jordan1794

Just curious, what steps does everyone here take to keep their cars running longer?
I get my oil changed every 3,000 miles(I know, not really needed...but it gives me peace of mind)
Also, after reading some posts on here I am going to get my transmission fluid changed soon(60k miles) and keep getting it changed regularly.
I am regularly checking my air filter as well.

Are there any other things I should start checking to keep this car running as long as possible?
(2006 LX sedan)

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

I do spark plugs every 30k miles. Synthetic oil. Radiator flush 30-50k. Brake flush. Air filter gets checked every 10k and cleaned when dirty. I have never done a brake fluid flush or radiator flush and I have 150k so I need to do those.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Long as possible? Drive like an old lady and **** maintenance schedules

On topic, I do change my oil every 5K with mobil 1 (Though, I'm prolly gonna switch to royal purple oil + filter, next oil change and then change every 10k from then on)
And I changed out my tranny fluid at 45K, and again at 60K
Spark plugs NGK Iridiums at 50K
and Radiator flush at 50K

I'm prolly due for a timing belt/water pump and valve adjustment

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I have almost 120k and i drive it and change the oil. In fact I'm on the original tranny fluid (manual) rawr.

ezone

3k oil changes is overkill for most people, IMO. (Unless you use the wrong oil.)

Follow the maintenance minder and do services as they come up. But use that with a little common sense. The minder can't see if you skipped stuff nor can it see what else was done to the car.

I would do the trans (ATF) every 30k or even more often (I do this to the cars I am personally responsible for).

Get out your owners manual and see what services need done that are based on time, these don't come up on the maintenance minder. (Brake fluid for example.)

The plugs are 100k long life plugs.

The maintenance minder can't see environmental conditions. If you find the air filter gets really dirty, you can bet the cabin filter is too. Replace it at the same time. If you drive through a sand storm or a forest fire regularly, you may want to change the air and cabin filters more often.

HTH

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

don't turn the key off.
it will keep running as long as there's gas.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

If stick to the manual to the dot, your car will be dead long before it's ever been alive.
120K ATF change....

FordSlayer

Timing belt

ezone

Price one of those for an 06 Civic lately?

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

^ i did same mistake before...
chains in the R-series

FordSlayer

Really? Chains? I didnt know that. I just had to replace the timing belt on my 2000 LX. it broke at 8311 miles.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

It broke not because of mileage, but because it was 12 years old. Eventually the air gets to them too

MelJ

3k oil changes are too excessive as others have stated. Just keep up on your major fluid changes and tune up schedule. As a side note, air filters are most effective about halfway through their lifetime. There's no point in changing them every year, as that will eventually do more harm than good. But like ezone said, if you live in a filthy area, you kinda gotta be the judge on the changing of the filter. In the 4 years I owned my Corolla, I changed the filter once.

ezone

What did I miss here?

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Our 7th gens, Honda recommends changing the ATF out at 120K miles....

and you know how 7th gen auto trannies are....

ezone

OK, I looked at an 05 owners manual, (sedan).
This one states 10,000 miles for an oil change.
ATF at 120k miles for normal service......ouch.
With this footnote: Replace at 120,000 miles (192,000 km) or 6 years, then every 90,000 miles (144,000 km) or 5 years.




Service at 60k under the severe service schedule.
With this footnote: Replace at 60,000 miles (96,000 km) or 3 years, then every 30,000 miles (48,000km) or 2 years.

Also, under conditions for determining if you should use the severe service schedule, I find this: Canadian Owners Follow the Maintenance Schedule for Severe Conditions.



I'd still do it every 30.

FordSlayer

Yea. I bought the car new from the dealer, and because it was so old, and at the time I was working away from home and didnt have a place to work, i had honda change the belt. They didnt. They put on brand new drive belts (they didnt replace the A/C belt), but they didnt change the timing belt. And my belt didnt actully break, a couple of teeth come off, and it slipped.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

I drive my car in pretty much optimal conditions, 40F~70F year round, no salt on road, not much rain
At 48K, my ATF was dirty as can be, swapped it out, then at 60K it was still dirty enough to be drain and filled once again
Currently, at 71K, it seems to be fairly clean...but still smells of wear and tear.

6 year/120K miles is just really ridiculous.
and 10K miles for regular oil....
I tried that, oil was dirtier than a 50yr old homeless.
Ended up doing 5K intervals with Mobil 1

FordSlayer

I change my Oil about every 4000 miles. I use Valvoline full synthetic. I change my tranny fluid every third oil change, and antifreeze every two years.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ Changing out full synthetic every 4000 miles is such a waste of money

EX-Dave

Do the required upkeep, drive it careful and don't let idiots borrow it.

If you live in the snowbelt, bring it to a car wash and get the undercarriage washed a few times a year. Keep that road salt off!!

FordSlayer

Really? On my old cars, when I used standard oil, I changed it every 2500 miles, so I figured 4000 wasnt too bad.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I tend to push things but I go 4-6000 on synthetic blend and I'm at 118k miles...

love66

you are correct that fixed the error, it works now!
Thank you for your help!

danwat12345

Yeah just keep up with the major fluid changes, especially the transmission but don't overdo it. It's a pretty clean running machine. Regular oil every 5K, tranny every 20-30K if it's automatic, brakes every few years because some water gets in the system, change engine coolant when you change the timing belt, if it's pretty clean, a radiator drain/fill + whatever was replaced with the belt replacement should be fine. Don't use cheap green coolant, use Peak Global Lifetime or similar.

Also check for rust spots when you're servicing it. If you see rust, sand it and spray many layers of primer or something to protect the metal. Spray and spray until you're content.

And keep track if your engine burns a bit of oil so you know when to top it off.