being the dumb blonde woman who gets walked all over by car mechanics.

I took my Fit in for an oil change, and this will change soon, but at the moment, I live practically around the corner from the Honda dealership, so I just took it there. Probably a mistake, as every minor thing like an oil change seems to be an opportunity for them to suggest other, more expensive things.

Now that I am on the road to Mustachian car ownership (I traded my BMW for a Fit last year!), I want to first learn about what maintenance actually needs to be done, and then eventually if I can learn how to do some of it on my own, so much the better. I know that things like air filter changes can be an easy way for a dealership to tack on fees. This time they gave me a list of stuff, and I'm not sure what truly needs to be done. I know it's impossible for someone to tell me this without personally inspecting my car, but does any of the stuff below strike anyone as a red flag for something that probably isn't actually necessary but is just a money-maker?

Replace cabin air filter (air seems fine to me)
Replace both rear struts, which are leaking (Sounds legit, but maybe not?)
Perform air filter Arctic Blast refresh service (My car is plenty cool enough, I'm moving north very soon, and a cheesy phrase like "Arctic Blast" definitely makes me think they're just after my money.)
Perform Major Service, 30,000 miles (They don't even explain what this includes, but it's $399. Seems fishy.)
Replace windshield wiper blades (Nope. They work fine.)
Perform four wheel alignment (Nope. The car goes perfectly straight when I take my hands off the wheel.)
Perform fuel injection and body service, based on manufacture standards for time and mileage (So they're saying it might not even need to be done, but they just do it after a certain time/mileage. Kinda like the Major Service recommendation.)

Thank you, people who know things about cars, for helping me finally learn about this stuff!

[Alex321]

You need to find a good, honest, independent local mechanic. Ask around.

[Raenia]

I'm not an expert on most of those things, but I did talk to my mechanic about wheel alignments recently, so I'll just talk about that one.  Basically, pulling to one side or the other is not the only sign of a misalignment.  If the car goes straight but the wheel is not centered, if you are getting any squealing sounds from the tires, or if your tires are wearing unevenly, that could also indicate an alignment is needed.  Even then, you could probably get away with skipping it for now, but your tires will wear faster and need to be replaced sooner.

[neo von retorch]

My wife takes her car to the dealership for oil changes and inspection... I do most of the actual work.

Cabin air filter is $10-12 at the local parts store, and a 2 minute job (plus 3 minutes of finding and watching a youtube video.) They can get pretty filthy, so it's not a bad idea to change it, even if your air "smells" fine :)

My old 2008 Fit allegedly has a leaking rear strut. The back end does look a hair low. Sold the car to my sister and she's been driving it a year without any issues, though. So it can probably wait...

There is literally nothing major that needs done at 30,000!! Sheesh. What does your owner manual specify for that interval?

Wiper blades - you can get insert replacements from one of several web sites that sell OEM Honda parts. They'll cost like $3-5 each. The main wiper blade for a Fit (at least in the older models) is excellent, and relatively expensive to replace, but it has replaceable inserts. If you go through the OEM web sites, even the whole blade isn't so bad. That 2008 Fit I had, well a previous owner had replaced the excellent blades with some crappy aftermarket ones. I went back to the OEM ones!

4 wheel alignment can be something more than just the steering wheel alignment being off; a much better indicator is the wear pattern on the tires. If it starts to get skewed, then you need the alignment. But yeah, you probably do not...

You won't need the fuel injection/body service until at least 400,000 miles ;) Seriously. That's crap.

[Linea_Norway]

Oil change is something you can learn to do yourself.

Do you Americans something similar to EU control? With our second car we only have done what needs to be done to get the cat trough the EU control every two years. Nothing extra. Oil shift we do ourselves in between.

[MightyAl]

Check your owners manual for service intervals.  For the 30k mile service the manual will give you a description of what needs to be done.  The items are mostly checking and inspecting for issues. 

The struts have nothing to do with the stance of the vehicle.  The springs are what set the ride height.  Yes you can get by with a leaking strut but a bad strut will throw off the handling of the vehicle.  I would change out a leaking strut. 

If you plan on keeping this vehicle for awhile you can get a lifetime alignment and take it back every 10k-20k miles to be checked.  A car pulling to one side means something is horribly wrong with the alignment.  A car can be out of alignment and not pull to one side but it can accelerate tire wear.

You probably won't need to service the fuel injectors for the life of the car and I don't even know what a body service would be.

[Blatant]

To boil it down to the most basic level, regular oil/filter changes are the actual "lifeblood" of vehicle maintenance. Stay on top of that and you've gone a long way toward having a "for-life" vehicle.

[WSUCoug1994]

Recommended fluid changes are for real - motor (oil and antifreeze), transmission and differential are not optional in my opinion.  Air filters for the motor are not optional but cabin filters are.  I would also change my belts (including timing belts) on recommended mileage. I am a synthetic fan but not here to argue the validity. :)

Wipers - can you see?

