Do You Wait Till It Breaks? Or Do The Service?

diyer2 · October 24, 2016

IMO a lot of the problem posts or posts asking for help are due to a lack of regular scheduled maintenance. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I do the maintenance and have always had reliable vehicles. Keep in mind I drive my vehicles for years and put a lot of miles on them.

I also believe that some people treat their vehicles rougher than me and have problems because of it. Case in point, my 93 Silverado gave 20 years of service and still had the original ball joints. Driven on dirt roads too.

I use em but don't abuse em and take care of em.

Back to the question, do you think some of the posts are directly related to a lack of maintenance?

SkiDooNick700 · October 24, 2016

I think it depends but I do believe that Yes some are related.

I have a laundary list of items i could give of people doing things which imo are so so bad lol.

A recent example is this, I was on a dirt road that had quite a few patches of "pot holes " and real bad wash board. I was doing around 10mph, in some spots just idling along. I was watching in my mirror for people so i could pull off to the side for people to pass. Sure enough, a 14+ Silverado was coming up real quick! I pulled over to the side and he went on by pretty fast I could see the back end wiggling around. All i can think to myself is thats hell on entire truck.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · October 24, 2016

I've said before that the major problems I had with my '98 were from how I drove it and treated it. The only real maintenance I did on it was oil change and rotate the tires. Anything else I just waited til it broke or wasn't acting right. I used to do burnouts, donuts and go mudding all the time in it. I had that truck since I was 18 in 2004 (was about to turn 19 when I got the truck) and got rid of it when I got this one in '14. I only did burnouts and donuts for the first couple of years I had it. Then I got my CDL A and I guess I got more respect for driving. After that I still went mudding when I could. Mudding is fun until something breaks and when you have to crawl under the truck to work on it and you get all that crap falling on your face.

My '14 that I have now I told myself to take care of it. I've had it for pretty much exactly 2 1/2 years (will be in a week) and I have yet went mudding or done anything like burnouts in it. I've gone on dirt roads plenty of times. The only mud that the truck has seen is from my best friend's front yard/driveway when or after it rains and that's usually not that bad, just a puddle for the most part. I learned my lesson from my '98 which is to not play like that in your daily driver and only transportation. So I'd rather have my '14 as a daily and to haul or tow while if I can get the money up I can just buy an old early to mid 80s Chevy to play with since it will have a straight front axle, no computer and cheap to lift. At every oil change I will also rotate the tires and grease the 2 zerk fittings for the steering. I'm also going to look at the manual to see what I need to check at each interval.

CadillacLuke24 · October 24, 2016

I'd say yes.

All my problems on my Cadillac are a direct result of my Hellen Keller-esque driving.

Since I have since learned to drive, I have managed to keep my Chevrolet clean to this point.

Once I fix my Cadillac, I should carry over some of my newfound driving skills LOL

white1500 · October 24, 2016

Most if not all of the main issues have been because of delayed, insufficient, or incorrect maintenance. I admit it and I'm working to correct as many as I can.

Sent from my SM-G550T using Tapatalk

06pirate · October 25, 2016

In a previous life I was an airplane mechanic for 30 years. Pilot abuse and lack of regular maintenance were the biggest issues. Same for cars and trucks. You don't have to spend a fortune, just perform regular basic service and treat the vehicle with respect and it will last a long time. That's why my 1990 Toyota 4x4 truck has 361,000 miles on it and still going. My 1974 T-bird lasted over 250,000 miles, the 1984 T-bird went 256,000 until done in by an electrical fire. My sister beats the crap out of her cars and never does anything except occasional oil changes and she has to trade them in at 60,000 miles because, as she says, "It's just shot."

Grumpy Bear · October 25, 2016

I’m crazy easy on parts. I know, for example, that 10 F is a few pounds of air pressure in the tires. I check them often and adjust pressure almost every check. I don’t have anywhere to be yesterday I wasn’t headed for a week ago so my speeds are moderate. Downright slow by most standards as the speed limit is fast enough for me. I can see the stop sign so I don’t wait until I’m 10 feet away doing 50 to start stopping. I rotate every 5K and balance every other time. I get better than double the warranty miles from most tires.

This practice nets me over 100K often on brakes. My record is 125K with 80% pad left. My first Honda went 200K on the original rotors and were still on it with cuts left to go when I sold it.

70 to 90 K on tires. 250K on most other major suspension components. I get 20 t0 40% better fuel efficiency than sticker on all but one car or truck I’ve ever owned.

I understand bearing and ring wear is a function of cylinder pressure and air/oil cleanliness. Low cylinder pressures result from low TPS settings and adjusting for circumstances. Like huge head winds or deep snow or hauling heavy loads. Steep grades, etc. Last three cars passed 200K with under 10% leak down.

I torque nuts and bolts. Lubricate threads. Change filters. Adjust belt when applicable. Wash the thing and keep up on the chips. Wash off the salt and wax it now and again. Monitor oil temperatures in the motor, trans and axle. Add coolers where needed. Change it perhaps more often than needed and use better lubricants than required.

I vacuum carpets. Clean upholstery. Adjust clean and lubricate hinges and cables. In short….do it justice and it rewards me more times than not.

I think I can list every repair from memory for the last six or seven cars/trucks and have a list shorter than ten items.

I did not start that way. My first car I bought three times over in repairs. Seven gearboxes in one summer. My Vette was a black hole for breakage. Both cars were beat like redheaded step children and ignored if it was moving…except oil changes and level checks.

Took me awhile to learn my wallet was directly connected to my right AND left foot and that the saying is true. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That making good time is a matter of staying in the saddle at a steady pace not driving 30 over the limit. That being on time is a habit of leaving on time with an allowance for the unexpected. Which is expected.

So do I wait until it breaks? Nope. Do I replace it before it breaks? Not on your life. I maintain it and treat it in such a fashion it doesn't break before it's time.