for 33 years I have cut the manufacturer maintenance schedule in half. In 33 years I have never experienced a single engine issue. This man speaks the truth!!
Or they’re the “new vehicle every 3-4 years” type. Buying a used vehicle is scary. There are so many used vehicles for sale that have been neglected. Even those “certified” used cars. That “certified” label is often just BS. A friend just bought one and the engine blew the first week.
Well you can blame our industry for that. It has slowly removed the maintenance expectations out of vehicle ownership. We don’t grease anything anymore. We are using less and less serviceable components (most newer cars don’t even use a fuel filter). We are extending basic service intervals. Hell many late model vehicles don’t even bring a basic dipstick tube to check fluid level/condition. And when 💩 does hit the fan, consumers are taught to discard, and replace the entire vehicle. 🤷♂️
@@lynxstarautomotive208 It blew my mind when I heard some newer German cars (can't remember the make) don't have an oil dipstick. So you're basically relying on the computer to check your oil level, and forget about doing your own oil changes. Sickening.
Dave, couldn't agree with you more. My 2015 Silverado was maintained at the dealer at the scheduled intervals for years and the transmission ate itself at 110k, the engine lifters 1k after that, both just outside of GMs powertrain warranty. The manufacturer's don't care, they just want to sell more vehicles and they know people will just keep buying them. That's why from now on I am doing the maintenance more often than what is recommended, to make sure the oils and other fluids are nice and clean and hopefully keep things from wearing out so quickly.
I've always told my kids advice is free, take all you can and disregard the rest. If only there were more honest shops like this around. Great job Dave.
I called a shop to inquire about fixing the AC on my old volvo 740 many years ago. The guy told me on the phone that often its just a bad ground. I went outside, connected a ground to the battery and the AC housing and it worked!!! I immediately drove down to the shop, found the guy I talked to and gave him a tip $.
I was fortunate, My dad taught me how to change the oil & filter when I was 12y/o, and by 13, it became my responsibility to stay on top of the oil changes of all the family's cars since. I got my driver's license and bought my first car at 18. I later landed a job at an oil & fluid change shop when i turned 30, and learned even more. I've driven nothing but used, old japanese cars and the neglect the previous owner have subjected these cars to is frightening! I bought my current daily driver in 2020: an '02 camry built in japan with the 2AZ engine. Sat under a tree for 10mos. before I got it. It required a lot of routine maintenance: Oil & filter change, Transmission flush & filter, Coolant Flush, radiator, thermostat, Plugs, Coil Packs, PCV Valve, Valve cover gasket, Mass airflow sensor, air filter, Belts, Hoses, Rotors, pads, And a full set of tires. Thankfully, the engine wasn't leaking any fluid, or burning any oil so I knew I could run synthetic oil. As soon as I got the car home, I performed an oiling system flush using new oil and filter. But during the flush, I gently drove the car for 10mi. on a road with a low speed limit(35MPH) after letting it idle for 15mins first. Followed immediately another oil change this time using Pennzoil's High Mileage synthetic with pure plus technology(which has an amazing detergent package & has natural gas as a base instead of crude oil which also makes a huge difference in keeping the internals clean) & and WIX XP filter instead of the cheap oil & filter used for the flush. Changing the oil & filter every 5k mi., and flushing the lubrication system once a yr. The first time I drained the transmission(which was done before the engine flush drive), the fluid was very dark, and had a slight burnt smell. So I performed a honda style transmission flush, driving the car 100mi. in between each drain & fill. With a sum total of 3 drain & fills. Since I bought the car to be a delivery vehicle at the time, I was averaging 100mi./day anyways(Thankfully, no longer a delivery vehicle). On the 3rd & final drain & fill, I dropped the pan, and replaced the transmission pan gasket, filter, and added a full bottle of Transmission Treatment by Lucas Oil to the new ATF. Which really brought the transmission back to life. Now it shifts seamlessly and I won't have to perform another drain & fill on the transmission for at least another 15k mi.. Overall, I spent little over $1000 for all the replacement parts & fluids which also includes a full set of new tires, and a new radiator. It took roughly a week to get everything done, including waiting on the parts to show up in the mail, getting the new tires swapped, & flushing the transmission. But It was worth all the work, b/c it drives like new even with 220k mi. It has easily been one of the best daily drivers I've ever owned, and it's still a joy to drive. It may be considered too old to most people's taste, but IDC, it's all around cheap to own, and it's never given me any problems since I did all the maintenance.
Yes i use shell helix, exact same Pennzoil gtl fluid. Never touching anything else. It's the best for my Kia before that my dad uses now @240000km and my Merc cla200 now at 100k km
@@Vanguardkl Nice!! The pure plus platinum synthetic has done wonders for my old japanese cars. The fact that even the vapors have cleaning properties the natural gas base is what really sold me on their synthetic oil. Project farm did an engine oil performance tournament. and the only oil that outperformed the pure plus synthetic was amzoil. I'm just glad my dad taught me how to change the engine oil at a young age, and the importance of changing the oil on time.
I love old classic trucks. I have a '79 Ford F-150 with a 5.0 that I rebuilt in my garage. I made sure the block was cleaned inside the water jackets and all the oil passages were clean. I've been driving it now for 4 years and the coolant has been changed once every year. About 2 months ago, I had to replace the water pump. When I used a flashlight to look as far into the block as I could, I didn't see any rust at all. Maintenance is a small price to pay to keep an engine running at its peak performance!
Excellent advise & analogies there!. Another thing to note about manufactures and their ever increasing service intervals, is that they want to make their listed cost of ownership lower. This is something buyers consider, and a lot of perceived reliability comes from this metric.
I tried to tell my boomer parents about this with their brand new BMW X-. The oil level "light" came on shortly before the year was up for the first oil change. I told them that their driving qualifies as "extreme" and to change it every 6 months like I do with my VW. They scoffed and said, "People don't do that..." I told them...but they don't want to listen. I only fix jets for a living.
@@gureno19very true, they only care about the experience of the first owner who is their customer. And since most people lease or trade, they don't see the long term damage being done.
@@gureno19 I agree. I live in the UK and have travelled through Europe many times, BMW, Mercedes etc are very common but I wouldn't have one, certainly not a modern one, I'll take a Japanese make any day. I do wonder when/if they will cheap out on us though, with bad design and poor quality parts. Practically every product you can buy has taken that route, nothing lasts, kettle, washing machine for example, it's all built to fail sooner rather than later.
As the Car Care Nut says, "oil changes are a lot cheaper than a new engine" and that goes for every fluid. You can easily tell the difference between a car that does easy routine maintenance and ones that don't
My mechanic friend told me the EPA gives auto manufacturers credits for designing cars and trucks that are low empact on the environment. And that's why now you're told you don't have to change the fluid on your transmission or 10k oil changes. My 2014 Ford Focus runs like a champ and it hit 162k trouble free miles today. I change the oil about every 3,500-4k miles and the oil service light comes on every 10k liles.
Here’s the problem with not being able to check/change your transmission fluid: it’s going to burn up eventually and you’ll be stuck with shifting and performance issues Ask me how I know
2003 VW Passat 1.8 T... transmission did burn up for just that reason. I'd still be driving that car today if it'd had a dipstick or at least SOME reasonable method to check the tranny fluid.
As a helicopter mechanic in the Marine Corps I can not tell you how much I agree with this guy. Most of our time we were performing preventative or phase maintenance on the helicopters, didn't matter if the part was good or bad, if it had such and such amount of flight hours on the part it got replaced. mostly fluids, oils, grease's and filters.
It is the so-called 'safe life' construction philosophy. The thing with automotive is that nowadays cars are built to last only for 7 years. You cannot win that maintenance race in the long run.
Exactly. I have a truck that I maintain that's 15 yrs old and it's perfectly fine but the radiator is part plastic, the hoses are 15 yrs old, the pump is 15 yrs old...so I replaced them all.
Aircraft maintenance is not even in the same ballpark as auto maintenance. Everything is done on a schedule and constantly inspected because lives are on the line. None of it is optional.
@@Mach141 I don't get your point. They're just different levels of preventative maintenance. Sure air craft preventative maintenance is more in depth, but that's not my point. My point is WHYyyyyyy it's done not how in depth it's done.
@@MrDhalli6500 My point is you can choose to do your autos maintenance whenever you want, not following the manufactures suggestions at all, and still have great results and a longer lasting car. Maybe you just focus on your particular vehicle models problem areas and ignore the rest. None of this is possible with an aircraft. Hope that makes more sense
My family gets ticked off on me for constantly doing maintenance on a car. ‘It’s too often!’ - they say. Well personally, I don’t think it’s too often. I change transmission fluid every 30000 miles, I do oil change every 5000 miles, I change cabin and engine air filters every 7500 miles, replace spark plugs and ignition coils every 100k miles, top up all fluids. I inspect brakes once in a while, add air to my tires. I go to a shop to repair the vehicle because I dont have a lift to raise the car in the air. For something small, I do my own repairs. For something bigger like the struts and shocks or tire swap I go to the shop. But I keep the vehicle in check all the time. It’s my tool to get everywhere so I need to take good care of it. You mess it up, it’s on you when the technician gives you a huge repair bill. When I do repairs, I read and watch the videos multiple times to make sure I remember how to do the repair. Because sometimes, when your vehicle breaks down, you’re on your own, so that’s that. And in order to save money, in my case, I must learn how to do simple repairs myself, because I don’t want to be a clueless fool and panic when the car breaks down. I had own my vehicle for 7 years now, when I bought it used. It had its share of problems - AC stopped working, back brakes blew up, PCV valve broke down, Suspension parts broke down, front brakes were 100% gone and I was still driving without knowing, when I didn’t check at first, camshaft and crankshaft sensors were replaced, MAF sensor replaced, Rear wheel bearings replaced, and many more including the regular maintenance like oil changes and stuff. You got a car, take care of it so it can take care of you.
In the US I need it for transport, to and from work, groceries, in case of emergency. I’m a single guy so I need my ride to be reliable and in shape, therefore, I take care of it
My cars 20 years old and it’s showing it’s age technology wise but it still runs and drives the transmission is original the engine is original. Coolant been changed every 100,000 it’s the Dexcool that everyone hates I’ve had absolutely no issues with it. The car almost has 200,000 on it so I’ll have to change the coolant agin here soon. Oil gets changed every 5,000 the brake fluid has been changed every 20,000 no leaks in the system ABS works just fine. Power steering fluid I change ever 20,000 as well very easy to do just take off the return line start the car move the wheels lock to lock and let the pump pump out the old fluid. The battery has been changed every 4 to 5 years the serpentine belt gets changed as soon as it starts making noise or I see cracks. Wiper blades I change on the daily as soon as they start streaking there garbage. Washer fluid is always topped up. Car gets cleaned inside and out regularly helps keep rust from forming once rust starts car is garbage. The AC still works all the parts are original. Brakes are important and I recently did those new rotors pads and discs and the back wheels got new drums shoes and hardware. Tires are important to I recently got good brand names all season tires. I like doing the maintenance especially on an older car just to prove to people a car can last forever with proper maintenance.
@@ih8momjokes1certain cars are very sensitive to trans fluid, like Mazda skyactiv , the new 10 speeds from gm and ford, the zf 8 speed in dodge and bmw , me personally a 240$ trans fluid change is a hell of a lot cheaper than a 6-10k transmission
@4:43 this is the advise of an honest man that has been in the business and knows the truth about “life time” fluids. The manufacturer just wants to get the vehicle through the warranty period, then they want you to buy another vehicle
Absolutely a great video! As a 31 year automotive service professional I couldnt agree any more with you. I wish every vehicle owner watched this. Most of them just think we are "trying to rip them off" when we tell them the real facts.
