Understanding Preventative Car Maintenance:
What is it?

It’s easy to get caught up in the details of something as complicated as caring for your car. Not to worry, though. We have the essentials you need to understand about preventative maintenance and more. Take a dive or scroll to the section that interests you most; the info is here for you to make sure your car lasts as long as possible.

What is Preventative Maintenance on Your Car?

In short, preventative maintenance boils down to regular check-ups on your car. These checkups look at the internal parts and external parts to make sure everything’s working well. The goals of performing routine preventative maintenance on your car are to make sure it’s safe to drive as well as to preserve its longevity. Both are crucial aspects of owning a car, but the added bonus is that preventative maintenance saves you money in the long run too.

What Are the Benefits of Preventative Maintenance?

Preventative maintenance is suggested by your car’s manufacturer for a reason. It works. Without these predictive diagnostics, problems can pile up. Alternatively, a little planning can leave you with fewer problems and more seamless time on the road.

Peace of Mind

Let’s say you and your family are all packed up to go to the world-famous theme park. You’ve been planning the trip for months and spent an arm and a leg to do so, too. The day has finally arrived. Everyone is set to go; the kids are filled with quiet excitement as you pull out of the driveway. Just to find that less than an hour into your road trip, you’ve broken down due to some unexpected consequence.

Circumstances like that don’t tend to happen as often with preventative maintenance. Expert mechanics like ours at Ames Ford are able to find potential problems before they occur and fix them. Preventative maintenance gives you and your family peace of mind as you drive into the sunset.

Money

You’ve got a car that you’ve been hanging onto for a little while. You’re almost ready to let go of it, and you’ve been planning for your next car. You can’t wait to trade in the old one and go for a new one, but you’re partially depending on the trade-in value of your sweet old ride. A few days before you head to the dealership for the trade-in, a major mechanical issue happens with your old car. The new deal is off. You’re left deciding whether to repair the old car or buy something from 10 years ago instead.

With preventative maintenance, devastating decisions like these don’t need to be made. You’d have a good idea that a major mechanical problem is on its way and have fixed or correctly accounted for it in your price projection for the trade-in value. Not only can preventative maintenance save you money, it keeps you more informed about future costs as well.

Safety

A vehicle that’s not properly maintained can pose a severe safety risk. From windshield wipers to suspension to an engine going faulty out on the highway, various unexpected safety concerns can be prevented with regular checkups to keep your car running smoothly.

Does Preventative Maintenance Actually Save You Money?

Cost of Repairs

Yes, performing routine preventative maintenance on your car is an easy way to save money in the long run. With these routine checks, problems that aren’t even problems can be diagnosed and solved for a fraction of the cost of more significant repairs. If you aren’t up for doing preventative maintenance work yourself, the cost of routine checkups is eclipsed by the massive cost of more extensive repairs that could have been fixed simply and cheaply had there been a check-up to prevent it.

Accident Prevention

Imagine driving down the road, and a heavy rain sets in. “That’s fine,” you think, “I’ll just turn the wipers on.” But as you turn them on, you remember that during the last light rain, they weren’t working so well as you stared carefully through the droplets on the windshield. Now it’s a heavy rain, though, which isn’t so easy anymore. You had every intention of changing the windshield wiper blades, but you never got around to it. It’s hard to remember on a runny day. With a prayer, you’re forced to try to pull over or stare for tail lights and hope you don’t crash.

We hope nobody ever finds themselves in this situation, and if everyone kept up with their preventative maintenance, nobody ever would. At Ames Ford, we can see damaged or worn wiper blades before they become ineffective and change them without a problem. But what if you didi> get into even a fender bender because of faulty windshield wipers?

If an auto accident occurs as a result of even a simple faulty part, it’s more than just an inconvenience. It’s expensive too. There’s a financial component to the safety benefits that preventative maintenance checks bring. With regular preventive maintenance checks, drivers can ensure their vehicle is safe and avoid dangerous and expensive accidents.

Resale Value

Nobody wants to buy a junker. That’s another saving you get when performing the maintenance that the vehicle manufacturer recommends. When you take outstanding care of your vehicle, following your car manufacturer’s recommendations to the T, you’ll find it worth more when it’s time to part ways with it. It’s not about concern for the next person who drives it. Instead, it’s about the raw return you get from the high resale value of a car that, however old, is in surprisingly pristine condition. That can get you extra value on your next trade-in or cold hard cash in your hand!

