The Essential Car Maintenance Checklist
Your car is one of the most expensive and important things you own! And how long it lasts depends on how well you maintain it.
Your car will need services that you can DIY like checking fluid levels, vacuuming the carpets and waxing the exterior. It will also need services a repair shop will help you with like fluid changes and belt replacements.
To help you understand why and how often you need car maintenance, we’ve compiled a basic car maintenance checklist that makes it easy to stay on top of taking care of your car.
Why Should I Stay on Top of Scheduled Car Maintenance?
Regular car care keeps your car running smoothly over the long haul. It’s not cheap to keep up with scheduled maintenance, but it prevents expensive mechanical repairs and improves your vehicle’s performance. Plus, when you’re ready to sell or trade in your vehicle, having detailed service records can increase your car’s value.
How Often Should I Service My Car?
Your owner’s manual should always be the first reference for how often to service your car. It includes a list of all the services your car needs and the manufacturer’s recommended service intervals. At Virginia Tire & Auto, we refer to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations and your service records to determine what services your car needs.
Most modern vehicles also have service reminders, or dashboard indicator lights, that pop up when your vehicle needs maintenance. However, indicator lights don’t always tell you exactly what to do or when to do it. They’re a great reminder and help you know when it’s time to schedule a visit to the repair shop. But you should never solely rely on them.
Read: What All the Symbols on Your Car’s Dashboard Mean
Creating a Car Maintenance Checklist
For most of us with busy schedules and mile-long to-do lists, remembering to pull the owner’s manual out of the glove compartment (or pull it up online) every few months is unrealistic. One of the best ways we’ve found to track and stay on top of scheduled maintenance is to make a car maintenance checklist, or vehicle maintenance log.
Keep it simple: use a car maintenance checklist like this one, print off/photocopy your vehicle manufacturer’s car maintenance schedule, or make your own checklist.
Keep it in your office, your car, on your computer or phone—wherever you know you’ll most likely see it and check it. Set a reminder in your calendar to review and update your checklist every 3 months.
Virginia Tire & Auto’s Printable Car Maintenance Checklist
In the meantime, we’ve put together a car maintenance checklist to help you get started.
The Essential Car Maintenance Checklist
You and/or a trusted mechanic should perform a general check of your vehicle every 3-6 months. This includes, but is not limited to:
- visually inspecting belts and hoses
- looking for rust and signs of wear
- checking tire pressure and tread depth
- checking fluid levels
- inspecting windshield wipers
At Virginia Tire & Auto, we provide a complimentary 25-point vehicle inspection during every visit!
This is also a good time to take care of the superficial elements of your car—clear out trash, vacuum, wipe down interior surfaces and wash the exterior.
Aside from this, several car maintenance items happen frequently, typically every 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. We’re calling these short-term maintenance services. Some bigger preventive maintenance services don’t need to happen as often, typically every 30,000, 60,000 or 100,000 miles. We’re calling these long-term maintenance services.
Short-Term Car Maintenance Services
❏ Oil Changes
Why: Oil plays two primary roles in your engine. First, it acts as a lubricant, ensuring that all the parts of your engine run smoothly. Second, it serves as a cooling agent, helping prevent your engine from overheating.
Oil becomes less effective over time because of exposure to heat, moisture, and air. Eventually, the oil oxidizes and thickens, turning into dangerous sludge. Regular oil changes prevent engine damage. To prevent engine damage, it’s essential to change your oil regularly.
How often: How often you need an oil change varies depending on your vehicle type, how much you drive, your driving style, weather factors, and vehicle mileage. Most modern vehicles using synthetic oil or synthetic blend oil go 5,000-10,000 miles or 6-12 months between oil changes.
When you receive an oil change service at Virginia Tire & Auto, we check our database to see what type of oil your car needs and how often it needs to be changed. Then we put a sticker in your window to remind you when to stop by for your next oil change.
❏ Tire Services
Why: Your tires are your vehicle’s only contact with the road, so they’re especially vulnerable to wear and tear. Neglecting to take care of your tires can be dangerous for you, your passengers, and fellow drivers on the road.
How often: There are three primary short-term tire services: rotating your tires, checking your tire pressure and checking your tires’ tread depth.
- Tire Rotation: The Tire Industry Association recommends getting a tire rotation every 5,000-7,000 miles. Regular tire rotations help your tire tread wear evenly, improving tire life, performance and safety. (Pro tip: save yourself a trip and get your tires rotated with each oil change!)
- Air Pressure: Check the air pressure in your tires once a month and fill them to the recommended level. Underinflated tires are a safety hazard, and they decrease tire life and fuel efficiency. In fact, tires that are 10psi under the manufacturer’s recommendation can decrease gas mileage by 3%.
- Treads: Checking the tread depth on all your tires every 3 months or 5,000 miles. You don’t need a fancy gauge to determine the wear on your treads—a quarter is all you need!
The treads on most new tires are between 10/32 of an inch and 11/32 seconds of an inch. We recommend replacing your tires when your treads reach 4/32 of an inch. You will fail your Virginia vehicle inspection if they are at 2/32 of an inch or less.
Read: Proper Tire Maintenance 101: Taking Care of Your Tires
❏ Filters
Why: A new air filter is a breath of fresh air—literally! The engine air filter prevents dirt and debris from getting inside your engine. When the filter is clogged, your engine is less fuel efficient, has lower performance, and produces more harmful emissions.