I have a 2012 Accord with 121,000 on it. I change my oil every 3500 miles at 50%-60% on the reminder. At the same time I pull the drain plug on the trans and change 3.5 quarts of fluid. The Owners Manuel says change every 30,000 miles. I'm a firm believer in PM. I treated all 3 gens of my Dodge 5.9 Cummins the same way. I also change my oil in my Chevy K10 once a year because I don't drive it that much, maybe 1K miles a year. I grew up with the saying, "Pay me now or pay me more later". I also do regular brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant flushes.
You should calculate how much extra you’ll be spending over 5 or 10 years. 3,500 mile transmission fluid changes is probably way overkill unless you’re towing with that Honda lol. Seriously though, you may be spending an extra $5,000 over the ownership of this car for little benefit. Do the math, try to find a good middle ground. Preventative maintenance is great but money is what it comes down to, and it could be a lot of money.
@@andreahighsides7756 I'm 65 years old. I've had more vehicles in my life including semi trucks than I can count on my fingers and toes plus your fingers and toes. I've NEVER put an engine, transmission or any drivetrain component in any vehicle ever...and I have the money so it's not an issue. I believe in overkill when it comes to maintenance to things I own. Plus I live in the desert and 115 degrees in the summer is a vehicle killer.
@@andreahighsides7756He said 3,500 mile oil changes and 30,000 mile transmission fluid changes. Some transmissions actually do call for 30,000 mile intervals. I go 50-60k personally.
Have changed the oil in all my vehicles every 3,000 miles and never had an issue in over 30-years. Have friends with new cars that only get changed every 10,000-miles b/c that's what the factory recommends. Penny wise and pound foolish. Of course, they just lease a new vehicle every 2-3 years and never see the long term damage. And they never own the car, so always making a car payment. SMH. Like your videos! Thanks for the tips.
Given the advancements in oil additives and detergents, I would argue that changing the oil every 3,000 miles is excessive. However, I also wouldn't advise changing it every 10,000 miles. There seems to be consensus in the automotive repair profession that 5,000 miles is the best interval.
I’ve done 10k oil changes on my 20 year old car with 170k+ miles since the car was new. I use full synthetic only and when I was inside the engine about 10k miles ago, it was clean as can be. No sludge whatsoever and all rod bearings were in impressively good condition.
I will say about transmission fluid replacement, do it as often as you like but I don’t believe in replacing trans fluid once you’re well past due for the first one. In other words, if it’s at 100k and it’s never been replaced, I would probably skip it at that point, because there’s a damn good chance you’ll have problems soon after, the ship has sailed at that point. Lots of times that new fluid and worn clutches will not play nice together, and I’ve seen a fair number of issues after replacement of well-worn trans fluid on a well-worn transmission. If you’re going to do it, start at 30 or 40k and keep after it. That overdue trans probably will fail prematurely, no doubt, but I’d let sleeping dogs lie. Now cue 15 “experts” who will tel me I’m full of shit. On the oil front, yeah the more frequent, the better. Another major contributor to oil wear is short trips, low RPM use, cold temps, and direct injection. But if there’s one thing you can do, it’s take an extended trip as often as you can. Get that crankcase good and hot so you can cook off that excess moisture and fuel vapor. If it’s a diesel, you’ll be able to burn off some soot, get the valves good and hot, the EGR and DPF will get good and hot. Get some revs in. Truth is, engines should be run hard regularly. Even suspension and brakes benefit from that. Good firm braking keeps brake dust and road grime buildup down. A spirited drive moves ball joints and bushings through their full range of motion. Just a few tips that I’ve seen help quite a bit over the years. Machinery is best when used for what it was designed for, and properly maintained. Pretty simple formula, really.
Thats old school knowledge. My gfs RAV4 had 130k on it when we met and I started maintaining her vehicle. It was fine and shifted smoother and better than before. I think if the car was ran hard and the fluid has tons of clutch material you may be correct.
Some sound advice in all that but I’d still want to drain or flush the old transmission fluid, but then I’m just a produce clerk at Publix. If I had a shop like Daves nearby, I’d probably follow his advice either way. I do take my commuter motorcycles out on a ten mile run on the interstate occasionally for just the reasons you gave.
I agree 100%, cut the manufacturer maintenance schedule in half and you'll be doing everything you can to keep your car going. I have a 2006 dodge 2500 with the cam eating 5.7, I use redline 5/30 and an extended filter (RP 30-8A), 3k mile oil changes since new and it still runs like new @389k miles. Oil & filter changes every 3k. Trans fluid & filter changes every 25k. Differential fluid changes every 25k. Transfer case fluid changes every 25k. No major repairs thus far. Take care of your vehicles and they take care of you, just stay away from the fancy gadgets in vehicles nowadays, less equals more. P.S. I refuse to purchase anything newer than the 06 I have, it's already beyond my abilities to repair the electrical systems. My 76 F250, 78 Corvette and my 87 square body are much easier and cheaper to repair.
Look up Uncle Tony's Garage, he basically tells u why the cam gets eaten...... it's from constant idling.... there isnt enough splash at idle in the crank to hit the lifters, which eats cams..... cop cars were notorious for eaten cans because they idle a ton....... just a heads up, watch ur idle time 👍👍
@@blainebigger8332 Virtually no idle time for me except the few minutes to warm up. I've sent out oil analytics periodically and they returned an analysis that shows the oil is good for 7k mile oil changes but, I still do the 3k mile changes. Peace of mind costs more I guess, lol.
I have the same truck and run 10,000 mobile 1 and change it once a year. As well as never changed the transmission fluid. Just crossed 200,000 miles and haven’t had a problem since new. Just use quality products. Over maintaining is definitely a thing.
@@mr8610 Expect problems soon with your lack of maintenance, being cheap and thinking things will last is definitely a thing too. Take off your diff cover, I bet the fluid is silver and full of metal, I also bet your tranny fluid is burnt up, dirt brown and no longer red, and no longer working as it should be.
I’ve been a Mechanic for 30 years now and the advice you give is 100% correct and experience is the teacher not a book and blokes like you are making a good stand about the big manufacturers lies. Well done
Totally agreed, but the dealerships 1000 dollaring people to death every time they come in and not concentrating on what they came in for, with all the flushes and extras, and duplicate flushes and extras is extremely ridiculous. I know. I lived 30 years of it. Especially the last 15. Constantly getting berated to “upsell more”. It’s utterly ridiculous to epic proportions. Pulled many intakes and heads on cars that had multiple “fuel system services” where the backs of the valves were still coked up badly. Pulled transmissions with multiple flushes where the spool valves were still mucked up. Don’t believe the hyped up pics of the Wynns, and other companies flush products the service advisor shows you. It’s all baloney and they’re just getting decent spiffs, not to mention beefing up their customer pay repair order average. Guaranteed the service manager made their average a huge part of their pay plan. Half the time the guys who do those flushes dump the chemicals in and don’t even use the exact equipment provided to do the flush, or the guy has a drawer full of the chemicals. I’m pretty jaded I guess because I got to hate turning wrenches and all that goes along with dealership life but I’m not lying. Any honest tech will tell you he’s seen it all.
This is why people don't trust dealers. Its amazing to me why dealers don't understand this. The last time I went to the dealer I was sitting in the waiting room which was busy and I heard service advisors come into the room and tell people who had less than 20k miles on their vehicles that they needed engine and cabin filters at least 3x. I had to sit there and bite my tongue because let's face it, you don't need an engine air filter in 20k miles. Everyone said okay, do it. That's hundreds of dollars worth of filters that were almost definitely not needed. Its difficult to find honest shops anymore. Very difficult.
Couldn't agree more. Everyone is always surprised that my vehicles and race bikes look and ride new no matter how many miles or years they have on them. I tell them its because I do maintenance on them and fix parts before they are worn out and broken!
Sage advice. I have my synthetic oil and filter changed every 4 thousand miles. Change out the sealed transmission fluid and filter every 40 thousand miles, and same for the coolant every two years. All OEM products. My 2006 purrs like a cat. Do components fail? Yes, but I control what I can by preventive measures and it works for me. Seeing the top of my engine during a valve gasket replacement, with the motor looking like new on the inside, is a great feeling.
Problem with mechanics, is, they look at my 2000 tacoma, and immediately refused to do any work on it. It's too old, and they don't want to be liable for any issue that pops up, just because it's old. So for now, youtube is my mechanic, and DAve is the closest thing to a real mechanic I have. LOL.
I’ve never heard of this. Perhaps try a reputable local shop, not owned by a corporation. I used to work with many shops and a year 2000 car was common for almost all of them.
Those are your everyday mechanics that just do basic maintenance things. You have to shop around and find a shop that specializes on working on older cars and knows what there doing. It might cost more but you’re paying for that experience.
Yeah what these other people are saying. Toyota trucks are easy in that era. Doesn't even have a carb right? You're going to baff00ns. Local Indy shop will do it. Where are you? Even better is find a Toyota Lexus specialist. If that isn't around find a Japanese specialist. Doesn't matter if the mechanics are white black Asian or whatever. But they just work on Toyotas Hondas Nissan, etc.
i whole heartily agree, if you want to have problem free driving half the time between oil changes, remember the oil is there to protect the engine, if it is thin and weak it will degrade the engine far quicker than an engine which has only ever know fresh oil !!!
That's a golden piece of advice. I've seen this only on japanese manufacturers user guides. On heavy use engine oil and filter must be changed twice the recommended interval (1 year), so every 6 months. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Daihatsu, all recommend this.
When I bought my truck I asked for the manufacturers maintenance schedule, the sales rep was very surprised and had to do some digging on the Ford website to find it. People treat vehicles like phones, they just use it for a while then buy a new one. I intend to keep mine for a long time.
My daughter and her husband just bought a new vehicle each. My daughter is following my advice and changing fluids regularly. Every 5k for oil, 30k for tranny fluid, etc, etc. Her husband is going by the dealer recommendations of every 10k for oil and never for tranny fluid. Ive talked to him twice trying to explain exactly what was said in this video but to no avail. He even became a smartass and said this isn’t the 1970’s anymore and if the dealer says to do it, then that’s what hes gonna do. In about 5 years I am going to be really interested to see who starts having problems and who doesn’t.
Yeah if he is on dirty roads or high load or any extreme conditions he should do 3k on oil. Trans fluid can last 50-100k miles depending on auto manual 5/10spd etc. But yeah "dealer says so" ok dealers also refuse to recall KNOWN issues if its cheaper to setlle lawsuits. WE ALL know they do this
Firstly no manufacturer says to never change the transmission fluid. Secondly changing synthetic oil every 5000 miles is a waste of money and environmentally irresponsible and an old wives tale. Thirdly I've been using synthetic oil since 1998 and I can guarantee I know more about it than you. A big problem I find is that people use synthetic but use a regular filter ( non reinforced ) for extended drain intervals. Synthetic oil is good for 30,000 km drain intervals but a good reinforced ( synthetic filter ) must be used so that the filter doesn't go into bypass. Please stop with your uneducated advice as it does no one any good.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt really....so about that '18 Camry of mine where in the winter with 2000mi on an oil change I found the level just a smidge high and odor wasn't normal....yeah, what if I had gone to 10,000mi with that oil? Bad things.....per a tribologist...because I didn't know until I had it analyzed that I had dilution going on and the viscosity had gotten to the bottom of the range at 100C. So your statement might be safe for a highway-only vehicle where oil analysis is done at 5k to prove everything is on the money...but most folks can't afford that ESPECIALLY WHEN CHANGING THE OIL IS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THE ANALYSIS!!! I'm an engineer working in heavy API rotating machinery and I've met with Shell engineers and I've made a vehicle go to 400000 that still got 43mpg. Your advice is highly misleading!!!
