Author Topic: Maintenance on low mileage cars  (Read 3676 times)

wtrfre

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Maintenance on low mileage cars
« on: February 25, 2016, 11:35:41 AM »
Do most people do their own vehicle maintenance thus avoiding dealing with repair shops?  This is going to be part rant.  I do not have the time, tools, or know how for vehicle maintenance.  My car is a slightly low mileage vehicle, 15 years old with 120,000 miles.  I have trouble finding a shop who will do maintenance on it.  They only want to do oil changes since the mileage doesn't change much.  I have to argue to get a place to do plugs, wires, fluid checks and/or changes periodically, and other more infrequent work.  Systems corrode, fluids break down over time, I do not buy the reasoning that I can wait over ten years between some of these regular maintenances simply because it hasn't gone enough miles.  Belts are going to break down over time in addition to use.
Am I crazy?  Do you follow mileage for vehicle maintenance regardless of time intervals?
How do other low mileage vehicle handle maintenance intervals?

I'm mostly just tired of arguing with repair shops.  I have moved frequently and thus haven't had the opportunity to develop a relationship with a particular shop to where they will just do the work I ask for. 

Dominator

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2016, 01:02:33 PM »
Most car maintenance is easy to do yourself and most jobs only require basic hand tools to complete. There are tons of Youtube videos showing step by step how to do damn near everything from oil changes and brake jobs, to head gaskets, etc.

I do most of my own car repairs. I have a few specialty tools, and usually I bought those because it was cheaper to buy the tool and do the job myself than it was to pay a shop to do it with their tools.

With that being said, it seems odd that you can't find a shop willing to do work on your car (even if they think its not necessary) when you're offering cold hard cash!

Elliot

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2016, 01:04:24 PM »
No one ever argued with me when I asked for a job done. I HAVE been told that certain systems look fine right now, and that I should wait another 25k miles, but they would have done it if I insisted.

use2betrix

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2016, 01:28:49 PM »
No one ever argued with me when I asked for a job done. I HAVE been told that certain systems look fine right now, and that I should wait another 25k miles, but they would have done it if I insisted.

This lol.

Where are you seriously finding shops that don't want to do maintenance for you when you direct them to? Some shops might ask why but when you tell them you just want it done, I see no reason to argue?

FYI my 17 year old Camry has less than 110k miles so same situation.

chemistk

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2016, 02:11:42 PM »
Lower mileage vehicles can get away with relaxed service schedules, especially if you're an easy driver. It does, of course, depend on the car you own and its inherent reliability but you really only need to be following what the service schedule dictates in your owner's manual and even then, (if you were doing your own maintenance), you'd find that some things didn't need changing when the book said so.

Would you replace your hot water heater after 7 years even if it was functioning properly and wasn't noticeably less efficient than when it was new? How about getting a new computer after 3 years even though the one you owned was working great? The same thing applies to some of the systems in your car.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2016, 02:38:15 PM »
Yeah the typical service schedule is based on kilometres/miles or time. Many cars specify six monthly services.

Oil degrades over time. Some of the belts may perish as well, but theoretically the mechanic should notice that.

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wtrfre

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2016, 03:09:46 PM »
No one ever argued with me when I asked for a job done. I HAVE been told that certain systems look fine right now, and that I should wait another 25k miles, but they would have done it if I insisted.

This lol.

Where are you seriously finding shops that don't want to do maintenance for you when you direct them to? Some shops might ask why but when you tell them you just want it done, I see no reason to argue?

FYI my 17 year old Camry has less than 110k miles so same situation.

The worst for getting them to agree to the service in the first place has been Michigan.  The first question I get asked when trying to schedule is, "how many miles are on the vehicle"?  After that they seem blind to all else, even when I give the vehicle age.  I tried asking for an "X" month service to avoid the confusion, but they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about.  And they advertise that service as the "X mile/X month service".  So I had to ask for it by mileage anyway.  Then when they see the mileage on the vehicle, rinse and repeat the you don't need this.  Just take my money! (And do the work I ask, that is important too.) Why is this so difficult?  I suppose I should accept that it really is that foreign to them that a vehicle would not have at least 12,000 miles/yr on it.  That is the only kind thing I can think of.

