The Truth About Car Maintenance, And What the Manufacturers Tell You

It’s (Almost) All About Maintenance

How much you will spend on repairs over the life of your car or truck is dependent on not just how well-designed and well-built the vehicle is, but more importantly how you approach maintenance and repairs.

Related article: The Car Repair That Makes Owners Maddest

A Medical Analogy

Think of it this way: Not everyone is born with the perfect genetics and ideal in-utero development that determines a good part of just how long he or she will live. Nor, that while alive, their health will be optimal up until the very end.

Your body and health are dependent not only on your genetics, but how you maintain your health. For example, if you have hypertension that can cause weakening of the blood vessels until an aneurysm occurs, that hypertension can be treated with meds and diet that although will not cure the hypertension, will mitigate the effects resulting in a longer and relatively healthier life and lifestyle.

Related article: Easy Toyota RAV4 DIY Fix That Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars

It Is a Lot About Attitude

When it comes to your health and that of your car, a lot of it comes down to your attitude about how to treat both when something needs maintaining or fixing. In other words, you can treat an infection but what are you doing to ensure that infection does not reoccur? Your car shows signs that a coolant leak has begun, but do you treat the leak or the system?

That was the message in a Dave’s Auto Center YouTube channel episode where the host discusses why it’s not just one coolant hose under certain conditions that will need replacing, but all of them and why you should not balk at the expense of treating the system over a single hose.

A Useful Short Video on Car Maintenance

Follow along with the host as he explains why often it is not just one coolant hose, but all of them that need replacing. And, what the manufacturer tells you versus what you really need to know.

The Truth About Maintenance, And What the Manufacturers Tell You Vs What You Need to Know

For additional articles related to your car’s maintenance and repair, here are three for your consideration:

• Servicing Your Vehicle’s Automatic Transmission Can Be a DIY Project That Saves You Money
• Common Repair Problem Toyota Tacoma Owners Cause
• Ford Repair with a Coat Hanger

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on  “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” website, the Zen Mechanic blog and on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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Image source: Deposit Photos