How can I get the biggest bang for my buck from my car?
 

The answer is PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

     Preventive maintenance is performing regular inspections of your car's main operating systems to pin point problems before they occur.  It is also following a recommended service schedule to keep the aging process as slow as possible.  Making repairs on a planned basis helps avoid unexpected breakdowns and lowers your over all repair costs.  It also makes your car safer and more enjoyable to drive.

     Cars of years past were made much different than cars today.  Today’s cars are smaller and lighter, but they work harder, run hotter, and are forced to deliver better performance and fuel mileage under tougher conditions.

     One of the most important parts of a preventive maintenance program is keeping records.  It’s hard to know when to change the oil if you don’t know when it was done the last time.  This can be done by keeping all of your repair invoices in one place.  Or keep a small notebook in your glove box listing each repair, the date, and the mileage when work was performed.  I maintain a file in a word processing program on my computer for each vehicle I own.

     The most basic and important maintenance item that you should regularly have done is an oil change and lubrication.  This service should include checking all safety related items such as lights, steering, suspension, tires, etc.  We recommend this service every 3000 miles or 6 month's whichever occurs first.

     In addition to that, follow the manufacturers recommendations in your owners manual for other regularly needed maintenance.  We can provide you a printed copy of maintenance requirements from our computerized automotive information system Mitchell-On-Demand if you do not have your vehicles maintenance information available.

     We hope that you have found this information to be a benefit to you.  Yes, preventive maintenance does cost you money now but I can assure you that in the long run it will save you much more than you spend.