As an old driver who had been driving for eight years and had changed three cars, i found that many of my fellow drivers had made the same mistake in the maintenance of the car: they felt that “the price is good” and that “the change of duty is better”, which not only cost nothing, but also caused early failure of the car. I myself stepped on the pit of “blindly swapping high-platform oil”, with an extra $200 for one maintenance and a noise in the engine, and then i went to a professional technician to check and find out that the oil was wrong and instead increased the engine burden。
Today, using the first person's real experience + specific data, we're going to tear down six of the worst maintenance faults, each of which combines my personal experience with official standards, so that we can see the truth and avoid cabbage, saving money and actually protecting cars
Zone 1: the more expensive the oil, the better
This is the most common area of error, where 80% of the new drivers around me are hit. My first car, toyota carola, was taken for maintenance for the first time, and the staff at 4s recommended me to use “full composite high-platform oil” to say “expensive oil lubricating well to extend the engine's life”, and to produce a price table, 0w-40, which is $200 more expensive than the zero-20 recommended in the manual. At the time, i felt that, “since i spent the money on maintenance, i chose the best”, and i was determined to increase the money for high-sign oil。
It took less than three months, and i found that the car was starting with a much higher noise, faster than before, and a 100-kilometre consumption of 0. 6 l. I went to my friend's car shop to check out the oil model and said, "you're paying for the car."。
He told me that the choice of oil was not to look at prices and labels at all, but to follow strictly the requirements of the vehicle user manual. According to the automobile engine lubricating oil selection guide (gb/t 2977-2016), different engine designs, performances and viscosity requirements are different. Low viscosity oil, which is generally suitable for low viscosity oils of 0 w-20 or 5w-30, is highly mobile and reduces the motor's operational resistance, while high pressure and temperature of the german turbine pressurized engine requires high viscosity oil of 5 w-40 or 0w-40 to ensure lubrication。
My carlola manual clearly requires zero-w-20 oil, and my change of zero-40 viscosity is too high, not only to increase engine resistance, leading to higher fuel consumption and reduced power, but also to overheating the oil film formed inside the engine, affecting heat spread and accelerating engine wear and tear as a result of prolonged use. Then i switched back to the 0w-20 recommended in the manual, and the noise and fuel consumption of the car returned to normal, with five years of engine failure。
For example, the blindly selected high-platform oil costs $200 more each time, 400 more a year, 2,000 more over five years, and could damage the engine to no avail. The correct approach is to flip out the vehicle manual prior to maintenance, select the oil model as required by the manual, as long as it is formally branded and meets national standards, and meet daily use requirements without having to pursue high-priced logos。
Ii. Zone of error 2: over-maintenance and frequent replacement of spare parts
Many owners felt that “the replacement parts would make them more durable” and even referred to the “maintenance cycle” as a “compulsory replacement period”, regardless of whether the spare parts were complete or not, and in time. A friend of mine, driving 20,000 kilometres in a popular car, listened to the advice of the 4s store, changed spark plugs, air filters, air-conditioning filters, cleaned the engine and spent $1,500 on one maintenance, and later found that many parts were unnecessary。
I almost made the same mistake myself. My second car, honda cr-v, was to be maintained when it ran 30,000 kilometres, and the staff at the 4s store said that “the spark plugs should be replaced, otherwise they would affect the efficiency of the ignition”, and recommended me for a “nozzle” “nozzle cleaning” at a total cost of over 800. I was a little hesitant at the time, because the manual stated that “30,000-40,000 kilometres of nickel alloy pyrotechnic pyrotechnics were replaced, 100,000 kilometres of pyrotechnic pyrotechnic pyrotechnics were replaced”, and that my vehicle had a pyrotechnic pyrotechnics that could logically run another 70,000 kilometres。
In order to confirm that i had staff members take it down and inspect it, i found that the spark plugs had very small electrodes, without wear and tear and carbon accumulation, and were fully compliant with the standards of use and did not need to be replaced at all. With regard to gas-saving doors and oil-jet mouths, staff members tested with specialized equipment and found little carbon accumulation and no need for cleaning. I ended up doing basic maintenance, costing more than $300, saving $500 over the package recommended by 4s。