Struts - this is a mileage and use wearable item.  I would replace as it does impact safety.

Barring some major issue - I like to get an alignment done when I purchase new tires.

I will also say that I support the Stealership maintenance intervals - with those of us that have high mileage cars it is important to have someone crawl under the vehicle from time to time to prevent failure.  You don't have to agree to the service they are suggesting but I like having someone do a 40 or 50 point check very 30,000 miles (major service) or so.

[Cadman]

With all the talk of home oil-changes lately, it's also worth mentioning not to neglect your grease zerks. Pick up an inexpensive grease gun and get to know your steering/suspension components.

[GreenSheep]

Thank you for such helpful (and fast!) advice! I don't mind paying for things that will keep my car running well for a long time and avoid more expensive repairs later on. I just hate being taken advantage of and wasting money on unnecessary things. I just made an appointment to do only the things on the list that are necessary, based on what was said here, and that I can't figure out pretty quickly how to do on my own (like wiper blades, but later, when they are actually a problem).

After I move, my plan is to
1. Find an honest mechanic locally
2. Continue learning about how all this stuff works and what maintenance is truly necessary.
3. Start learning how to do some of this on my own.
4. Teach my female friends and other women I know that it's not rocket science.
It's time for me to stop thinking of this as something women don't do. Hell, the reason I had to come here to ask is that none of the men in my life know cars anyway!

[alsoknownasDean]

Would the alignment be somewhat related to the replacement of the struts? ie: would they do the alignment after the strut replacement as a matter of course to ensure alignment hasn't been affected?

[surfhb]

Don't you dare do anything on that list!    You are being ripped off

[Capt j-rod]

Here is a easy to follow break down. When you find a good mechanic...
1. Oil changes go to 7500 miles. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from Walmart. $25 for a 5 quart jug. Get a good oil filter, Wix, to NAPA gold.
2. Engine air filter every 30k
3. Cabin air filter once a year. (do it yourself watch you tube)
4. rotate the tires every 10k miles
5. Have brakes routinely checked... Usually 45k before replacement
6. Antifreeze flush @100k

The dealership is actually more of a "stealership"

[Reynolds531]

If you are moving north into salted roads do an oil spray rustproof every couple of years.

[Le Barbu]

Here is a easy to follow break down. When you find a good mechanic...
1. Oil changes go to 7500 miles. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from Walmart. $25 for a 5 quart jug. Get a good oil filter, Wix, to NAPA gold.
2. Engine air filter every 30k
3. Cabin air filter once a year. (do it yourself watch you tube)
4. rotate the tires every 10k miles
5. Have brakes routinely checked... Usually 45k before replacement
6. Antifreeze flush @100k

The dealership is actually more of a "stealership"

7. Brake fluid flush every 3 years

[undercover]

Here is a easy to follow break down. When you find a good mechanic...
1. Oil changes go to 7500 miles. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from Walmart. $25 for a 5 quart jug. Get a good oil filter, Wix, to NAPA gold.
2. Engine air filter every 30k
3. Cabin air filter once a year. (do it yourself watch you tube)
4. rotate the tires every 10k miles
5. Have brakes routinely checked... Usually 45k before replacement
6. Antifreeze flush @100k

The dealership is actually more of a "stealership"

7. Brake fluid flush every 3 years

8. Water pump every 60-90k
9. Same interval for timing belt

I disagree about all dealerships universally being bad. Some do try to squeeze unnecessary maintenance in there, but that's usually pretty obvious and the legit work seems to be reasonably priced these days.

I see little to no reason to do any of this yourself (unless you just love getting dirty) except the stupid easy stuff like air filters and possibly brakes. You're definitely not going to be saving much. Of course, YMMV (literally).

[Le Barbu]

Here is a easy to follow break down. When you find a good mechanic...
1. Oil changes go to 7500 miles. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from Walmart. $25 for a 5 quart jug. Get a good oil filter, Wix, to NAPA gold.
2. Engine air filter every 30k
3. Cabin air filter once a year. (do it yourself watch you tube)
4. rotate the tires every 10k miles
5. Have brakes routinely checked... Usually 45k before replacement
6. Antifreeze flush @100k

The dealership is actually more of a "stealership"

7. Brake fluid flush every 3 years

8. Water pump every 60-90k
9. Same interval for timing belt

I disagree about all dealerships universally being bad. Some do try to squeeze unnecessary maintenance in there, but that's usually pretty obvious and the legit work seems to be reasonably priced these days.

I see little to no reason to do any of this yourself (unless you just love getting dirty) except the stupid easy stuff like air filters and possibly brakes. You're definitely not going to be saving much. Of course, YMMV (literally).