I like videos on maintenance. As a car owner and also a former employee of a Chevrolet/Cadillac/BMW dealer service department, it is important that people read and understand the owner's manual that comes with your vehicle. It is also important to understand the severe service and regular service portions of the owner's manual. Most drivers are covered by the severe service schedule - with that schedule, 5000 mile oil changes, 30,000 mile transmission services, and 5 year/100,000 coolant service intervals are not uncommon - perhaps even sooner depending on your make/model. Lifetime fluid intervals are typically not included under severe service schedules and they are a marketing tool used to sell vehicles. In the event you should have any questions, a reputable dealer or shop - like Dave's - can help you with your maintenance questions. They are in business to help you maintain your vehicle.
I have vastly overpaid for maintenance for 12 years by going to my Mercedes dealer for everything. My brakes have never had a wear sensor light up. I have never needed to add anything but windshield wash fluid. Never a hiccup. I take pleasure in keeping it in perfect condition.
My truck's manufacturer says 10k between OC and well over 100k on the transmission. Not going over 5k on OC and 50k on ATF. Taking the manufacturers numbers and halving them got me 250k trouble free miles.
Here is my issue on Maintenance. I am huge on it as I worked in the craft for years before admitting I was not good enough. However, on organizational maintenance I am up to speed. Now that I am too old to do my own, my issue is TRUST. I do not trust anyone. They won't let you watch or even do a pop in. Let me give you an example. Dodge Ram 1500 2007. Took in for a coolant and flush treatment a few years back. Picked it up and opened the hood. Clean as a babies kiss. I thought right away: did they do the work? Talked to mechanic. Did you remove thermostat? No. Did you unhook any hoses? No. How did you do this work and keep it so clean. I have a "little hose that I suck the coolant out with". I cannot buy this but did not push it as I cannot call a man a liar if I cannot prove it. Coming time for same service on a 2018 Explorer. How do you know?🦇
I understand what you are saying. But at the same time, I asked my mechanic what preventive maintenance to do on my 2007 Dodge Durango 4.7 2WD. He said just bring it to him when something breaks and he will fix it. 257,000 miles and so far so good. I have changed trans oil and filter twice. Pretty sure radiator has never been flushed.
Thanks Dave. I sent a link for this video to my wife. I got her a new Tundra (last year for the V8) and have had a low key argument going with her about oil change intervals. I like your simple idea of cutting the recommended service interval in half. I've also located a local family-owned shop, where the owner was a Toyota dealer service manager for 20 years, with good reviews. We'll try them out. I appreciate honest service, and I'm happy to support a local business. I just wanted to let you know that your video helped inspire me to make a change that should benefit us and our local business community.
@@dannyzamudio1252 Dave and Lake Speed Jr. Won't argue with me telling you to add Chevron Techron every 3000 miles. How do I know? Lake advised this when he found dilution going on in my '18 Camry. I'm embarrassed to admit I had been using generic gasoline...which, has the bare minimum federal detergent added. Using top tier gas and that additive and there's a reason: if you look up the EPA license for it, you'll find an enormous list of other companies that are licensee's rebranding it and selling it, which includes....Toyota!
I don't own a car, but i have a motorcycle with a wet clutch. That means the engine oil is the same oil that flows between the clutch plates. The bike is not new, its a 2005 honda Transalp. My engine oil is squeaky clean when I change it. Why? Simple. Because I change my oil twice every year and make sure the engine is boiling hot and driven like hell before I change my oil. That way any debree in the oil gets flush and washed off of every surface inside the enige and brought out with the old oil. I then pour new oil inside, drive til the enige is hot again and drain the oil. Then i out on a new oil filter and new oil. Its probably overkill, but I'm not gonna getting rich by saving 30$ worth of oil. But I'm definitely getting a peace of mind from this extra cost. I do the same with any engine I have. Any how, cool video!
Mine has an oil change indicator that uses driving conditions to tell you when to change it. It took 9k miles to set the alert. I just change it every 5k. Easy indicator is the odometer. 40k, 45k, 50k and so on.
Quit following your stupid indicator!!!!! That’s what Dave just said!!!! Change it every 3,000-5,000 miles and forget the indicator!!! You left the factory oil in your engine for 9,000 miles? Are you that stupid???? A new engine has loose metal shavings and crumbs that wear during the break-in period!! On a brand new engine you need to change the oil at 1500 miles, 3,000 miles, 5,000 miles, then you can go up to 5,000 miles after that.
All great advice. - especially the recommendation to get a good shop. Sadly, it’s not that easy in smaller cities and towns, and many of us don’t really know what to look for.
Brilliant advice! They absolutely don’t care once it’s out of warranty. Professional advice indeed, thank you for making this video and sharing this great advice. 🌠🌅🌌👌🏻
I've always told my customers that yeah maintenance is expensive right now but would you rather take care of maintenance now or replace parts and pay more down the line? Maintenance is key to both saving money and extending the life of the vehicle
This is what I do fo my 92 Buick. Monthly: Check tire pressure to 32 psi. Check airlift pressure to 32 psi. Check all fluid levels. 3000 miles: Change engine oil and filter. Rotella T-6 5w40 full synthetic. Lubricate chassis and all moving parts. Rotate tires. 15,000 miles: Change air filter. Change feul filter. 50,000 miles: Change transaxle fluid. Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic multi-trans fluid. Change power steering fluid. Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic multi-trans fluid Change brake fluid. Dot 3. Change O2 sensor. Bosch OEM O2 sensor. 100,000 miles: Change spark plugs. Flush cooling system and Change coolant. OAT long life coolant.
I always tell my customers this same thing. Shorter oil change intervals, more frequent preventative maintenance. I explain it like this, I'm here to help YOU keep YOUR car going, I'm not in it to get all your money. The manufacturer designs their maintenance plans around a plan to sell new cars when these start having too many avoidable issues. Oil changes are easy and cheap, most fluid changes are. Getting people to understand WHY they're important though? that's another story.
I don't know, I see shops still telling people to change the oil every 3000 miles. That was ok in the time of carbs but way overkill today. Then again I had a BMW with a 13,000 mile interval. I would recommend changing it a little more often but those cars are worthless after 100k miles anyway so I saved my money and did 13k.
@@tomm1109 Do you know WHY manufacturers are saying go longer distances? The idea is to lessen the "cost of ownership" by more infrequent oil changes. The flip side is, that causes accelerated wear internally. OR premature failures in some where oil consumption is a common thing (GM, Hyundai, and Mopar just to name a few) with the thought that when it wears out sooner, you'll buy another car. Yes modern oils are good, but not THAT good. Sludge still builds up, filters still cause issues, people don't check oil regularly, all of which brutally impact the longevity of any engine.
4.0 Toyotas have a head gasket seep on the passenger side (even the post 2006 redesigns). Owners don’t change coolant and the acidity eats away at that spot. eventually it’ll blow open…change your coolant on or ahead of schedule!
I specialize in BMWs, and on that transmission note, the funniest shit is that ZF (the transmission manufacturer that BMWs been using for over a decade) recommends changing oil at a 60,000km interval. On top of that, people completely forget the differential fluids and the transfer case fluid.
and... its pretty complicated. There are roundabout 9 liters of transmission fluid in a ZF 8HP. If you just drop the pan you only get 4 liters out. Experts flush the whole damn thing with a special scan tool and use up roundabout 12 liters for the job.
@@bradofwar5960 you’re correct, they recommend between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Regardless, doing it earlier will always be better. Just because your transmission shifts well now doesn’t mean not to do your transmission fluid. The problem with them is that by the time you have an issue come up it’s too late. Preventative maintenance is key.
I do my oil changes every 3,000kms. I just had my Transmission fluid flushed and filled when I installed a new clutch, my radiator fluid is filled and looks clean pink the proper color that's recommended for Toyota's. I still need to replace my Front Left wheel bearing and steering shaft, and an 02 sensor to turn off the check engine light. Plus an ABS sensor.
Thank you I hate paying for the maintenance it drives me nuts 🥜 but you make a point and I will change my behaviour. I just feel every time it goes in it comes back with something bigger. Thank you it was a great explanation.
I have an 06’ Corolla and an 18’ 4Runner, and despite them being Toyotas with “die hard reliability” I still religiously maintenance them. I also do most of it myself to insure it’s done right and if something goes wrong I only have myself to blame. People who neglect their vehicles and then get pissed when they break really upset me.
The first part of the problem is realizing maintenance is important. And most people think water is water. Demineralized water won't create rust. Only use demineralized water in a cooling system.
I’m just old school I guess , my dad was a mechanic and he taught me to change oil at 3k .. that’s what I do on all our trucks . Even though we use full synthetic I still change at 3k miles . Same with rear diff fluid and trans fluid , I change my diff fluid every 4 oil changes . It’s over kill I’m sure , but I enjoy doing it and I never have any major breakdowns on my vehicles because I’m checking things as I do maintenance
Another thing about oil changes. If you drive your vehicle a short distance every time that you drive it and never get out on the highway for more than 15 miles or 20 minutes, you should change your oil every 3 K. The moisture that will build up in your oil because of those short trips with the engine never getting hot enough for long enough will cause issues. That goes for flex fuel/E85 users as well.
Engines are not sealed and are open to atmosphere via the PCV/intake system. When the vehicle is stored and not ran frequently, temperature changes can cause moisture condensation within the engine.
Change your oil as recommended and maintain your vehicle in good condition and it will last a lifetime. Lesson I’ve taught my daughters who have learned the hard way
You should always do what ever maintenance you can. Required or not. If you take care of your ride. It will take care of you. Get a shop you can trust. If you need to budget maintenance your mechanic is always willing to go the extra mile when it comes to safety. They will always work with you. Great mechanics are out there. Go find them. They don't look for tips. They look for things that need to be fixed. Your appreciation is all they want.
Watched an interview of an industry consultant on engines. He had worked for years for a Japanese auto manufacturer. He was asked about what to do about oil changes. The stated goal was to make the engine last as long as possible. Not to get through a warranty period. Not to get through a lease. His response, not in order: 1. The quality of the filter was critical. Don't use an inferior filter. 2. You can use a synthetic oil and get more mileage between changes. However, you can use an inexpensive, industry standard oil. 3. Driving a small amount of miles does not mean you can go a long time between changes. Water will get in no matter what. He doesn't let the oil changes go more than 6 months, no matter what the mileage. So if the average American driving is 15,000 or 18,000 miles a year, it means in 6 months you are driving 7,500 to 9,000 miles, right? I don't know many people who change the oil every 6 months. However, I drive only about 4000 miles a year, most of the mileage to the grocery store. SO, I change the oil every 3,000 miles and use a "factory" filter. 4. So the expert has a change every 3-5,000 miles depending upon whether it is inexpensive oil or synthetic and never going more than 6 months. 5. If you go to the quicklube place, you are guaranteed a cheap filter. I use my mechanic and I supply the oil filter. 6. Just like "sealed transmissions mean no worries about a transmission going bad", no one in the car repair business speaks about an "oil change and lube job" anymore. There are places to lubricate and a chemical to "lube" under the car. There are rubber and quasi rubber gaskets and seals. If they are allowed to harden and crack, a "sealed system" can gain contaminants and fail. So, when the oil change is performed, a lubrication is performed and a list is given or what to lubricate. Believe it or not, the "modern mechanic" will not know what gaskets and seals to lubricate or why, they are simply trained to be parts replacers.
I don't recommend transmission flushes. However, you should drain and replace fluid yearly. Just drain it and replace the same volume that you took out. If you do that, you're never going to have problems.
Buying my first ever car, i immediately was worried about oil changes and servicing, nobody mentioned it to me when I was learning to drive. My first car I have changed all of the fluids, replaced filters and timing belts and my car feels and drives better because of it.
Awesome! I remember how fun it was doing that with my first car. Assuming it’s a used car check out the owners forums for common problems, it can really help get ahead of impending issues. Like my first car was an old passat, a rainwater drain in the engine compartment would get plugged with leaves over the years and eventually flood water into the cabin footwells, destroying the ECU ($$$). Super easy to prevent once I read about it, a lot of cars have weird special issues like that as they get older.
