NAPA Know How: Car Maintenance Checklist for the Long HaulNAPA Know How Blog

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It used to be that 100,000 miles on a used car was a lot, and some car buyers still turn up their nose at used cars with six digits on the odometer. Cars have come a long way in recent years, however, and many vehicles pushing 100,000 miles are just getting started. Keeping your car running past 100,000 miles, through 200,000 miles and even higher is absolutely possible. It all boils down to sticking to your car maintenance checklist and putting in the time and money to properly maintain your car.

Whether you’re looking at a late model car or even a classic car — such as Irvin Gordon’s 1966 Volvo P1800S, which holds the Guinness World Record for most miles on a noncommercial vehicle reaching nearly 3 million miles in 2013 — keeping up with a comprehensive car maintenance checklist will keep you on the road for many years and thousands of miles. As you start racking up the miles, what kind of things should you make sure are on your car maintenance checklist?

Regular Maintenance

  • Check your engine and oil filter approximately 5,000–7,500 miles, depending on vehicle and oil type. Some manufacturers and oil companies suggest oil change intervals of up to 15,000 miles; consult your owner’s manual to see what’s best for your vehicle.
  • Rotate and balance your tires every 5,000 miles to even out wear, extend their life and keep on top of vibrations.
  • Inspect your brakes every 5,000 miles to keep on top of wear and, if necessary, replace pads or shoes before they ruin rotors or drums.
  • Monitor the level and condition of your fluids every 5,000 miles. This will give you an overall feel for how your car is running. Check differential fluid and transfer case oil every 15,000 miles.
  • Make timely repairs. Addressing any issues that arise as soon as possible helps you avoid poor fuel economy, drivability issues and collateral damage.

Additionally, here are a few basic things that you should make sure are on your car maintenance checklist as you close in on some major mileage milestones.

Service at 50K Miles

At around 50–60,000 miles, many vehicles need a few things monitored, if not replaced. Some cars require an engine coolant flush around this time, although many have moved to long-life coolants, with up to 100,000-mile lifespans.

Some spark plugs will need to be replaced about this time, and any drive belts that have made it this far are sure to be in need of replacement. Check radiator hoses for swelling and weak spots. Many struts and shock absorbers start to wear out about this time. You should definitely have the suspension alignment checked at 50,000 miles, if not at the last time you had your tires replaced.

Service at 100K Miles

Once your car has gotten to 100,000 miles, there are probably some things that you should consider replacing, if you haven’t already done so. Long-life engine coolant will need to be replaced about this time. Some manufacturers suggest up to 120,000 miles for spark plug replacement. The timing belt should definitely have been replaced by now, and most technicians will recommend replacing the water pump, too, particularly if it’s driven by the timing belt.

Service at 250K and Beyond

Once you hit this mileage milestone, your car maintenance checklist has become pretty much old hat. You’re going to have to make repairs now and then, but with regular inspections by a certified mechanic, you’ll be able to fix problems as soon as they arise.

Check out all the maintenance parts available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on your car maintenance checklist, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Foter

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NAPA Know How: Which Is Safest for Your Car?NAPA Know How Blog

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Have you had the internal debate water vs. antifreeze for your car’s cooling system? Depending on where you live, the choice may have already been made for you by the weather you’re forced to deal with. Cold winters mean antifreeze is necessary to keep your engine from icing up internally. In the summer months, however, and in warmer climates, it’s not always so clear cut.

Different Boiling Points

The water in your car’s cooling system is charged with maintaining a steady operating temperature that hovers within the most efficient range for generating power and making efficient use of fuel. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but that’s only if it’s pure, distilled water that’s free from contaminants and minerals that can lower that boiling point substantially.

Most antifreeze is based on ethylene glycol, a form of alcohol that features a boiling point of 387 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, your engine won’t ever reach that temperature during normal operation, but the lower boiling point of water vs. antifreeze means that there’s a higher chance of steam forming inside your cooling system, which considerably reduces efficiency and could cause your engine temp to spike in an extreme situation.

Corrosion Is an Issue

Another issue when comparing water vs. antifreeze is corrosion. Remember those mineral deposits mentioned above? Over time, if you use tap water inside your car’s radiator the deposit build-up can seriously impact its operation. Mineral-free distilled water is a safer bet, but you still run into the problem of rust and corrosion forming on metal cooling system components. Antifreeze gets around this issue, as the ethylene glycol does not corrode most metals, providing a protective coating that will extend the life of your engine even during harsh, hot weather. It also contains additives that work specifically to prevent corrosion from taking place, and sometimes your engine might call for a specific type of antifreeze to make sure the necessary additives are used.

Mix It Up

What’s the best solution when deciding between water vs. antifreeze for your car’s cooling system? Try using both. A 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is the most commonly used coolant in modern automobiles. The high boiling point of antifreeze plus its anti-corrosion additives are a good complement to water’s natural cooling capabilities (as long as its distilled water). Plus, there’s the added benefit of not having to worry about a sudden cold-snap freezing up your engine.

Choosing the right coolant for your car is crucial for its long-term health, with some information to help you make the right choice, you can safely purchase the right products for your vehicle.

Check out all the chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on water vs. antifreeze, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.

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NAPA Know How: Do You Really Need To Change It?

Chances are the automatic transmission filter in your vehicle is something you rarely think about. In fact, it’s most likely not even come up when discussing basic maintenance with your mechanic. This might seem strange, given that most of the other filters on your car or truck have specific service intervals that are important to keep track of.

What’s the deal with this transmission filter? Do you really need to change it? And if not, why not?

Sealed vs. Open

There’s a crucial difference between an automatic transmission filter and every other filter in your vehicle: It’s part of a completely closed system. Your car’s air filter, gas filter, and oil filter are all in place to prevent contamination from the outside world because your engine and fuel tank are open at all times to ingest dirt and other gunk via the intake or fuel tank. Even your cabin filter is exposed to the environment and is responsible for filtering out leaves, dust and pollen.

An automatic transmission, on the other hand, is a completely closed system. Yes, there’s a vent designed to release any pressure that might build up inside of it as it heats up, but it doesn’t suck in any air during that process. In short, it’s blocked off from the outside world.

Two Different Jobs

You might see where this is going. While other filters in your car are busy screening out particles that could damage your engine or make you sneeze, and thus need to be regularly changed, the automatic transmission filter doesn’t fill the same role.

Why, then, is there a filter in the first place? It’s mostly in place to catch any leftovers from the manufacturing process. On occasion, flaws (read: bits of metal) from the transmission’s construction might end up circulating in the hydraulic fluid, and the filter catches those items and keeps them from doing any harm. It’s a very, very small amount of material, which means the filter will never get clogged.

Back in the Day

A few of you might be saying, “Hey, we used to change these filters!” This is true — there was once a time when it wasn’t uncommon to swap out a transmission filter as part of regular fluid servicing. In that era, however, to drain and fill a transmission correctly it was necessary to drop the pan and replace the gaskets at the same time, and so with the gearbox apart, the filter replacement was an easy add-on task (and a bit of a money-maker for garages). Nowadays, it’s possible to drain and fill a transmission without disassembling it, which means the filter replacement is significant extra work for no real benefit.