A gentleman called me yesterday complaining his late model Honda Accord suddenly lost power on the way to work. It would not, he explained, go over fifty-five miles per hour. I scheduled him in for today. Not having heard of any chronic failures on the later model four cylinder and six cylinder engines or fuel systems in those, I wasn’t all that surprised when he called me to cancel this morning. Mr. Accord said his Honda was running fine now. I asked him if he had fueled up in the last day or so and he said he had. You already know where I’m going with this after some of the recent car woe posts. Mr. Accord has been fueling up regularly at one of the hole in the wall stations with the lowest octane fuel available. His car has 85,000 miles on it and as I explained to him, the vehicle is filing a grievance.
Then the conversation turned to maintenance. I asked him if the Honda had been getting regular maintenance.
“Yes, I had the 60,000 mile major service done at the dealer,” Mr. Accord assured me.
“Good, that part should be fine for quite a few more miles. Do you get regular oil and filter changes?”
“Not the filter, at least not since the 60,000 mile service.”
Oh boy. “Where did you hear that was a good idea?”
“Nowhere.” Mr. Accord chuckled uneasily.
“I would advise having oil and filter changes done religiously every three to five thousand miles from now on. It gives your mechanic a chance to check the other fluid levels - and inspect your tires, lights, drive belts and hoses. It may seem overkill with the way the manufacturers talk about their invincible product, but having regular maintenance may keep you off the side of the road.”
Remember the old commercial where the grizzled mechanic tells the audience ‘see me now… or see me later’ – where he was advising people to have their oil and filter changed before catastrophic engine failure? The cost of replacing an engine on a late model vehicle is so expensive, you can almost buy another running vehicle of the same kind for the same price. In other words, you won’t be seeing me later. You’ll be buying bus tokens or financing another car loan. Just a word of caution when you’re thinking: ‘Wow, the car’s running great. I’ll skip the service for now’ – don’t skip it. :)
16 comments:
I scheduled him in for today.
Even though he drove a Japanese car?
Yep, even Japanese cars. :)
I'd say I hope Mr. Accord learned his lesson, but of course he didn't.
Another part on our Dodge Dakota broke today, sigh. It's the clasp on the compartment between the front seats, so it's not crucial, but I think we're in for another expensive maintenance soon. And we should really get it painted...but then I start dreaming of a new car. One that gets more than 15 miles to the gallon.
I bet in Colorado it's really important to keep the rust from forming on the vehicle bodies, Beth. The prices are sure way up on paint jobs though. I think Mr. Accord may have gotten the message. I hope it was in time.
I do regular oil changes and maintence that way. I just have to with all the commuting I do.
I've always tried to keep up regular maintenance (although the rust is winning the battle, I'm afraid).
I wonder, though, if the economy isn't bringing out the miser in all of us. :-/
You can sure avoid the roadside rest that way, Charles. :)
I bet the rust battle back there is nearly impossible to win, Raine. Auto repair kicks up during hard economic times as a rule. People usually start looking at their commuter car with fearful eyes. :)
Bernard, you're preaching to the choir! lol
I burned the engine out on my Nissan 240. I never changed the oil, or filter or anything. We had to buy a new engine. My darling husband was not happy AT. ALL.
Now I've since gotten a Volvo and you can best believe I follow the maintenance guide to the letter. I learned my lesson the hard way.
That is a very rough learning experience, Tanya. :)
I couldn't imagine not changing the oil AND the filter every 3-5K miles. But then, I've seen an engine with a rod through the pan. Really. All the way through the bottom. Not a pretty sight, and thankfully not anyone I knew, but it's stayed with me all these years and an oil change is a small price to pay to help ensure I'm not leaving my car broken on the side of the highway like the one I saw.
Once again, your customers astound me, Bernard.
Wise words before it's too late.
Remember, VL, they are customers because they need help with their vehicles. You're knowledgeable about what you drive, but a lot of people look on what they get around in as a four wheel beast needing fed constantly. Sometimes, they're hesitant to have anyone touch it when it's going good. The old 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' rule. :)
Yep, Barbara, even at my inflated prices, customers can three times a year get their oil and filter changed - along with tires, belts, hoses, fluid levels, lights, brakes and undercarriage checked for under a $170 per year. It's a bargain. :)
I am suitabley wracked with guilt. Actually, I want the Escort to fail so I can have the excuse to push it over a cliff.
Cosmic balance being what it is, Sandra, the Escort will conk out on you at the worst possible moment you can imagine. :)
Good thing it's only a seven minute drive to work, then!
'Good thing it's only a seven minute drive to work, then!'
It all depends on whether you're in the middle of a blizzard or a rainstorm. :)
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