Wise words of car care. Now find a good shop and let them extend the life of your car. I did fleet service and PREVENTION of problems is the key here. Avoid the quick oil change places like COVID !
I had brake fluid loss after using one of these places. I'm positive that someone put the cap back on loose. I agree with the wisdom in this statement.
@@ghlewismore than likely the bleed screw wasnt tightened down. not putting the cap on the brake fluid would let water in and cause it to not feel right, but it would splash out all that much. if the fluid was gone it more than likely leaked, which would be from the bleeder screws unless something broke
I totally agree! In automotive and small engines, I'd much rather put my time and effort into a well maintained machine. Yes, I make money either way. Changing abused parts or doing maintenance. But its really nice working on equipment for people who actually care about their stuff. I like seeing happy customers with a top performing machine.
Everyone talks about changing oil yes this is key but equally are all the other fluids. Coolant has a very limited life before it's ability to stop corrosion ceases. 2 years. Many vehicles have two coolant systems. One for the engine and another for the hybrid inverter. Brake fluid clutch fluid again 2 years. Transmission fluid 3 years unless the vehicle is used for heavy load and then more frequently. Rear differential or trans axle Fuel filters air filters grease points. Timing belts and hoses are all disposable service items. And if you drive in sand snow through water then even more servicing is required. Can't afford this then either do it yourself sometimes if you know how to. And if not learn and get help. Your vehicle will last dramatically longer.
This is the stuff that we want. All of these other mechanic shows don't do much mechanic work. You are a professional thank you for your knowledge never stop making videos 🔥
I’m far from a mechanic far from it lol. But from experience with having a having an older 08 dodge charger Daytona for summer and a 2012 grand Cherokee for winter for the past 3 years. Now adding my wife’s 2022 Durango rt for winter and 2020 chevy Camaro for summer. Life’s stressful enough without the maintenance Gotta get to know vehicle turn your stereo down once in a while and listen too it. With “extreme conditions “ -30-60•c winters to +20+35c summers I change oil,filter 5k. bleed drain fill coolant. also transmission,filter once a year. Got bros more into mods I wish maybe one day lol but rn I’d rather study and learn about the sensors Little maintenance is bigger then more horsepower. Jus my 2c opinion that’s all
Thats from mixing coolant with 10yr oat coolant. It grows stuff like that. Luckily its now in everything, so anything with that exchanges btu's should be replaced. Most likely caused a leaking egr cooler.
I just feel like 3000 miles is too soon for an oil change especially when my car owner, manual says every 7500 don’t get me wrong I would never wait 7000 miles to do in oil change but I think like 5000 is the sweet spot.
It's 3000 if you're not on the highway a lot. If you're driving the car in the city. That 3000 miles is a lot more engine hours than 3000 on the highway every day. Most people put their car in extreme driving conditions without even knowing it. Short trips at low speed all the time is very hard on engines. If you're taking a trip from NYC to LA and you spend 45HRS at 70 most of the time... you're oil probably isn't that bad but will need changing soon. Spend 1500 miles in NYC traffic at 15 to 35 MPH. That oil is probably worse off than the NYC to LA trip
Great video! It’s DO difficult to convince people that maintenance is key. People think oil changes are a waste of money, until it’s too late down the road (engine burning 1 quart of oil every 3k ) We need to bring back to school basic auto repair
It really doesn't help when some garages sell unnecessary additional services that don't actually do much of anything. Like the good ole hot oil flush.
I agree with you to the max!! Your 3or4 states away. I am sorry but I don’t trust the shops around here especially the dealership. 70 dollars for an air filter!! Come on! Good one is VW! Around 20 bucks for transmission fluid. Sorry that is bull crap. You really don’t have a choice but pay it. How do you find a good shop? The new stuff you can’t work on it anymore. Look at you!!! You have to take the cab off. The old days could change the hoses on your car. Now days must be 20 of them if can even find it and probably cost you a 1000 dollars for just the hoses with out the labor. Probably have to take the cab off to do it. Water pump! Dam…. Just get a new car. I do love your videos. I live on social security.
Just a tip for everyone. Theres definitely a reason Range Rovers plummet in price after about 10 years. The plastic they use in the cooling system is the cheapest, most brittle plastic you can find. I was a mechanic at an independent shop and saw a lot of these. 1 was so bad it came back 4 times because it came in with a coolant leak and every time we fixed the cracked plastic part about a month later another plastic part in the cooling system would break.
The manufacturers are interested in their reputation for reliability. If your Toyota's transmission fails 5000 miles after the warranty you aren't likely to buy another Toyota. If you follow the advised maintenance schedule your car will last a long time. The problem is not that people don't change their oil at 3-5000 miles it's that they don't change it until 15,000 miles.
One thing to notice about coolant bottles, especially with restorations, and nasty, is use todays, laser copy, 3d print new coolant bottles, possibly another option for cheaper costs for you, on demand as needed.. and oil, for breakin of new car, just cheap plain oil, NO DETERGENTS.. until 4,000mi.. you WANT REASONABLE WEAR.. then be sure to explain fresh processed oil is still impure, and synthetic oils are recycled oil processed a SECOND TIME TO BE MORE PURE.. IMPORTANT FOR CUSTOMERS TO NOTE!
Im an ecodiesel owner which is the truck in the video so ill say this. Maintance yes its important but the downfall is the emissions system. The engine is from Italy and they never designed it to use an emissions system. So that clogged intake is normal because of the EGR. Also the efficiency is horrible because of regen. After a delete on mine the truck responded far better, no more carbon build up, and even the oil comes out cleaner during oil changes. So do yourself a favor and lose that system that wastes more diesel and contaminates the engine far more. It will save you money in the long run and will even drive far better.
I perform the maintenance all everything I own and would never trust any shop to do it, period. Your shop is the exception but just think about it, every shop is having maintenance performed by the lowest qualified person in the shop. I will give you two simple examples, I took my truck (one time) to a shop to have a lube job (Engine oil change and grease the chassis). The truck rolls out and is ready to take home. I check the chassis and not one grease zerk had been touched. Example 2, I bought a truck from a hospital with all the maintenance records. The shop they used filled out records that they greased the truck every 3,000 miles. The dump bed was so rusted it sheared the tubes off because it was never greased and they had to change the engine because they never changed the oil.
And the poorly maintained vehicle that hits that first straw that breaks the camel’s back (the owner’s desire to fix everything that’s failing) results in cheap quick fix of that “one bad link”, followed by that owner unloading that vehicle onto some poor unsuspecting buyer who has to pay the price for a hidden chronic lack of proper maintenance. As a car lover I’ve always meticulously maintained my machines and every one I’ve sold I have put extra money into them just before selling in order to make sure I would be happy to be buying that car myself. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve run into years later who told me the car they bought from me was the best car they ever owned. Why? Excellent maintenance. At age 16, 17, and 18 I got burned by great looking, fairly low mileage cars that turned out to have been horribly maintained, and I’ve spent my life making sure I don’t ever do that to anyone else. If only others gave a crap about “doing unto others as you would…” when it came to used cars. Good video 👍🏼
I was told by a friend in the petrolium-additive industry that synthetic-blend oil can contain as little as (I believe it was) 5% synthetic oil in order to receive the "synthetic-blend" label. Is this another mind-game with the consumer? Why not full-synthetic, always?
The coolant reservoir of the M278 GL500 x166 has a little bag inside thag absorbs moisture after about 150,000Km on the dial it will explode & gutter the radiator the pipes that will malfunction the air flow of the air system in the car. To fix this you can cut out the little bag rince clean the reservoir theb install back to the system. Check the coolant level because after interfering with it you will loose a little of the coolant. Don't be afraid to delete this little bag the new Mercedes come without one. Also if the bag explodes you will have bug problems getting all those particles out the system usually you would even have to replace the radiator. Thankfully I learned this before the bag exploded & cut it out the reservoir of the coolant. If you wont instructions with pictures let me know I'll send a link. I'm not sure what other engines besides the m278 come with this timed bag. You are supposed to replace the reservoir of the coolant if you go the by the manual but it will cost you more & is just really better to cut it out you'll never know exactly when it will explode on you.
I think it's great that by a car manufacturer's own admission, their vehicle can only be trusted to last three years. A warranty is always how long a manufacturer has faith in their product.
I have an 03 merc (c320 coupe) , manufacturer specs 15000km oil changes, and lifetime transmission fluid. Needless to say I’m not that stupid so I do my oil every 7500km and trans every 60-80k kms. In Mercedes’ defense they did go back on the ‘lifetime fluid’ and recommended a one time change at 40k miles, but a one time change isn’t going to get it to 200/300k ill tell you that for sure.
I used to work in aircraft and might be why I’m such a big stickler on fluid changes and even doing them early. I try to tell as many people as I can to not even do the whole 10,000 mile oil changes dealerships want you to do. It’s all bs.
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A valuable piece of information I learned in school as a mechanic was "lifetime fluid means as long as the powertrain warranty"
lol but sad.
Lifetime fluid is a bunch of BS every fluid breaks down overtime
What lifetime warranty really means is that you will be working on it for the rest of your life if you cheap out on maintenance.
same rules go for lifetime snapchats lol
What happens after a "lifetime" if we listen to the dealer? It dies, true story. :-)
for 33 years I have cut the manufacturer maintenance schedule in half. In 33 years I have never experienced a single engine issue. This man speaks the truth!!
People seem to think vehicles can last for ever with no maintenance and get annoyed when it fails. Never ceases to amaze me.😮
never underestimate idiots, whenever something is made idiot proof the idiots get dumber
Or they’re the “new vehicle every 3-4 years” type. Buying a used vehicle is scary. There are so many used vehicles for sale that have been neglected. Even those “certified” used cars. That “certified” label is often just BS. A friend just bought one and the engine blew the first week.
Well you can blame our industry for that. It has slowly removed the maintenance expectations out of vehicle ownership.
We don’t grease anything anymore. We are using less and less serviceable components (most newer cars don’t even use a fuel filter). We are extending basic service intervals. Hell many late model vehicles don’t even bring a basic dipstick tube to check fluid level/condition. And when 💩 does hit the fan, consumers are taught to discard, and replace the entire vehicle.
🤷♂️
@@lynxstarautomotive208 It blew my mind when I heard some newer German cars (can't remember the make) don't have an oil dipstick. So you're basically relying on the computer to check your oil level, and forget about doing your own oil changes. Sickening.
Toyota fans love that statement hard facts
Dave, couldn't agree with you more. My 2015 Silverado was maintained at the dealer at the scheduled intervals for years and the transmission ate itself at 110k, the engine lifters 1k after that, both just outside of GMs powertrain warranty. The manufacturer's don't care, they just want to sell more vehicles and they know people will just keep buying them. That's why from now on I am doing the maintenance more often than what is recommended, to make sure the oils and other fluids are nice and clean and hopefully keep things from wearing out so quickly.
I've always told my kids advice is free, take all you can and disregard the rest. If only there were more honest shops like this around. Great job Dave.
Advice may be free but it isn't always good. Hope you taught them discernment haha
I called a shop to inquire about fixing the AC on my old volvo 740 many years ago. The guy told me on the phone that often its just a bad ground. I went outside, connected a ground to the battery and the AC housing and it worked!!! I immediately drove down to the shop, found the guy I talked to and gave him a tip $.
Take my advice, I'm not using it.
@@tomm1109Awesome! People like him and you make the world an awesome place!
