Used Car Maintenance: 8 Things Your First Scheduled Service Should Include

The moving parts of a car wear down with use. To protect your investment, car manufacturers highly recommend that you stick to a proper maintenance schedule to help you avoid costly repairs and inconvenient breakdowns while ensuring your warranty is always in effect. But what if you own a used car and the warranty is already expired? Should you forego scheduled maintenance altogether?

The short answer is no. Regardless if you own a new or used car, part of being a responsible car owner is to stick to a car maintenance schedule. Simply put, the better you care for your car, the more it will provide you with years of reliable, trouble-free service. When you take out your used car for its first maintenance, here are the eight things that the service should include.

1. Engine oil and oil filter replacement – a key service in any scheduled maintenance checkup. Have your engine oil and oil filter replaced every 5,000 kilometers.
2. Tune up – to ensure your engine systems are clean, intact, and functioning properly.
3. Air and fuel filter replacement – protect your engine from foreign particles by replacing your air and fuel filter on your first used car maintenance service. Later on, you can replace your air filter on the next 20,000 kms, and your fuel filter after 50,000 kms.
4. Electrical system check – having a broken, missing, or non-functioning exterior light can result in a traffic violation ticket. Have all your lights inspected, and replace any busted bulb.
5. Belt check – if the mechanic says your timing belt and drive belt are still in good shape, then leave them be. If they are worn out, have them replaced before they fail. Normally, you’ll need to replace your drive belt every 50,000 kms, and your timing belt every 100,000 kms.
6. Tire and wheel alignment check – your tires are your main point of contact with the road, so it’s important that they function properly at all times. If the vehicle won’t stay center when you drive, or if you observe uneven wear and tear in your tires, you may need to have your wheels aligned, balanced and/or rotated
7. Brake inspection – like your tires, your brakes are essential to your safety and wellbeing on the road. Brake inspection should happen every 10,000 km. Meanwhile, you should check your brake fluid reservoir once a month or once week depending on how often you use your car. Make sure the fluid is always topped up.
8. Flushing – depending on any issues your mechanic may find, different fluid systems in your car may require some flushing, such as the cooling system, power steering system, transmission system, and brake reservoir. Cooling systems should be flushed every 80,000 kms. Meanwhile, brake, power steering and transmission fluid flushing should be done every 50,000 kms.