The Ultimate Preventative Maintenance Checklist | Midas

Let’s face it, keeping up a regular car maintenance schedule can be a daunting prospect for most Kiwis. We love our cars, and we love to keep them running smoothly, but oftentimes we can let the little things slip through the gaps between car engine inspections. And, even if you are pretty gung-ho about taking care of your wheels, it can be hard to find a comprehensive maintenance checklist aimed at beginners.

Luckily, we’re here to help. Car maintenance happens both at home and in the auto shop, and for good reason - unless you’re experienced in mechanics, you may end up doing more harm than good if you try to tackle the big jobs. No worries though, that’s why we’re around. And between those regular services (which should happen every six to twelve months - depending on the age of your car), you can do a lot at home to make sure your car is hitting the tarmac in tip-top condition.

Short-Term Maintenance

Short term maintenance should happen every three to six months, depending on how hard you drive your car. Your car tends to work harder when you idle for long periods of time, do a lot of stopping and starting, or if you drive rough terrain frequently. If you do these things a lot, you will most likely want to do these checks every three months. Otherwise, shoot for six.

Check and Top-Up

Each of the appropriate under-bonnet fluids will be listed in your owner’s manual, so make sure that you check out exactly which fluids are right for your car before you start topping anything up. Using the wrong formula can wreak havoc in the internal machinations of your vehicle, so take your time to get it right.

Check each of these for contamination or low-levels, and top-up if necessary. Dipsticks – the things you use to check the oil and fluid levels – will be in a different place in every car, so check your manual. Most work by measuring the oil level against a couple of dots – if the fluid level is between the dots, you’re good. Otherwise, top-up!

• Transmission fluid. Your transmission is responsible for shifting your car in and out of different gears, and it’s extremely important that you have enough to keep the system lubricated, otherwise you may cause grinding and damage.

• Coolant (anti-freeze). Coolant helps to keep your engine running at the optimal temperature. It manages heat to make sure that your engine doesn’t overheat, and gives it a bit of help during those cold weekday mornings.

• Engine oil. Engine oil lubricates the mechanical aspects of your engine to keep them running smoothly, and during that process, it can become vicious. It’s important to keep an eye on your engine oil consistently, as it can either run down – which will progressively destroy your engine – or it can get overly contaminated. Check the colour of your oil to see how much it has darkened, and top it up if the oil level is lower than the two markers on your dipstick.

Look Over

These are things that you should check for general wear and tear, as problems here can really sneak up on you.

• Headlights and brake lights. We don’t often stand behind our cars while they’re on, but this time you should. Make sure the car is in park and check that all of your headlights and rear lights function properly – you never know when a filament might have blown.
• Tire pressure, tread, and general wear. Take a look over your tires to make sure that they’re blown up enough (the optimal PSI should be in your owner’s manual), as low tires can really impact on your fuel efficiency. You should also check out the depth of the tread on the outside of your tires – they’re what help your car to grip the road, and if the tread becomes shallow, your tires will become slick.
• Wiper blades. Most places recommend replacing your wipers every six months or so because they deal with a lot of debris and moisture over their lifetime. Keep them clean, and you’ll keep your windshield clear during the rainy days.

Long Term Checks

On top of everything listed in the short-term check-ups, you should also look over these next few things every ten to twelve months. If you come to Midas, we can check everything out for you, but regardless it’s good to know how to look after your own car – especially if you’re the kind of person that likes to get their hands a bit dirty!

Flush and Replace

Beyond simply checking and topping up your under-bonnet fluids, you need to occasionally flush out the old and bring in the new. Keep in mind that it can be difficult to dispose of the fluids once you’ve drained them, and you should do that properly – that’s why many people prefer heading to an auto shop for this part.

• Coolant. Much like the other fluids, over time your coolant will become contaminated, and won’t do its job as well as it should. One of the other primary jobs of coolant is to protect your engine from corrosion, but those properties get used up within one or two years (depending on the kind you use), so flushing it out and replacing with new stuff will keep your engine happy.
• Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). This should be changed out to keep your gearbox free of contaminants, as they could cause damage by grinding between the gears as they change.
• Transfer Case Fluid. For AWD (All-Wheel Drive) or 4WD (Four-Wheel Drive) cars, this is essential. Most people recommend you change this every 60,000km or so, so the frequency of the flush depends on how much you drive.
• Engine oil. And finally, you should flush and replace your engine oil regularly to keep the machinations of your engine clean as a whistle, lubricated, and ready to go.

Wear and Tear

Check the following components of your car for any wear and tear. If you encounter any, take the time to find the right kind of replacement. Keep in mind that you might not need to replace these things straight away, but it might pay to go and get the component checked out to see how long you have until replacement day.

• Shocks and struts. Does your car rock backward if you push on it? Are speed bumps a little too beefy for your vehicle to handle these days? Your suspension might be on its last legs.
• Serpentine belt. This is what drives your car, so if you start to notice any wear and tear (a whistling or screeching sound as you drive), it will be worth it to get it checked out.
• Brakes. Give your brake pads a good looking over, as they wear down over time. Check them out with a couple of hard brake stops, in a safe place, and visually inspect the pads or discs.

Still worried?

Not a problem, vehicle services are our gig! Give your local Midas a call and we’ll do our famous Peace of Mind Inspection on your car, checking it from tip to tail for any sign of a problem. Keep your car, and yourself, happy and on the road.