I was fortunate, My dad taught me how to change the oil & filter when I was 12y/o, and by 13, it became my responsibility to stay on top of the oil changes of all the family's cars since. I got my driver's license and bought my first car at 18. I later landed a job at an oil & fluid change shop when i turned 30, and learned even more. I've driven nothing but used, old japanese cars and the neglect the previous owner have subjected these cars to is frightening! I bought my current daily driver in 2020: an '02 camry built in japan with the 2AZ engine. Sat under a tree for 10mos. before I got it. It required a lot of routine maintenance: Oil & filter change, Transmission flush & filter, Coolant Flush, radiator, thermostat, Plugs, Coil Packs, PCV Valve, Valve cover gasket, Mass airflow sensor, air filter, Belts, Hoses, Rotors, pads, And a full set of tires. Thankfully, the engine wasn't leaking any fluid, or burning any oil so I knew I could run synthetic oil. As soon as I got the car home, I performed an oiling system flush using new oil and filter. But during the flush, I gently drove the car for 10mi. on a road with a low speed limit(35MPH) after letting it idle for 15mins first. Followed immediately another oil change this time using Pennzoil's High Mileage synthetic with pure plus technology(which has an amazing detergent package & has natural gas as a base instead of crude oil which also makes a huge difference in keeping the internals clean) & and WIX XP filter instead of the cheap oil & filter used for the flush. Changing the oil & filter every 5k mi., and flushing the lubrication system once a yr. The first time I drained the transmission(which was done before the engine flush drive), the fluid was very dark, and had a slight burnt smell. So I performed a honda style transmission flush, driving the car 100mi. in between each drain & fill. With a sum total of 3 drain & fills. Since I bought the car to be a delivery vehicle at the time, I was averaging 100mi./day anyways(Thankfully, no longer a delivery vehicle). On the 3rd & final drain & fill, I dropped the pan, and replaced the transmission pan gasket, filter, and added a full bottle of Transmission Treatment by Lucas Oil to the new ATF. Which really brought the transmission back to life. Now it shifts seamlessly and I won't have to perform another drain & fill on the transmission for at least another 15k mi.. Overall, I spent little over $1000 for all the replacement parts & fluids which also includes a full set of new tires, and a new radiator. It took roughly a week to get everything done, including waiting on the parts to show up in the mail, getting the new tires swapped, & flushing the transmission. But It was worth all the work, b/c it drives like new even with 220k mi. It has easily been one of the best daily drivers I've ever owned, and it's still a joy to drive. It may be considered too old to most people's taste, but IDC, it's all around cheap to own, and it's never given me any problems since I did all the maintenance.
I dont think you mentioned the mileage it had when you got it?
@@jeedwards1981 It had 190k mi. when I bought it, it's at 247k mi. now
Yes i use shell helix, exact same Pennzoil gtl fluid. Never touching anything else. It's the best for my Kia before that my dad uses now @240000km and my Merc cla200 now at 100k km
@@Vanguardkl Nice!! The pure plus platinum synthetic has done wonders for my old japanese cars. The fact that even the vapors have cleaning properties the natural gas base is what really sold me on their synthetic oil. Project farm did an engine oil performance tournament. and the only oil that outperformed the pure plus synthetic was amzoil. I'm just glad my dad taught me how to change the engine oil at a young age, and the importance of changing the oil on time.
I love old classic trucks. I have a '79 Ford F-150 with a 5.0 that I rebuilt in my garage. I made sure the block was cleaned inside the water jackets and all the oil passages were clean. I've been driving it now for 4 years and the coolant has been changed once every year. About 2 months ago, I had to replace the water pump. When I used a flashlight to look as far into the block as I could, I didn't see any rust at all. Maintenance is a small price to pay to keep an engine running at its peak performance!
Excellent advise & analogies there!.
Another thing to note about manufactures and their ever increasing service intervals, is that they want to make their listed cost of ownership lower. This is something buyers consider, and a lot of perceived reliability comes from this metric.
Well said!
I tried to tell my boomer parents about this with their brand new BMW X-. The oil level "light" came on shortly before the year was up for the first oil change. I told them that their driving qualifies as "extreme" and to change it every 6 months like I do with my VW. They scoffed and said, "People don't do that..." I told them...but they don't want to listen. I only fix jets for a living.
As long as they sell it within 4 years and the warranty period, they'll be fine 😂
Bmw x9? :D
All i can see are concept cars so far
@@gureno19very true, they only care about the experience of the first owner who is their customer. And since most people lease or trade, they don't see the long term damage being done.
@@robertbell525 literally the only brand that I'd trust with a long term (10-15years) vehicle purchase is Toyota or Lexus.
@@gureno19 I agree. I live in the UK and have travelled through Europe many times, BMW, Mercedes etc are very common but I wouldn't have one, certainly not a modern one, I'll take a Japanese make any day. I do wonder when/if they will cheap out on us though, with bad design and poor quality parts. Practically every product you can buy has taken that route, nothing lasts, kettle, washing machine for example, it's all built to fail sooner rather than later.
As the Car Care Nut says, "oil changes are a lot cheaper than a new engine" and that goes for every fluid. You can easily tell the difference between a car that does easy routine maintenance and ones that don't
My mechanic friend told me the EPA gives auto manufacturers credits for designing cars and trucks that are low empact on the environment. And that's why now you're told you don't have to change the fluid on your transmission or 10k oil changes.
My 2014 Ford Focus runs like a champ and it hit 162k trouble free miles today. I change the oil about every 3,500-4k miles and the oil service light comes on every 10k liles.
Here’s the problem with not being able to check/change your transmission fluid: it’s going to burn up eventually and you’ll be stuck with shifting and performance issues
Ask me how I know
2003 VW Passat 1.8 T... transmission did burn up for just that reason. I'd still be driving that car today if it'd had a dipstick or at least SOME reasonable method to check the tranny fluid.
And what's the environmental impact of junking a car at 100k miles instead of 300k? Bet the EPA buried that study.
Does that have the dreaded powershift dual clutch trans? If so, had any problems with it?
As a helicopter mechanic in the Marine Corps I can not tell you how much I agree with this guy. Most of our time we were performing preventative or phase maintenance on the helicopters, didn't matter if the part was good or bad, if it had such and such amount of flight hours on the part it got replaced. mostly fluids, oils, grease's and filters.
It is the so-called 'safe life' construction philosophy.
The thing with automotive is that nowadays cars are built to last only for 7 years. You cannot win that maintenance race in the long run.
Exactly. I have a truck that I maintain that's 15 yrs old and it's perfectly fine but the radiator is part plastic, the hoses are 15 yrs old, the pump is 15 yrs old...so I replaced them all.
Aircraft maintenance is not even in the same ballpark as auto maintenance. Everything is done on a schedule and constantly inspected because lives are on the line. None of it is optional.
@@Mach141 I don't get your point. They're just different levels of preventative maintenance. Sure air craft preventative maintenance is more in depth, but that's not my point. My point is WHYyyyyyy it's done not how in depth it's done.
@@MrDhalli6500 My point is you can choose to do your autos maintenance whenever you want, not following the manufactures suggestions at all, and still have great results and a longer lasting car. Maybe you just focus on your particular vehicle models problem areas and ignore the rest. None of this is possible with an aircraft. Hope that makes more sense
My family gets ticked off on me for constantly doing maintenance on a car. ‘It’s too often!’ - they say. Well personally, I don’t think it’s too often. I change transmission fluid every 30000 miles, I do oil change every 5000 miles, I change cabin and engine air filters every 7500 miles, replace spark plugs and ignition coils every 100k miles, top up all fluids. I inspect brakes once in a while, add air to my tires. I go to a shop to repair the vehicle because I dont have a lift to raise the car in the air. For something small, I do my own repairs. For something bigger like the struts and shocks or tire swap I go to the shop. But I keep the vehicle in check all the time. It’s my tool to get everywhere so I need to take good care of it. You mess it up, it’s on you when the technician gives you a huge repair bill. When I do repairs, I read and watch the videos multiple times to make sure I remember how to do the repair. Because sometimes, when your vehicle breaks down, you’re on your own, so that’s that. And in order to save money, in my case, I must learn how to do simple repairs myself, because I don’t want to be a clueless fool and panic when the car breaks down. I had own my vehicle for 7 years now, when I bought it used. It had its share of problems - AC stopped working, back brakes blew up, PCV valve broke down, Suspension parts broke down, front brakes were 100% gone and I was still driving without knowing, when I didn’t check at first, camshaft and crankshaft sensors were replaced, MAF sensor replaced, Rear wheel bearings replaced, and many more including the regular maintenance like oil changes and stuff. You got a car, take care of it so it can take care of you.
In the US I need it for transport, to and from work, groceries, in case of emergency. I’m a single guy so I need my ride to be reliable and in shape, therefore, I take care of it
My cars 20 years old and it’s showing it’s age technology wise but it still runs and drives the transmission is original the engine is original. Coolant been changed every 100,000 it’s the Dexcool that everyone hates I’ve had absolutely no issues with it. The car almost has 200,000 on it so I’ll have to change the coolant agin here soon. Oil gets changed every 5,000 the brake fluid has been changed every 20,000 no leaks in the system ABS works just fine. Power steering fluid I change ever 20,000 as well very easy to do just take off the return line start the car move the wheels lock to lock and let the pump pump out the old fluid. The battery has been changed every 4 to 5 years the serpentine belt gets changed as soon as it starts making noise or I see cracks. Wiper blades I change on the daily as soon as they start streaking there garbage. Washer fluid is always topped up. Car gets cleaned inside and out regularly helps keep rust from forming once rust starts car is garbage. The AC still works all the parts are original. Brakes are important and I recently did those new rotors pads and discs and the back wheels got new drums shoes and hardware. Tires are important to I recently got good brand names all season tires. I like doing the maintenance especially on an older car just to prove to people a car can last forever with proper maintenance.
@@ih8momjokes1certain cars are very sensitive to trans fluid, like Mazda skyactiv , the new 10 speeds from gm and ford, the zf 8 speed in dodge and bmw , me personally a 240$ trans fluid change is a hell of a lot cheaper than a 6-10k transmission
@@ih8momjokes1that’s only true if you never change it
The Only Thing You're Wrong About Is The Air Filters. Dude That's Way Too Fucking Often
@4:43 this is the advise of an honest man that has been in the business and knows the truth about “life time” fluids. The manufacturer just wants to get the vehicle through the warranty period, then they want you to buy another vehicle
So true maintenance, maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance. You will get your money out of whatever it is.
Absolutely a great video! As a 31 year automotive service professional I couldnt agree any more with you. I wish every vehicle owner watched this. Most of them just think we are "trying to rip them off" when we tell them the real facts.
I have a 2012 Accord with 121,000 on it. I change my oil every 3500 miles at 50%-60% on the reminder. At the same time I pull the drain plug on the trans and change 3.5 quarts of fluid. The Owners Manuel says change every 30,000 miles. I'm a firm believer in PM. I treated all 3 gens of my Dodge 5.9 Cummins the same way. I also change my oil in my Chevy K10 once a year because I don't drive it that much, maybe 1K miles a year. I grew up with the saying, "Pay me now or pay me more later". I also do regular brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant flushes.
You should calculate how much extra you’ll be spending over 5 or 10 years. 3,500 mile transmission fluid changes is probably way overkill unless you’re towing with that Honda lol.
Seriously though, you may be spending an extra $5,000 over the ownership of this car for little benefit. Do the math, try to find a good middle ground. Preventative maintenance is great but money is what it comes down to, and it could be a lot of money.
@@andreahighsides7756 I'm 65 years old. I've had more vehicles in my life including semi trucks than I can count on my fingers and toes plus your fingers and toes. I've NEVER put an engine, transmission or any drivetrain component in any vehicle ever...and I have the money so it's not an issue. I believe in overkill when it comes to maintenance to things I own. Plus I live in the desert and 115 degrees in the summer is a vehicle killer.
@@tdc9136 that’s good! If you’ve got the money then it makes sense to make it last. One day these will be relics of history
My car leaks oil so I never have to change it, just add 😂 (I do change the filter though)
@@andreahighsides7756He said 3,500 mile oil changes and 30,000 mile transmission fluid changes. Some transmissions actually do call for 30,000 mile intervals. I go 50-60k personally.
Amen. More people need to hear your wise words.
