Many people underestimate the importance of scheduled maintenance for their vehicles. Those people also don’t keep the same vehicle very long, whether they want to or not. This is because those vehicles that do not receive their regular, scheduled maintenance generally don’t last very long.

A vehicle that has been maintained correctly, and to the manufacturer’s specifications can last for a lot longer than most people realize. It wasn’t too long ago that a vehicle with over 100,000 miles was a rarity. Nowadays cars regularly cross the 300,000 mile threshold. You can bet, though, that those with that kind of mileage get their regular maintenance on time, every time.

Oil changes are one of the most important things to your vehicle’s health. The motor oil not only lubricates, but it also contains chemicals that condition internal parts of your engine that were built with regular oil changes in mind. Many think that they can just check the color of the oil on their dipstick, and that if it’s not “too dark”, they can keep going on that oil. That is dangerous, and very bad for your car’s engine, because it does not take in to consideration the condition of the filter, or how much of the additives are still in the oil. Your car manufacturer suggests oil changes at regular intervals for a reason. Your car needs them.

Tire rotation is another important aspect of vehicle maintenance, and has an even more direct impact on your bank account than oil changes. Tires are intended to be rotated every 6,000 miles. This helps them wear evenly, and prevents them from wearing out early. By not rotating them, you can very easily shorten the life of tires that are intended to last 40,000 miles down to 15,000 miles. Again, people think they can tell, just by looking at the tires, if they need to be rotated. This is simply not the case. If you can tell that your tire is wearing incorrectly, you’ve already shortened its lifespan considerably. Not rotating tires can easily be the most expensive vehicle maintenance mistake that people make.

When it’s time for your car’s scheduled maintenance, see the folks at Convenience Retailing, located in Baltimore, Columbia, and Ellicott City. They can take care of all of your vehicle’s maintenance needs while providing excellent, award winning customer service.

Greenspring Shell

2859 Smith Avenue Baltimore, MD 21209 (410) 484-3664

Columbia Sunoco

7248 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 21045 (410) 381-1130

Dorsey Hall Sunoco

4755 Dorsey Hall Drive Ellicott City, MD 21042 (410) 740-2305