Preventative Maintenance: Listening to Your Car

by Rob, Cars for Keeps Owner

Mike the Librarian.

My buddy Mike gave me a ride home from the range last week. Being the car geek I am, I immediately asked him how long the back tires had been making that growling sound.

He said “What sound?” and once again proved that people often don’t hear or feel the gradual changes their vehicles go through. Until the noise was gone, he thought it was normal.

That’s another reason it’s so important to have a trusted, knowledgeable person give you an independent perspective of your cars safety and reliability.

I recommend a basic inspection at least every three months. Note that I didn’t recommend oil change that often, it's just that since we change our oil so much less often in modern vehicles, it is too easy to ignore an issue that could have a simple remedy if caught early enough, so, every change of season presents a vehicle with temperature and moisture changes that affect multiple parts of your mobility. At Cars for Keeps, we call this inspection our AAA Readiness Inspection. If we normally do your oil changes, we do it for you for free. This usually works out to be an oil change every other readiness inspection.

Our high tech road machines (Cars) adjust themselves with such precision, that most people don’t know any fault is happening until the computers cant compensate any further & the system “folds” in sometimes simple and sometimes dramatic ways.

Even if you choose the convenience (perceived convenience IMHO) of the drive through oil change place, having a qualified mechanic inspect it regularly is a key aspect of the long term reliability of your mobility machine.

More about Mike's Great Escape next time.

Watch for our Hot Apple Cider Specials this month…