Have changed the oil in all my vehicles every 3,000 miles and never had an issue in over 30-years. Have friends with new cars that only get changed every 10,000-miles b/c that's what the factory recommends. Penny wise and pound foolish. Of course, they just lease a new vehicle every 2-3 years and never see the long term damage. And they never own the car, so always making a car payment. SMH. Like your videos! Thanks for the tips.
Given the advancements in oil additives and detergents, I would argue that changing the oil every 3,000 miles is excessive. However, I also wouldn't advise changing it every 10,000 miles. There seems to be consensus in the automotive repair profession that 5,000 miles is the best interval.
Oil isn’t everything though james, unless you’re driving toyotas only
I’ve done 10k oil changes on my 20 year old car with 170k+ miles since the car was new. I use full synthetic only and when I was inside the engine about 10k miles ago, it was clean as can be. No sludge whatsoever and all rod bearings were in impressively good condition.
@@ghostwrench2292if everything was good why’d you open the motor?
It took me years to accept 5,000 mile intervals. I'll never go longer, never.
I will say about transmission fluid replacement, do it as often as you like but I don’t believe in replacing trans fluid once you’re well past due for the first one. In other words, if it’s at 100k and it’s never been replaced, I would probably skip it at that point, because there’s a damn good chance you’ll have problems soon after, the ship has sailed at that point. Lots of times that new fluid and worn clutches will not play nice together, and I’ve seen a fair number of issues after replacement of well-worn trans fluid on a well-worn transmission. If you’re going to do it, start at 30 or 40k and keep after it. That overdue trans probably will fail prematurely, no doubt, but I’d let sleeping dogs lie. Now cue 15 “experts” who will tel me I’m full of shit. On the oil front, yeah the more frequent, the better. Another major contributor to oil wear is short trips, low RPM use, cold temps, and direct injection. But if there’s one thing you can do, it’s take an extended trip as often as you can. Get that crankcase good and hot so you can cook off that excess moisture and fuel vapor. If it’s a diesel, you’ll be able to burn off some soot, get the valves good and hot, the EGR and DPF will get good and hot. Get some revs in. Truth is, engines should be run hard regularly. Even suspension and brakes benefit from that. Good firm braking keeps brake dust and road grime buildup down. A spirited drive moves ball joints and bushings through their full range of motion. Just a few tips that I’ve seen help quite a bit over the years. Machinery is best when used for what it was designed for, and properly maintained. Pretty simple formula, really.
Thats old school knowledge. My gfs RAV4 had 130k on it when we met and I started maintaining her vehicle. It was fine and shifted smoother and better than before. I think if the car was ran hard and the fluid has tons of clutch material you may be correct.
Some sound advice in all that but I’d still want to drain or flush the old transmission fluid, but then I’m just a produce clerk at Publix. If I had a shop like Daves nearby, I’d probably follow his advice either way. I do take my commuter motorcycles out on a ten mile run on the interstate occasionally for just the reasons you gave.
I agree 100%, cut the manufacturer maintenance schedule in half and you'll be doing everything you can to keep your car going. I have a 2006 dodge 2500 with the cam eating 5.7, I use redline 5/30 and an extended filter (RP 30-8A), 3k mile oil changes since new and it still runs like new @389k miles.
Oil & filter changes every 3k.
Trans fluid & filter changes every 25k.
Differential fluid changes every 25k.
Transfer case fluid changes every 25k.
No major repairs thus far.
Take care of your vehicles and they take care of you, just stay away from the fancy gadgets in vehicles nowadays, less equals more.
P.S. I refuse to purchase anything newer than the 06 I have, it's already beyond my abilities to repair the electrical systems. My 76 F250, 78 Corvette and my 87 square body are much easier and cheaper to repair.
Look up Uncle Tony's Garage, he basically tells u why the cam gets eaten...... it's from constant idling.... there isnt enough splash at idle in the crank to hit the lifters, which eats cams..... cop cars were notorious for eaten cans because they idle a ton....... just a heads up, watch ur idle time 👍👍
@@blainebigger8332 Virtually no idle time for me except the few minutes to warm up. I've sent out oil analytics periodically and they returned an analysis that shows the oil is good for 7k mile oil changes but, I still do the 3k mile changes. Peace of mind costs more I guess, lol.
I have the same truck and run 10,000 mobile 1 and change it once a year. As well as never changed the transmission fluid. Just crossed 200,000 miles and haven’t had a problem since new. Just use quality products. Over maintaining is definitely a thing.
@@mr8610 Expect problems soon with your lack of maintenance, being cheap and thinking things will last is definitely a thing too. Take off your diff cover, I bet the fluid is silver and full of metal, I also bet your tranny fluid is burnt up, dirt brown and no longer red, and no longer working as it should be.
@blainebigger8332 uncle Tony is a hack, especially about the Hemi oiling "issue".
I’ve been a Mechanic for 30 years now and the advice you give is 100% correct and experience is the teacher not a book and blokes like you are making a good stand about the big manufacturers lies.
Well done
Totally agreed, but the dealerships 1000 dollaring people to death every time they come in and not concentrating on what they came in for, with all the flushes and extras, and duplicate flushes and extras is extremely ridiculous. I know. I lived 30 years of it. Especially the last 15. Constantly getting berated to “upsell more”. It’s utterly ridiculous to epic proportions. Pulled many intakes and heads on cars that had multiple “fuel system services” where the backs of the valves were still coked up badly. Pulled transmissions with multiple flushes where the spool valves were still mucked up. Don’t believe the hyped up pics of the Wynns, and other companies flush products the service advisor shows you. It’s all baloney and they’re just getting decent spiffs, not to mention beefing up their customer pay repair order average. Guaranteed the service manager made their average a huge part of their pay plan. Half the time the guys who do those flushes dump the chemicals in and don’t even use the exact equipment provided to do the flush, or the guy has a drawer full of the chemicals. I’m pretty jaded I guess because I got to hate turning wrenches and all that goes along with dealership life but I’m not lying. Any honest tech will tell you he’s seen it all.
This is why people don't trust dealers. Its amazing to me why dealers don't understand this. The last time I went to the dealer I was sitting in the waiting room which was busy and I heard service advisors come into the room and tell people who had less than 20k miles on their vehicles that they needed engine and cabin filters at least 3x. I had to sit there and bite my tongue because let's face it, you don't need an engine air filter in 20k miles. Everyone said okay, do it. That's hundreds of dollars worth of filters that were almost definitely not needed. Its difficult to find honest shops anymore. Very difficult.
20,000 for air filter is reasonable. My old one at 20,000 was caked upon the intake side
My cabin filter at 15,000 was also dirty and need changing g
Couldn't agree more. Everyone is always surprised that my vehicles and race bikes look and ride new no matter how many miles or years they have on them. I tell them its because I do maintenance on them and fix parts before they are worn out and broken!
Every town in US needs a Dave 👏🏻
Oi don't be greedy, we can use Daves this side of the puddle too!
@@hisss 🤣
Sage advice. I have my synthetic oil and filter changed every 4 thousand miles. Change out the sealed transmission fluid and filter every 40 thousand miles, and same for the coolant every two years. All OEM products. My 2006 purrs like a cat. Do components fail? Yes, but I control what I can by preventive measures and it works for me. Seeing the top of my engine during a valve gasket replacement, with the motor looking like new on the inside, is a great feeling.
Problem with mechanics, is, they look at my 2000 tacoma, and immediately refused to do any work on it. It's too old, and they don't want to be liable for any issue that pops up, just because it's old. So for now, youtube is my mechanic, and DAve is the closest thing to a real mechanic I have. LOL.
I’ve never heard of this. Perhaps try a reputable local shop, not owned by a corporation. I used to work with many shops and a year 2000 car was common for almost all of them.
Those are your everyday mechanics that just do basic maintenance things. You have to shop around and find a shop that specializes on working on older cars and knows what there doing. It might cost more but you’re paying for that experience.
Yeah what these other people are saying. Toyota trucks are easy in that era. Doesn't even have a carb right? You're going to baff00ns. Local Indy shop will do it. Where are you? Even better is find a Toyota Lexus specialist. If that isn't around find a Japanese specialist. Doesn't matter if the mechanics are white black Asian or whatever. But they just work on Toyotas Hondas Nissan, etc.
I'd rather work on 1000 old vehicles, than one new one.
He making moneyboff you bro
Bravo 👏 it is clear from watching your videos that your business is a step above.
When I was 8 or 10 years old, I got my first dirt bike and my dad told me “always schedule your pm or your equipment will schedule it for you “
i whole heartily agree, if you want to have problem free driving half the time between oil changes, remember the oil is there to protect the engine, if it is thin and weak it will degrade the engine far quicker than an engine which has only ever know fresh oil !!!
That's a golden piece of advice. I've seen this only on japanese manufacturers user guides. On heavy use engine oil and filter must be changed twice the recommended interval (1 year), so every 6 months. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Daihatsu, all recommend this.
Interestingly, our Ford Falcons made in Australia also recommended this.
When I bought my truck I asked for the manufacturers maintenance schedule, the sales rep was very surprised and had to do some digging on the Ford website to find it. People treat vehicles like phones, they just use it for a while then buy a new one. I intend to keep mine for a long time.
My daughter and her husband just bought a new vehicle each. My daughter is following my advice and changing fluids regularly. Every 5k for oil, 30k for tranny fluid, etc, etc. Her husband is going by the dealer recommendations of every 10k for oil and never for tranny fluid.
Ive talked to him twice trying to explain exactly what was said in this video but to no avail. He even became a smartass and said this isn’t the 1970’s anymore and if the dealer says to do it, then that’s what hes gonna do.
In about 5 years I am going to be really interested to see who starts having problems and who doesn’t.
What kind of cars are we talking about?
Yeah if he is on dirty roads or high load or any extreme conditions he should do 3k on oil. Trans fluid can last 50-100k miles depending on auto manual 5/10spd etc. But yeah "dealer says so" ok dealers also refuse to recall KNOWN issues if its cheaper to setlle lawsuits. WE ALL know they do this
Be sure to warn all of your son-in-law's friends to never purchase one of his used vehicles...
Firstly no manufacturer says to never change the transmission fluid. Secondly changing synthetic oil every 5000 miles is a waste of money and environmentally irresponsible and an old wives tale. Thirdly I've been using synthetic oil since 1998 and I can guarantee I know more about it than you. A big problem I find is that people use synthetic but use a regular filter ( non reinforced ) for extended drain intervals. Synthetic oil is good for 30,000 km drain intervals but a good reinforced ( synthetic filter ) must be used so that the filter doesn't go into bypass. Please stop with your uneducated advice as it does no one any good.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt really....so about that '18 Camry of mine where in the winter with 2000mi on an oil change I found the level just a smidge high and odor wasn't normal....yeah, what if I had gone to 10,000mi with that oil? Bad things.....per a tribologist...because I didn't know until I had it analyzed that I had dilution going on and the viscosity had gotten to the bottom of the range at 100C. So your statement might be safe for a highway-only vehicle where oil analysis is done at 5k to prove everything is on the money...but most folks can't afford that ESPECIALLY WHEN CHANGING THE OIL IS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THE ANALYSIS!!! I'm an engineer working in heavy API rotating machinery and I've met with Shell engineers and I've made a vehicle go to 400000 that still got 43mpg. Your advice is highly misleading!!!
I like videos on maintenance. As a car owner and also a former employee of a Chevrolet/Cadillac/BMW dealer service department, it is important that people read and understand the owner's manual that comes with your vehicle. It is also important to understand the severe service and regular service portions of the owner's manual. Most drivers are covered by the severe service schedule - with that schedule, 5000 mile oil changes, 30,000 mile transmission services, and 5 year/100,000 coolant service intervals are not uncommon - perhaps even sooner depending on your make/model. Lifetime fluid intervals are typically not included under severe service schedules and they are a marketing tool used to sell vehicles.