I tried to replace my tires last year.  First place I went to kept only quoting me prices for 2 tires even though I repeatedly said I wanted all four, because the rears still had a millimeter of wear left on them.  I don't want to replace two tires now and come back to replace the other two soon!

use2betrix

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2016, 03:23:39 PM »
No one ever argued with me when I asked for a job done. I HAVE been told that certain systems look fine right now, and that I should wait another 25k miles, but they would have done it if I insisted.

This lol.

Where are you seriously finding shops that don't want to do maintenance for you when you direct them to? Some shops might ask why but when you tell them you just want it done, I see no reason to argue?

FYI my 17 year old Camry has less than 110k miles so same situation.

The worst for getting them to agree to the service in the first place has been Michigan.  The first question I get asked when trying to schedule is, "how many miles are on the vehicle"?  After that they seem blind to all else, even when I give the vehicle age.  I tried asking for an "X" month service to avoid the confusion, but they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about.  And they advertise that service as the "X mile/X month service".  So I had to ask for it by mileage anyway.  Then when they see the mileage on the vehicle, rinse and repeat the you don't need this.  Just take my money! (And do the work I ask, that is important too.) Why is this so difficult?  I suppose I should accept that it really is that foreign to them that a vehicle would not have at least 12,000 miles/yr on it.  That is the only kind thing I can think of.

I tried to replace my tires last year.  First place I went to kept only quoting me prices for 2 tires even though I repeatedly said I wanted all four, because the rears still had a millimeter of wear left on them.  I don't want to replace two tires now and come back to replace the other two soon!

It's not like your car is really "low mileage" in the big picture. Sure, for the years it's low, but it's still over 100k miles. Every car is scheduled to have a decent amount of maintenance at the 90-100k mark. Timing belts, etc.

In fact, by your mileage, basically all scheduled performance should have been performed by now, so anything regular you should need should really be no surprise to the mechanic, as they typically assume it hasn't been done yet as most people don't follow the service intervals to a T anyways.


tobitonic

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2016, 03:40:05 PM »
I do basic stuff myself (fluids, filters, and tires), and take big stuff (timing belts, etc) to shops. Haven't had to do any shop stuff yet with our current vehicles besides tire patching, and we've had both for ~ 1-1.5 years. A huge part of the math is starting with really reliable vehicles with good service histories (presuming you're buying used). I fully expect to own our vehicles past 300k miles unless a "big" repair comes along that costs more than they're worth.

paddedhat

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2016, 03:55:01 PM »
I don't know how prevalent a problem it is with the "low miles per year, drive it forever" crowd, but tire can be a big safety issue as any vehicle ages. Many RVers have learned hard lessons about tires that look great, have exceeding low miles on them, and end up blowing apart at highway speeds. Manufacturers typically state lifespans on their tires, but most state that any tire that's more than six or seven years old is no longer safe to use due to aging of the rubber compounds.

HipGnosis

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Re: Maintenance on low mileage cars
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2016, 09:47:39 AM »
If multiple auto service businesses are telling you that your car doesn't need some specific service, I gotta believe it doesn't need that service - at this time.
Have you asked for a vehicle inspection - for them to check everything and tell you what it does need?

I suspect they are influenced by the 'associated liability' of working on an older car.  If they change someones brake pads, and 4 months later there is a problem with the brake caliper (which holds and presses the pads), many owners automatically blame the shop that did the pads - without any proof of correlation.

I use to tell people to use google maps to find car service;  Find your town (or neighborhood) and then search 'auto repair' and look at all of their review ratings (1 to 5 stars).
Now I would tell someone to use NextDoor.com