Fuel Efficiency

When your engine is running like a million bucks, it’s doing so in such a way that it just burns less gas. Many engines can sound and drive just fine but tell a different story under the hood. As things in the engine start to wear, the fuel efficiency can tank. Preventative maintenance solves this easily and quickly by examining different parts of the motor and replacing or repairing them as they get worn or damaged before they can start to impact the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. If you’re trying to spend less money at the pump, one of the best ways is doing what your vehicle manufacturer recommends and taking your car in for preventative maintenance.

What Kinds of Services Does Preventative Maintenance Include?

While preventative maintenance checks can differ depending on the car's lifespan, there is some common ground among these checks to keep all vehicles running smoothly and safely in the long run. Here’s a short list of some of the major parts that may be checked during your next auto check-up, from checking tire air pressure to engine components.

• Cabin air filter
• Windshield wipers
• Tire pressure
• Car battery
• Motor oil and coolant levels
• Engine air filter
• Spark Plugs
• Transmission fluid
• Brake pads for wear

What Kinds of Repairs Should I Expect After Preventative Maintenance?

Hopefully none! However, this is not always realistic or illustrative of the point of preventative maintenance itself. Sometimes, parts need to be fixed or replaced. Below, you’ll find a list of possible and common fixes that may need to happen as part of your vehicle’s maintenance schedule.

• Have the tires rotated
• Change parts of the brake system
• Replace parking lights
• Fix the power steering pump
• Synthetic or conventional motor oil change
• Refill power steering fluid
• Replace Serpentine belt
• Replace Timing belt
• Fix air conditioner
• Turn off the check engine light
• Fill windshield wiper fluid

What is a Good Preventative Maintenance Schedule?

There are a variety of places to find your car’s specific preventative maintenance schedule. That’s right. Each individual car has a recommended preventive maintenance schedule recommended by the people who built it. This schedule is based on what the manufacturer understands might go wrong with the vehicle at different times and aims to prevent that.

It’s important to understand that while we recommend following the manufacturer-recommended preventative maintenance schedule, especially if your vehicle is under warranty, there can be more to the process than just checking and changing what the manufacturer says in the vehicle maintenance checklist. You will especially need to deviate from the recommended car maintenance schedule as your vehicle begins to age – both in years and mileage.

Trusted mechanics like ours at Ames Ford are the best bet in determining what makes sense for your specific vehicle beyond the manufacturer-recommended preventative maintenance schedule. If you haven’t been following your preventive maintenance schedule, don’t let any more time go by, potentially damaging your investment; we’re happy to help you get back on track at Ames Ford.

Where Do I Find My Preventative Maintenance Schedule?

The preventative maintenance schedule for your specific car is included with every vehicle in the booklet nobody reads. There’s now a good reason to dig into the glove, fish it out, and take some mental notes on when to bring your car in next and for what. If you’ve purchased a well-maintained car that’s pre-owned, you might still have access to that booklet. If you don’t, searching online can often give you an idea of what your schedule should be. However, the best way to get a proper preventative maintenance schedule is to talk with a trusted mechanic and figure out what makes the most sense for your specific car.

Is an Oil Change a Good Occasion to Get Preventative Maintenance Done?

Yes! Changing your car’s oil can keep your car running for the long haul by protecting the engine. That’s what preventative maintenance is all about. If you’d like to add preventative maintenance to your next oil change, a trusted mechanic like ours at Ames Ford should be able to squeeze you in with no problem.

Preventative Maintenance Different on a Manual Transmission Vehicle?

Some parts of the maintenance process are actually easier on a manual transmission vehicle. For one, you don’t have to flush transmission fluid out. Instead, the fluid can simply be drained and replaced. In general, other maintenance costs can be lower than with an automatic vehicle as well– aside from the costly clutch itself.

Can I Do Preventative Maintenance Myself?

If you’re feeling handy or already have some skills, yes! Much of the maintenance process can be done by anyone. For example, filling your windshield wiper fluids up counts as preventative maintenance and doesn’t require a mechanic at all. In addition, even things like windshield wiper changes can be done easily on your own. If you’re feeling up to it, popular video sites on the internet have information on almost any car repair you can think of. However, always keep in mind that if you get in over your head, we’re here to help at Ames Ford.

Preventative Maintenance at Ames Ford

While not all of the preventative maintenance process can be done by yourself, we’re here to help with all of it at Ames Ford if you’d rather keep your hands clean. Our expert mechanics know exactly what to check and when to check it. We’re even prepared to service performance cars and their parts as well. Even fast cars deserve to drive for a long time. Whether it’s performance or your family car, Ames Ford has got you covered with preventative maintenance and beyond. Feel free to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 515-233-1913, or just stop by. We’re proud to service cars in the Ames area and are dedicated to continuing to serve our community with top-notch service.