In the event you should have any questions, a reputable dealer or shop - like Dave's - can help you with your maintenance questions. They are in business to help you maintain your vehicle.
I have vastly overpaid for maintenance for 12 years by going to my Mercedes dealer for everything. My brakes have never had a wear sensor light up. I have never needed to add anything but windshield wash fluid. Never a hiccup. I take pleasure in keeping it in perfect condition.
My truck's manufacturer says 10k between OC and well over 100k on the transmission. Not going over 5k on OC and 50k on ATF. Taking the manufacturers numbers and halving them got me 250k trouble free miles.
Here is my issue on Maintenance. I am huge on it as I worked in the craft for years before admitting I was not good enough. However, on organizational maintenance I am up to speed. Now that I am too old to do my own, my issue is TRUST. I do not trust anyone. They won't let you watch or even do a pop in. Let me give you an example. Dodge Ram 1500 2007. Took in for a coolant and flush treatment a few years back. Picked it up and opened the hood. Clean as a babies kiss. I thought right away: did they do the work? Talked to mechanic. Did you remove thermostat? No. Did you unhook any hoses? No. How did you do this work and keep it so clean. I have a "little hose that I suck the coolant out with". I cannot buy this but did not push it as I cannot call a man a liar if I cannot prove it. Coming time for same service on a 2018 Explorer. How do you know?🦇
People think if my car isn't over heating the coolant is good. Flushing / changing your coolant is a very important maintenance maintenance issue...
My 1981 vw rabbit has ORiginal coolant reservoir with no gunk.
It’s probably only had coolant changed 6 times the last 42 years.
Long life coolant only needs to be changed every 5-6 years under normal use, providing there's no issues with cooling system.
@@DL101ca I agree and that was my point but most people think it lasts forever. Then they have heater core issues etc... Can't fix stupid
I understand what you are saying. But at the same time, I asked my mechanic what preventive maintenance to do on my 2007 Dodge Durango 4.7 2WD. He said just bring it to him when something breaks and he will fix it. 257,000 miles and so far so good. I have changed trans oil and filter twice. Pretty sure radiator has never been flushed.
Thanks Dave. I sent a link for this video to my wife. I got her a new Tundra (last year for the V8) and have had a low key argument going with her about oil change intervals. I like your simple idea of cutting the recommended service interval in half. I've also located a local family-owned shop, where the owner was a Toyota dealer service manager for 20 years, with good reviews. We'll try them out.
I appreciate honest service, and I'm happy to support a local business. I just wanted to let you know that your video helped inspire me to make a change that should benefit us and our local business community.
Great comment, appreciate that !
@@DavesAutoCenterCentervillehi dave do gasoline additive works such amsoil p.i etc
@@dannyzamudio1252 Dave and Lake Speed Jr. Won't argue with me telling you to add Chevron Techron every 3000 miles. How do I know? Lake advised this when he found dilution going on in my '18 Camry. I'm embarrassed to admit I had been using generic gasoline...which, has the bare minimum federal detergent added. Using top tier gas and that additive and there's a reason: if you look up the EPA license for it, you'll find an enormous list of other companies that are licensee's rebranding it and selling it, which includes....Toyota!
Your wife argues back about this? Eff that, there's no way in the world i would tolerate that
I don't own a car, but i have a motorcycle with a wet clutch. That means the engine oil is the same oil that flows between the clutch plates. The bike is not new, its a 2005 honda Transalp.
My engine oil is squeaky clean when I change it. Why? Simple. Because I change my oil twice every year and make sure the engine is boiling hot and driven like hell before I change my oil. That way any debree in the oil gets flush and washed off of every surface inside the enige and brought out with the old oil. I then pour new oil inside, drive til the enige is hot again and drain the oil. Then i out on a new oil filter and new oil.
Its probably overkill, but I'm not gonna getting rich by saving 30$ worth of oil. But I'm definitely getting a peace of mind from this extra cost.
I do the same with any engine I have.
Any how, cool video!
Mine has an oil change indicator that uses driving conditions to tell you when to change it.
It took 9k miles to set the alert.
I just change it every 5k. Easy indicator is the odometer. 40k, 45k, 50k and so on.
Quit following your stupid indicator!!!!! That’s what Dave just said!!!! Change it every 3,000-5,000 miles and forget the indicator!!! You left the factory oil in your engine for 9,000 miles? Are you that stupid???? A new engine has loose metal shavings and crumbs that wear during the break-in period!! On a brand new engine you need to change the oil at 1500 miles, 3,000 miles, 5,000 miles, then you can go up to 5,000 miles after that.
Thanks for sharing
All great advice. - especially the recommendation to get a good shop. Sadly, it’s not that easy in smaller cities and towns, and many of us don’t really know what to look for.
Thanks for sharing!
The REAL moral of that story is don’t plow with a truck
Brilliant advice! They absolutely don’t care once it’s out of warranty. Professional advice indeed, thank you for making this video and sharing this great advice. 🌠🌅🌌👌🏻
I've always told my customers that yeah maintenance is expensive right now but would you rather take care of maintenance now or replace parts and pay more down the line? Maintenance is key to both saving money and extending the life of the vehicle
This is what I do fo my 92 Buick.
Monthly:
Check tire pressure to 32 psi.
Check airlift pressure to 32 psi.
Check all fluid levels.
3000 miles:
Change engine oil and filter. Rotella T-6 5w40 full synthetic.
Lubricate chassis and all moving parts.
Rotate tires.
15,000 miles:
Change air filter.
Change feul filter.
50,000 miles:
Change transaxle fluid. Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic multi-trans fluid.
Change power steering fluid. Valvoline Maxlife full synthetic multi-trans fluid
Change brake fluid. Dot 3.
Change O2 sensor. Bosch OEM O2 sensor.
100,000 miles:
Change spark plugs.
Flush cooling system and Change coolant. OAT long life coolant.
Very detailed! That would be a great used vehicle for someone to buy if you ever sell it!
I always tell my customers this same thing. Shorter oil change intervals, more frequent preventative maintenance. I explain it like this, I'm here to help YOU keep YOUR car going, I'm not in it to get all your money. The manufacturer designs their maintenance plans around a plan to sell new cars when these start having too many avoidable issues. Oil changes are easy and cheap, most fluid changes are. Getting people to understand WHY they're important though? that's another story.
I don't know, I see shops still telling people to change the oil every 3000 miles. That was ok in the time of carbs but way overkill today. Then again I had a BMW with a 13,000 mile interval. I would recommend changing it a little more often but those cars are worthless after 100k miles anyway so I saved my money and did 13k.
@@tomm1109 Do you know WHY manufacturers are saying go longer distances? The idea is to lessen the "cost of ownership" by more infrequent oil changes. The flip side is, that causes accelerated wear internally. OR premature failures in some where oil consumption is a common thing (GM, Hyundai, and Mopar just to name a few) with the thought that when it wears out sooner, you'll buy another car.
Yes modern oils are good, but not THAT good. Sludge still builds up, filters still cause issues, people don't check oil regularly, all of which brutally impact the longevity of any engine.
Nice guy, telling it like it is, he can work on my car anytime. Plus he's right, maintain your car and it will work for you.
4.0 Toyotas have a head gasket seep on the passenger side (even the post 2006 redesigns). Owners don’t change coolant and the acidity eats away at that spot. eventually it’ll blow open…change your coolant on or ahead of schedule!
I specialize in BMWs, and on that transmission note, the funniest shit is that ZF (the transmission manufacturer that BMWs been using for over a decade) recommends changing oil at a 60,000km interval. On top of that, people completely forget the differential fluids and the transfer case fluid.
and... its pretty complicated. There are roundabout 9 liters of transmission fluid in a ZF 8HP. If you just drop the pan you only get 4 liters out. Experts flush the whole damn thing with a special scan tool and use up roundabout 12 liters for the job.
No not at all, 60000 miles not 60000km. I'm at 100000km and still shifts fine.
@@bradofwar5960 you’re correct, they recommend between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Regardless, doing it earlier will always be better. Just because your transmission shifts well now doesn’t mean not to do your transmission fluid. The problem with them is that by the time you have an issue come up it’s too late. Preventative maintenance is key.
i was told the fluid was near imposable to change in a zf8hp, it was so easy one of the easiest ive ever done lol
i also use amsoil signature tranny fluid every 30k miles shifts beautifully
I do my oil changes every 3,000kms. I just had my Transmission fluid flushed and filled when I installed a new clutch, my radiator fluid is filled and looks clean pink the proper color that's recommended for Toyota's. I still need to replace my Front Left wheel bearing and steering shaft, and an 02 sensor to turn off the check engine light. Plus an ABS sensor.
Thank you
I hate paying for the maintenance it drives me nuts 🥜 but you make a point and I will change my behaviour.
I just feel every time it goes in it comes back with something bigger.
Thank you it was a great explanation.
I have an 06’ Corolla and an 18’ 4Runner, and despite them being Toyotas with “die hard reliability” I still religiously maintenance them. I also do most of it myself to insure it’s done right and if something goes wrong I only have myself to blame. People who neglect their vehicles and then get pissed when they break really upset me.
Thank you for making this video and educating people how important maintenance is! 🙂
Our pleasure!
The first part of the problem is realizing maintenance is important. And most people think water is water. Demineralized water won't create rust. Only use demineralized water in a cooling system.
One of the best videos everyone should see. I totally agree. We have 287k on our 2006 Tahoe with a 5.3 and a 4L60E.
he 100% right on the manufactures only care about their warranty periods. i do my petrol cars every 7000 instead of every 10000
100% agree with "double" oil changes and transmission fluid flushes!!!!!
I’m just old school I guess , my dad was a mechanic and he taught me to change oil at 3k .. that’s what I do on all our trucks . Even though we use full synthetic I still change at 3k miles . Same with rear diff fluid and trans fluid , I change my diff fluid every 4 oil changes . It’s over kill I’m sure , but I enjoy doing it and I never have any major breakdowns on my vehicles because I’m checking things as I do maintenance
Sounds like you had a wise father! Thanks for the share
Another thing about oil changes. If you drive your vehicle a short distance every time that you drive it and never get out on the highway for more than 15 miles or 20 minutes, you should change your oil every 3 K. The moisture that will build up in your oil because of those short trips with the engine never getting hot enough for long enough will cause issues. That goes for flex fuel/E85 users as well.
How could moisture(water) enter the engine when it it sealed?
@@danherrick5785Air intake. The moisture is in the induction air.
@@varmastiko2908 How does that get into a sealed oil pan? What your talkin about explodes in the cylinders...
@@danherrick5785Through the oil film covering the cylinder walls.
Engines are not sealed and are open to atmosphere via the PCV/intake system. When the vehicle is stored and not ran frequently, temperature changes can cause moisture condensation within the engine.
Change your oil as recommended and maintain your vehicle in good condition and it will last a lifetime.
Lesson I’ve taught my daughters who have learned the hard way
You should always do what ever maintenance you can. Required or not. If you take care of your ride. It will take care of you. Get a shop you can trust. If you need to budget maintenance your mechanic is always willing to go the extra mile when it comes to safety. They will always work with you. Great mechanics are out there. Go find them. They don't look for tips. They look for things that need to be fixed. Your appreciation is all they want.
Sure after going to the same place to get ripped off many times they maybe once in a while "help you out" haha
Watched an interview of an industry consultant on engines. He had worked for years for a Japanese auto manufacturer. He was asked about what to do about oil changes. The stated goal was to make the engine last as long as possible. Not to get through a warranty period. Not to get through a lease.
His response, not in order:
1. The quality of the filter was critical. Don't use an inferior filter.
2. You can use a synthetic oil and get more mileage between changes. However, you can use an inexpensive, industry standard oil.