I do a lot of this maintenance myself but I think it's trivial for many (most)

What really worth, is to find a honest independent mechanic

The first tip I give for FI is to stay away from dealership, for any reason (buying or maintenance)

[Khaetra]

I plan to take my Fit to the dealer (they send coupons for oil changes, etc.) when it's time, because the engine splash shield is a PITA to deal with (I also highly recommend this site for Fit owners):

http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-generation-2015/90220-anyone-else-get-loose-engine-splash-shield-under-their-car.html

[MightyAl]

Here is a easy to follow break down. When you find a good mechanic...
1. Oil changes go to 7500 miles. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic from Walmart. $25 for a 5 quart jug. Get a good oil filter, Wix, to NAPA gold.
2. Engine air filter every 30k
3. Cabin air filter once a year. (do it yourself watch you tube)
4. rotate the tires every 10k miles
5. Have brakes routinely checked... Usually 45k before replacement
6. Antifreeze flush @100k

The dealership is actually more of a "stealership"

Or instead of guessing and just throwing stuff against the wall you can open the owner's manual with the OEM recommended intervals.  They usually even have a little checklist so you know what you have and have not done. 

Dealerships are like everywhere else there are good ones and bad ones.  I have actually had quite a few dealerships bend over backwards to help me in both the parts and customer service departments.  I have had others that could care less about me.  It goes both ways and it is easy to just paint them all the same way.

[neo von retorch]

I bought a 2007 Honda Fit back in... 2007. And I took it to the dealer for the 4 years I owned it. Never anything more than oil changes and tire rotations. I did the air filters myself. Had it for just under 60K miles. They never suggested any crazy expensive stuff, and the oil changes were only slightly more than I would have spent myself on good filters and oil. And I didn't have to worry about storage or transportation of used motor oil. This specific dealer, trying to waste a grand of your money on useless things on a youthful Fit with 30K on it? That's somewhere I'd never go back to.

[marielle]

I see little to no reason to do any of this yourself (unless you just love getting dirty) except the stupid easy stuff like air filters and possibly brakes. You're definitely not going to be saving much. Of course, YMMV (literally).

You could save a good bit doing the brakes yourself. Griffin Brothers tried to charge me $420 in labor to replace the rotors and brakes on each wheel. They were also charging me a stupid amount of money for the rotors, I think over $800 total for parts and labor. Got a nice set of performance rotors and brakes online for less than what they were charging me for just the rotors...

Also, with synthetic oil changes you pay about half what they would charge you. For me that's <$30 with oil + filter versus $60 at a shop. Not too bad, plus you don't have to drive anywhere and you don't have to wait.

[neo von retorch]

I see little to no reason to do any of this yourself (unless you just love getting dirty) except the stupid easy stuff like air filters and possibly brakes. You're definitely not going to be saving much. Of course, YMMV (literally).

Also strongly disagree with this.

My wife's dealership suggested:
* alternator $500
* air filter + cabin air filter $68
* license plate light bulb $19

I did the work myself
* alternator $175
* filters $20
* light bulb $3

Savings? $389. Yes, I got my hands dirty :)

[lsl129]

Go to http://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files and enter your city to find reputable mechanics. I have also found that lesser known places in small towns are less likely to add on extra services and only do what is really necessary, compared to big name repair centers with high overhead. Also, they should be able to explain or show you what is actually wrong, not just give you a vague list.

[GreenSheep]

So it turns out the leaking rear shocks were under warranty. (Who knew? I told the guy I didn't purchase the car there, but he said it didn't matter... anything under 3 years old is under warranty. I'm not going to argue with that!) But I noticed on the receipt they gave me that they had typed, "Customer request to check the rear shocks, rear end feels bouncy." I never said anything of the sort. I only asked them to replace them because they had recommended that they needed replacing. This makes me wonder if they were never leaking in the first place but they had to write something like this to justify replacing them under warranty. I wonder if they had realized there was a warranty, they wouldn't have suggested replacement.

[neo von retorch]

Sounds like the dealership is also in the business of ripping off the manufacturer, too...

[Linea_Norway]

And write down the mileage before leaving the car. I once delivered the car at the small local garage, because my gearbox leaked oil. I hadn't dared to drive the car for days in fear of ruining my gearbox. When I phone them later that day, they told me they hadn't started the repair yet and that my car was being used to buy parts, 15 km further away. Gear who's petrol they were using during those 30 km. And they risked the gearbox to go empty for oil. I didn't go back to that place. My car is not to be used for their shopping purposes.

With other garages we have noticed that they only do a test drive, typically 5 km maximum, which is acceptable if they need to test after a repair.

[chemistk]

I don't have too much to add over what others have mentioned. Oil, Tires, Brakes, Air Filter, Battery are all consumables that get changed on regular intervals. Owner's manual is the best reference for these things - all (apart from tires) can and should be done yourself. The rest should be done by a trusted mechanic.

The rest of what will go wrong will be variable and will usually be something you notice. A clunk here, a wobble there.

I do have to say that entire list of stuff the dealer recommended is a load of bull. I laughed reading the list.