Dear Adam,

My car has never been serviced, where do I start? What do I do?

Good question. Definitely one I hear a lot.

As always, we have several types of situations and many places to start:

Is your car fairly new and just coming up on its first oil change? Perhaps you recently purchased a used or pre-owned car, and are unsure of its previous service history?

Or are you one of those who refuse to go to the doctor until we can’t walk, are you treating your car the same (or worse)?

So you have decided its time to tackle the monster, where do we begin?

OK, so your new car just hit 5000 miles and so far so good. You know you need to change the oil, but what else? It’s important to start a service schedule when you first get the car.

This would be a good time to change out the air in your tires for Nitrogen which will prolong the life of the tires as well as increase gas mileage. Also it’s important to remember to rotate and balance your tires every second oil change.

This will ensure the tires wear more evenly and last their longest. Air filters should be changed every 15k miles. Most new cars are going to require synthetic oil which should be changed at 5-6 thousand mile maximum intervals . Brake fluid should be changed out every two years for most cars, every year for exotics.

Since we’re planning a long term service plan , lets also remember to flush the transmission fluid every 30k miles as well. Be sure to ask for BG brand fluids and additives when doing annual services. By using the BG products you will be putting a lifetime warranty on your mechanical systems, and it won’t cost you anything extra.

By following these easy steps your new car can last for decades!

Let’s say you finally got that car you’ve been watching on Ebay. The old owner says everything has been maintained by the book, but seems to have misplaced the receipts. You look through the car find everything from air fresheners to my old girlfriend’s panties, but no service records. Where to start?

Well the best money ever spent when buying a used car is on a pre-purchase inspection (but that’s another column for another day). Now we have to work with what we have. Lets do and oil service which will include a complete vehicle inspection. If everything is working properly and the car drives well, we can start a service schedule just like it were a new car. Lets start from scratch, do an air filter, cabin filter , fuel filter, and brake fluid flush. Now is a good time to make a budget for future needed items like tires, belts, hoses and brakes. During the inspection the RIGHT tech will give you a good estimate on how long you have before replacements are needed.

Last but not least, old Bessie has been a good car, never complains about the cheap gas or the forgotten oil changes, but she needs help.

If you put off doing preventative maintenance long enough , you’re car is going to remind you. Either the fuel mileage will get bad, something will start squealing, or the motor may just blow up. Rest assured you cannot get away with neglecting your car forever. First place to start is always fluids and filters. The fluids really are the life blood of your vehicle and keeping them fresh is crucial to its longevity . Once that is done lets do a quick tune up, these days that means change the spark plugs and wires (or coil packs). This will usually help with the fuel economy.

As always the best way to assess the condition of your vehicle is to have someone you can trust look at it. This means someone familiar with the service requirements of your specific make and model. Specialty Car Services wants to be that shop you can trust.

Please stop by our car services shop anytime and we can discuss a maintenance plan to keep your car running perfectly for many years.

I welcome your comments and ideas,

Adam Yunis, Shop owner
Specialty Car Services
305-443-3305