Your vehicle also has a cabin air filter that keeps the air you and your passengers breathe fresh. A clean cabin air filter also improves the performance of your heater and air conditioner.
How often: Engine and cabin air filters typically need to be replaced every 15,000-30,000 miles or once a year. If you regularly drive in polluted areas or on dirt/gravel roads, you will need to replace your filters more often.
❏ Windshield Wipers
Why: Changing your windshield wipers is something to take care of before the next storm, not during it. Driving in a rainstorm with old, cracked wiper blades is a serious safety issue because of reduced visibility.
How often: We recommend changing your wiper blades every six months to a year. Even if you don’t use them often, wiper blades deteriorate over time due to exposure to the elements.
Long-Term Car Maintenance Services
❏ Brakes
Why: We can all agree that having good brakes is important. Brakes stop your car, keeping you safe on the road. Waiting too long to have your brakes serviced will decrease your stopping power and damage your braking system.
How often: Brake pads and rotors should be replaced every 20,000-60,000 miles. Signs that your brakes need to be replaced include
- Screeching or grinding noises
- Pressing the brake harder to stop the vehicle
- Pulling to one side when braking
- Vibration when pushing the brake pedal
- Brake pads at or below 3/32 of an inch
Virginia Tire & Auto offers a FREE visual brake inspection to check that your brakes are up to standard.
Read: Do You Have to Replace Rotors When Replacing Brake Pads?
❏ Tire Services
Why: Taking care of your tires will keep you safer on the road, improve riding comfort and help your tires last longer.
How often: There are three primary long-term tire maintenance services: wheel alignment, wheel balancing and tire replacement.
- Wheel Alignment: Misaligned wheels cause pulling/drifting as you drive and uneven tire wear. We recommend getting your alignment checked every 12,000-15,000 miles or once a year. You should also get your wheels aligned anytime you install new tires or have suspension work done.
- Wheel Balancing: An unbalanced tire creates vibrations as you drive as well as irregular tread wear patterns. We recommend getting a standard wheel balance every 12,000–15,000 miles or once a year. You should also get your wheels balanced anytime you install new tires.
- Tire Replacement: A variety of factors influence how long your tires will last, but a normal set of tires should last 60,000-75,000 miles or 4-5 years. Aggressive driving, poor maintenance and harsh conditions will accelerate tire wear.
❏ Fluid Checks and Exchanges
Why: Your vehicle relies on several fluids to operate smoothly, including transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant, power steering fluid, differential fluids, and windshield wiper fluid. Regularly checking and replacing these fluids is essential for your car’s reliability and longevity.
How often: Most fluids should be checked or replaced every 30,000-60,000 miles or 2-3 years. Consult your vehicle’s manual for specific recommendations.
Read: 6 Essential Car Fluids to Check Regularly
❏ Spark Plugs
Why: Spark plugs provide your vehicle with the “spark” it needs to get started, stay powered and run smoothly. The top 5 signs of bad spark plugs are
- engine misfires
- poor gas mileage
- trouble starting your vehicle
- poor acceleration
- a vibrating or noisy engine.
How often: Most manufacturers recommend replacing your spark plugs every 30,000 miles. However, you might be able to go up to 100,000 miles if your vehicle has higher-quality spark plugs.
❏ Battery
Why: Car batteries have a finite lifespan, typically lasting 3 to 5 years. Exposure to extreme temperatures and driving conditions will shorten the life of your car battery.
How often: To avoid unexpected battery failures, inspect and test your battery during routine car maintenance every 7,500 miles. Replace it at least every 5 years.
❏ Timing Belt & Serpentine Belt
Why: Your timing belt synchronizes all the moving parts of your engine. If a worn timing belt breaks, the engine will stop running and you risk damaging the valves, camshaft, cylinder and pistons.
The serpentine belt, also called the drive belt, runs accessories like the A/C compressor, water pump, power steering pump and alternator. If it breaks, all those components will stop working.
How often: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is not the advice to follow when it comes to the timing belt and serpentine belt. You want to replace them before they break, not after. Most manufacturers recommend replacing them around 60,000 to 100,000 miles.
Regular car maintenance helps your mechanic catch needed repairs early, saving you money and preventing you from getting stuck on the side of the road. Other components that may need service on a case-by-case basis are
- shocks and struts
- exhaust systems
- valve stem and TPMS services
- fuel systems
- ignition and starting systems
- vehicle accessories
What’s Different About Electric Car Maintenance?
What if you drive an electric vehicle (EV)? Your maintenance schedule will look different! For example, you won’t need oil changes, transmission service, engine air filter replacement, spark plugs, or timing belt replacements.
Some things stay the same though. Your EV tires still need regular service, the cabin air filter will need to be replaced, your brakes will need service and replacement, etc. This is where paying attention to your vehicle’s recommended schedule is important!
Maintain Your Vehicle the Right Way with Virginia Tire & Auto
Your annual Virginia state inspection will catch some of the more important components of your vehicle. And we perform a 25-point inspection during every visit. But neither of these will catch everything, so it’s important to be proactive about scheduled maintenance services.
Schedule your next maintenance service at your local Virginia Tire & Auto today online or by calling 855-425-3677.