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Ultimate Maintenance Schedule
Each car enthusiast at least once is wondering - what is the best service intervals for each type of work? What is the best mileage and what should I change after a winter or summer time? How properly maintain your vehicle to make it last longer without any problems in the future?
To answer all these questions we created an Ultimate Maintenance Schedule. Next we will go through almost all major works which have to be done to your car during the regular usage. We don't create this article for people who drive their car on the track or race in any kind. If you race your car or do a track driving you can follow with your own schedule but it will be close to what we provide.
Oil Change
Engine Air Filter
The second but also very important part of your engine is a clean air, so the air filter is a crucial factor. With the time the air filter can clog and reduce an air flow which will cause power leaks and MPG increase.
By changing the air filter in time will help you to keep your car air flow constantly great with fresh air and will help your engine to work without an additional stress. We suggest to do so every 30K miles of driving or once a year whatever come first.
Coolant and coolant hoses
Keep your engine cool is a great way to safe it for a long time and mileage, so the coolant system suppose to work with no issues. During the time coolant loosing an ability to perform as good as a new one and can damage hoses and thermostat. Because of that it must be flushed to ensure it's performance.
Our suggestion to change the coolant as often as each 30K miles or biennially. It will help to keep your engine running cool and will not creating damages to coolant system internals.
Don't forget to change the rubber hoses as well. If you're asking - why do I need to change the hoses if they are not leaking? First of all - do you want to stock in the traffic or in the middle of nowhere because your coolant hose gone bad? Coolant hoses are exposed to very bad weather conditions. Coolant temperature can rise up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit with the outside temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit at winter which is really affecting the rubber performance. It will not go bad after a year or two but to make sure you will not be in trouble we suggest to check your hoses for any damages each year with the annual inspection and replace them after 60K miles or after four year of usage.
This also applies to the water pump and thermostat. Check them for leaks and damages with the annual inspection and replace each 60K miles or every four years.
Spark plugs and wires (coils)
Each spark makes your car running. Loosing even one spark is like a loosing your heart beat which means that right spark plugs and properly working wires (coils) make your car a rocket.
Choose your spark plugs properly. All manufacture has a different ones with a different parameters and different gap between the center and ground electrodes. This gap is a major factor and effect the right flash timing so even if you purchased your spark plugs from the top manufacture each plug can have a different gap. Even a small amount can cause small delay in a detonation which is not good. By using the right tool to measure and right tool to bend you can create a great constant gap on each spark plug. If you want to know more about that process you can read a spark plug article on our website.
Concerning the replacement we suggest to change yours each 25-30K miles depending on your driving habits or biennially. Coils or wires can be changes each second spark plugs replacement, 50-60K miles or each four years.
Accessories belt
The accessories belt is a rubber made belt which engage all your accessories as an AC, alternator and etc. It works under almost the same condition as any rubber piece in your car. It can withstand really bad conditions while doing it's job so you have to be sure the belt is in a great shape. With the time it can stretch and start slipping on the pulleys making that bad sound. We can say it's the first sign that your accessories system is not working properly. It could be the problem with the belt or even the tension pulley.
To avoid the problem with the belt you can check it's condition at annual inspection, which you need to do each year. You need to look up at any damages, scratches, cracks and etc. If you found something is better to change the belt or you can do that each 60K miles which is pretty big mileage amount. Also we would suggest to change it every 4 years because with the time it can loose the rigidity as well.
Cabin Air Filter
How often do you have to change your Cabin Air Filter? We would say it depends on your driving conditions, on where do you live and how often you use your blowing unit. The cabin filter works almost the same way as the regular air filter but it helps to keep an outside air free from debris and any dust.
The great way to keep your car air clean is the swap your filter each 20K miles or annually.
Brake Fluid
We change all our oils frequently but what about the brake fluid? It is a really important part of your braking system and it must be maintained as well. We have different opinions on what is the service interval for that, how often you need to flush the system to prevent damages to your brake system itself. Due the brake fluid is the only car fluid which is really heavy and can brake the paint we suggest to watch on it and change it every 30K miles or each two years. It will help to refresh your brake system and will not allow to build anything in all your brake pipes and brake calipers.
We attach the PDF file with White Madness Garage Ultimate Schedule sheet where you can indicate each of your service for a proper maintenance intervals. You can use it not just for your Mustang but also for keeping a record for another car but you might have to adjust your intervals according your specification.
I would say the most important part in your car is your engine. Without a running engine you don't need a working suspension because you will be stock in your garage. Because of that reason we have to keep our engines in great working condition. The main part of it is the Oil which lube all engine components and help to reduce friction. Each car manufacture has their own intervals to safely use an engine without the oil change but we would drain the oil and replace the oil filter each 3-4K miles or at least once a year. Use a high grade synthetic oil and you can be safe.
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