3. Driving a small amount of miles does not mean you can go a long time between changes. Water will get in no matter what. He doesn't let the oil changes go more than 6 months, no matter what the mileage. So if the average American driving is 15,000 or 18,000 miles a year, it means in 6 months you are driving 7,500 to 9,000 miles, right? I don't know many people who change the oil every 6 months. However, I drive only about 4000 miles a year, most of the mileage to the grocery store. SO, I change the oil every 3,000 miles and use a "factory" filter.
4. So the expert has a change every 3-5,000 miles depending upon whether it is inexpensive oil or synthetic and never going more than 6 months.
5. If you go to the quicklube place, you are guaranteed a cheap filter. I use my mechanic and I supply the oil filter.
6. Just like "sealed transmissions mean no worries about a transmission going bad", no one in the car repair business speaks about an "oil change and lube job" anymore. There are places to lubricate and a chemical to "lube" under the car. There are rubber and quasi rubber gaskets and seals. If they are allowed to harden and crack, a "sealed system" can gain contaminants and fail. So, when the oil change is performed, a lubrication is performed and a list is given or what to lubricate. Believe it or not, the "modern mechanic" will not know what gaskets and seals to lubricate or why, they are simply trained to be parts replacers.
The ole money grab with the dealers.
Maintenance is what I do for a living! I’ve seen a fair share of a lack of maintenance.
You give off Tom Green vibes. I love your videos! Utah!
I don't recommend transmission flushes. However, you should drain and replace fluid yearly. Just drain it and replace the same volume that you took out. If you do that, you're never going to have problems.
Buying my first ever car, i immediately was worried about oil changes and servicing, nobody mentioned it to me when I was learning to drive. My first car I have changed all of the fluids, replaced filters and timing belts and my car feels and drives better because of it.
Awesome! I remember how fun it was doing that with my first car. Assuming it’s a used car check out the owners forums for common problems, it can really help get ahead of impending issues. Like my first car was an old passat, a rainwater drain in the engine compartment would get plugged with leaves over the years and eventually flood water into the cabin footwells, destroying the ECU ($$$). Super easy to prevent once I read about it, a lot of cars have weird special issues like that as they get older.
And you learned something doing the maintenance it’s fun especially if you have a driveway or garage you can do most of this maintenance yourself.
That is the first thing they do when buying a used car. Change the oil and buy 4 new Bridgestone Potenza 17 inch tire
LOL
Wise words of car care. Now find a good shop and let them extend the life of your car. I did fleet service and PREVENTION of problems is the key here. Avoid the quick oil change places like COVID !
I had brake fluid loss after using one of these places. I'm positive that someone put the cap back on loose. I agree with the wisdom in this statement.
rona wasnt that bad honestly.
@@ghlewismore than likely the bleed screw wasnt tightened down. not putting the cap on the brake fluid would let water in and cause it to not feel right, but it would splash out all that much. if the fluid was gone it more than likely leaked, which would be from the bleeder screws unless something broke
Need more mechanics like you!
I totally agree! In automotive and small engines, I'd much rather put my time and effort into a well maintained machine. Yes, I make money either way. Changing abused parts or doing maintenance. But its really nice working on equipment for people who actually care about their stuff. I like seeing happy customers with a top performing machine.
Everyone talks about changing oil yes this is key but equally are all the other fluids. Coolant has a very limited life before it's ability to stop corrosion ceases. 2 years. Many vehicles have two coolant systems. One for the engine and another for the hybrid inverter. Brake fluid clutch fluid again 2 years. Transmission fluid 3 years unless the vehicle is used for heavy load and then more frequently. Rear differential or trans axle Fuel filters air filters grease points. Timing belts and hoses are all disposable service items. And if you drive in sand snow through water then even more servicing is required. Can't afford this then either do it yourself sometimes if you know how to. And if not learn and get help. Your vehicle will last dramatically longer.
This is the stuff that we want. All of these other mechanic shows don't do much mechanic work. You are a professional thank you for your knowledge never stop making videos 🔥
Wow, thanks!
Exactly! 👍
I’m far from a mechanic far from it lol. But from experience with having a having an older 08 dodge charger Daytona for summer and a 2012 grand Cherokee for winter for the past 3 years. Now adding my wife’s 2022 Durango rt for winter and 2020 chevy Camaro for summer. Life’s stressful enough without the maintenance Gotta get to know vehicle turn your stereo down once in a while and listen too it. With “extreme conditions “ -30-60•c winters to +20+35c summers I change oil,filter 5k. bleed drain fill coolant. also transmission,filter once a year. Got bros more into mods I wish maybe one day lol but rn I’d rather study and learn about the sensors Little maintenance is bigger then more horsepower. Jus my 2c opinion that’s all
You are 100% correct. They do not care about anything except that warranty period.
Thats from mixing coolant with 10yr oat coolant. It grows stuff like that. Luckily its now in everything, so anything with that exchanges btu's should be replaced. Most likely caused a leaking egr cooler.
I just feel like 3000 miles is too soon for an oil change especially when my car owner, manual says every 7500 don’t get me wrong I would never wait 7000 miles to do in oil change but I think like 5000 is the sweet spot.
It's 3000 if you're not on the highway a lot. If you're driving the car in the city. That 3000 miles is a lot more engine hours than 3000 on the highway every day.
Most people put their car in extreme driving conditions without even knowing it. Short trips at low speed all the time is very hard on engines. If you're taking a trip from NYC to LA and you spend 45HRS at 70 most of the time... you're oil probably isn't that bad but will need changing soon. Spend 1500 miles in NYC traffic at 15 to 35 MPH. That oil is probably worse off than the NYC to LA trip
Thanks for the advice friend...👍
Great video! It’s DO difficult to convince people that maintenance is key. People think oil changes are a waste of money, until it’s too late down the road (engine burning 1 quart of oil every 3k ) We need to bring back to school basic auto repair
It really doesn't help when some garages sell unnecessary additional services that don't actually do much of anything. Like the good ole hot oil flush.
I agree with you to the max!! Your 3or4 states away. I am sorry but I don’t trust the shops around here especially the dealership. 70 dollars for an air filter!! Come on! Good one is VW! Around 20 bucks for transmission fluid. Sorry that is bull crap. You really don’t have a choice but pay it. How do you find a good shop? The new stuff you can’t work on it anymore. Look at you!!! You have to take the cab off. The old days could change the hoses on your car. Now days must be 20 of them if can even find it and probably cost you a 1000 dollars for just the hoses with out the labor. Probably have to take the cab off to do it. Water pump! Dam…. Just get a new car. I do love your videos. I live on social security.
Great advise Dave. Thank you for taking the time to teach us
Very welcome
Just a tip for everyone. Theres definitely a reason Range Rovers plummet in price after about 10 years. The plastic they use in the cooling system is the cheapest, most brittle plastic you can find. I was a mechanic at an independent shop and saw a lot of these. 1 was so bad it came back 4 times because it came in with a coolant leak and every time we fixed the cracked plastic part about a month later another plastic part in the cooling system would break.
Vehicles made today are not built to last, But they are made to be too expensive and too difficult to repair on your own !
The manufacturers are interested in their reputation for reliability. If your Toyota's transmission fails 5000 miles after the warranty you aren't likely to buy another Toyota. If you follow the advised maintenance schedule your car will last a long time. The problem is not that people don't change their oil at 3-5000 miles it's that they don't change it until 15,000 miles.
One thing to notice about coolant bottles, especially with restorations, and nasty, is use todays, laser copy, 3d print new coolant bottles, possibly another option for cheaper costs for you, on demand as needed.. and oil, for breakin of new car, just cheap plain oil, NO DETERGENTS.. until 4,000mi.. you WANT REASONABLE WEAR.. then be sure to explain fresh processed oil is still impure, and synthetic oils are recycled oil processed a SECOND TIME TO BE MORE PURE.. IMPORTANT FOR CUSTOMERS TO NOTE!
Im an ecodiesel owner which is the truck in the video so ill say this. Maintance yes its important but the downfall is the emissions system. The engine is from Italy and they never designed it to use an emissions system. So that clogged intake is normal because of the EGR. Also the efficiency is horrible because of regen. After a delete on mine the truck responded far better, no more carbon build up, and even the oil comes out cleaner during oil changes. So do yourself a favor and lose that system that wastes more diesel and contaminates the engine far more. It will save you money in the long run and will even drive far better.
Damn. I have a diesel and I tow with it all of the time. I guess I need to do oil changes more often
I do my 01 Cummins 24 valve ever 3,000 miles. 5,000 on our Alaska trips. Cheapest insurance you can buy.
I perform the maintenance all everything I own and would never trust any shop to do it, period. Your shop is the exception but just think about it, every shop is having maintenance performed by the lowest qualified person in the shop. I will give you two simple examples, I took my truck (one time) to a shop to have a lube job (Engine oil change and grease the chassis). The truck rolls out and is ready to take home. I check the chassis and not one grease zerk had been touched. Example 2, I bought a truck from a hospital with all the maintenance records. The shop they used filled out records that they greased the truck every 3,000 miles. The dump bed was so rusted it sheared the tubes off because it was never greased and they had to change the engine because they never changed the oil.
And the poorly maintained vehicle that hits that first straw that breaks the camel’s back (the owner’s desire to fix everything that’s failing) results in cheap quick fix of that “one bad link”, followed by that owner unloading that vehicle onto some poor unsuspecting buyer who has to pay the price for a hidden chronic lack of proper maintenance. As a car lover I’ve always meticulously maintained my machines and every one I’ve sold I have put extra money into them just before selling in order to make sure I would be happy to be buying that car myself. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve run into years later who told me the car they bought from me was the best car they ever owned. Why? Excellent maintenance. At age 16, 17, and 18 I got burned by great looking, fairly low mileage cars that turned out to have been horribly maintained, and I’ve spent my life making sure I don’t ever do that to anyone else. If only others gave a crap about “doing unto others as you would…” when it came to used cars. Good video 👍🏼
Good morning Dave
What a nice video... thanks!!!!
I was told by a friend in the petrolium-additive industry that synthetic-blend oil can contain as little as (I believe it was) 5% synthetic oil in order to receive the "synthetic-blend" label. Is this another mind-game with the consumer? Why not full-synthetic, always?
The coolant reservoir of the M278 GL500 x166 has a little bag inside thag absorbs moisture after about 150,000Km on the dial it will explode & gutter the radiator the pipes that will malfunction the air flow of the air system in the car. To fix this you can cut out the little bag rince clean the reservoir theb install back to the system. Check the coolant level because after interfering with it you will loose a little of the coolant. Don't be afraid to delete this little bag the new Mercedes come without one. Also if the bag explodes you will have bug problems getting all those particles out the system usually you would even have to replace the radiator. Thankfully I learned this before the bag exploded & cut it out the reservoir of the coolant. If you wont instructions with pictures let me know I'll send a link. I'm not sure what other engines besides the m278 come with this timed bag. You are supposed to replace the reservoir of the coolant if you go the by the manual but it will cost you more & is just really better to cut it out you'll never know exactly when it will explode on you.
The biggest problem these days is auto manufacturers listing everything as "lifetime fluid" for trans fluid, differentials, coolant, etc etc.
I think it's great that by a car manufacturer's own admission, their vehicle can only be trusted to last three years. A warranty is always how long a manufacturer has faith in their product.
"Manufacturers only want to satisfy the warranty". Ain't it the truth!
I have an 03 merc (c320 coupe) , manufacturer specs 15000km oil changes, and lifetime transmission fluid. Needless to say I’m not that stupid so I do my oil every 7500km and trans every 60-80k kms. In Mercedes’ defense they did go back on the ‘lifetime fluid’ and recommended a one time change at 40k miles, but a one time change isn’t going to get it to 200/300k ill tell you that for sure.
I used to work in aircraft and might be why I’m such a big stickler on fluid changes and even doing them early. I try to tell as many people as I can to not even do the whole 10,000 mile oil changes dealerships want you to do. It’s all bs.