6 Common Preventive Car Maintenance Services
Bringing your car in for regular service may seem like a pain, but it sure beats the alternative! We've seen the results of cars that have gone too long without maintenance, and it ain't pretty. Usually, ignoring these services means paying far more in the long run, which is why we recommend always bringing your Volkswagen car or SUV in at the recommended intervals. For your convenience, we've put together this page with six common preventive maintenance services. To get a comprehensive list, be sure to consult your owner's manual.
6. Inspection
There are many parts of a car that don't have a set time or mileage interval as to when they need to be changed. Brake pads, CV joints, engine hoses, and other components should be inspected regularly to assess their condition. If they need to be replaced, it's better to catch it early than to wait until these components fail. For this reason, it's best to get a free multi-point inspection every time you have an oil change.
5. Cabin Air Filter Replacement
Air conditioning is a vital part of life on the road in Houston, and the cabin air filter helps make the HVAC system work. It keeps dust, dirt, pollen, and other debris from entering the cabin of your VW so that your ride can be free of these irritants. As time goes by, it can become clogged by this debris. When that happens, the air conditioning will have to work harder for less output, leading to a hot and muggy cabin. To keep you comfortable in the Texas heat, we recommend changing this filter at least once a year--though you may find that you need it changed twice a year, instead.
4. Engine Air Filter Replacement
Your engine needs a supply of fresh, clean air just like you do. The engine air filter works similarly to the cabin air filter, keeping road debris like rocks and dirt away from the engine. Just like the cabin filter, though, it can get clogged. Since this can decrease your car's performance and efficiency, we recommend having this changed regularly.
3. Brake Fluid Flush
Hydraulic brake fluid keeps your brakes working by transferring and amplifying the force from your foot stepping on the brake pedal to the brakes themselves. It's a hygroscopic fluid, which means that it can absorb moisture. If there's too much moisture in the brake fluid, it will lose some of its effectiveness, making it take longer for you to brake. Having it drained and replaced at the recommended interval is absolutely vital.
2. Tire Rotation
The technicians at an authorized Volkswagen dealership will inspect your tires as part of a multi-point inspection, but that's not the only service the tires will need. Regular tire rotations are also recommended. Tires don't wear down at the same rate. Often, the tires on the front of the vehicle will wear faster than the ones on the rear, since the engine and drive axle are usually at the front. To keep one tire or set of tires from wearing out first (which would make it necessary to change all four tires sooner), regular tire rotations give some tires a chance to rest and others a chance to pull their weight.
1. Oil & Filter Change
The oil in your vehicle's engine serves to lubricate the moving parts so that they don't create excessive friction, which would damage the engine. The old standard is that oil changes should happen every 3,000 miles. In many cases, this is still correct today. However, if you use synthetic oil, you'll be able to go longer between oil changes, since synthetic takes longer to break down.