In fact, vehicle parts are replaced with a scientific cycle, which is a “reference value” and not a “compulsory value”, specifically to be replaced with a combination of vehicle usage and professional tests. The replacement cycles and criteria for common parts are as follows:
• pyrotechnic plugs: 3-40,000 km replacement of nickel alloyed materials and 8-100,000 km replacement of iridium gold materials, which are judged by the need to replace the electrodes gap (over 0. 8 mm), the availability of carbon and the normality of ignition
• air-filtration cores: replacement of 1 - 15,000 kilometres under normal conditions, reduction of frequent runaway roads and multidust areas to 60 - 10,000 kilometres, with the test being whether the filter cores are plugged or broken
• air-conditioning filter cores: 60,000-10,000 km replacement, or depending on the frequency of use, the criteria for determining whether the filter cores are dirty or less wind discharges
• engine washing: there is no fixed cycle, which is only necessary when engine power is down, fuel consumption is up and the speed of the engine is not stable, and carbon accumulation is detected to be severe。
Over-maintenance is not only a waste of money but may also damage vehicles. For example, frequent replacement of spark plugs may result in leaks in cylinders as a result of inappropriate installation; frequent engine cleaning may result in the erosion of rubber seals inside engines, leading to oil spills. My friend ran away because 20,000 kilometres of spark plugs had been replaced, and later there had been a problem of flaming. The inspection revealed that the new spark plugs had been installed too heavily, damaged the screws, and it took over 300 dollars to fix them。
Therefore, maintenance is not “replaced as much as possible”, but rather “replaced on demand”, as measured by the manual cycle, combined with the results of specialized tests, in order to save money and protect vehicles。
Zone 3: any transfer of fetal pressure, with “comfort” only
Many of the transfers were based on a feeling that “the tire pressure is lower and the car is more comfortable” or “the tire pressure is higher and more fuel-efficient” and completely ignored the standard tire pressure of the vehicle. That's what i thought when i was driving the car, and i got a little bumpy and comfortable driving. As a result, there was a high-speed run, the car was in the wrong direction and it felt like the wheel was flying and i was scared to slow down to the side。
Later at the car shop, the technician told me that the main reason was the low pressure of the tire. As indicated on column b of the vehicle, my standard tire pressure for this vehicle is 2. 3-2. 5bar (cold vehicle condition), and i have moved to 2. 0bar below the standard value, leading to an increase in the area of exposure of tyres to the ground and an increase in rolling resistance, not only to higher fuel consumption (0. 5 l above 2. 3 bar at a measured tire pressure of 2. 0 bar, 100 km above 2. 3 bar), but also to an increase in the temperature of tyres and the risk of explosive tires when travelling at high speed; and to a reduction in the useful life of tyres due to severe wear on both sides of the tyre。
There are others who overwhelm their tires in order to save oil, for example, by moving to above 3. 0 bar, and while less rolling resistance and less fuel consumption may result in severe wear and tear in the middle of tyres, reduced gripping power, longer brakes and easier slippage during rainy days. As a result of high tire pressure, my neighbour broke into the car in the rain and hit the fence, fortunately no one was injured, but more than 10,000 pieces were repaired。
The correct method of transfer is:
1. Standard tire pressure found for vehicles: normally, on the side of column b of the vehicle, on the inside of the tank or on the user's manual, the standard tire pressure in the cold vehicle state will be indicated, with slight variations in the type of vehicle, with the prevalence of domestic cars in 2. 3-2. 5bar and the prevalence of suvs in 2. 4-2. 6bar
2. Examination of tire pressure in a cold vehicle: the tire pressure will change with temperature and the pressure of the heater will increase by 0. 3-0. 5 bar, so the results must be checked when the cold vehicle is parked for more than three hours
3. Periodic testing: it is recommended that the fetal pressure be tested once a month and adjusted in a timely manner during a new season (e. G. Winter/spring) as temperature changes affect the pressure of the fetus, which is about 0. 1 bar for each 10°c reduction。
I now have the habit of measuring a monthly tire pressure, which has been within the standard cell pressure range, with three years of driving, evenly worn tyres, and a steady consumption of 100 kilometres of oil, with no run-off or drift。
Error area 4: water tank with water instead of anti-frozen fluid, feeling “just cooling”
This area of error is concentrated on the owner of the old car, and many people feel that “freezing fluids and water are used to cool, and water is more expensive”, as my grandfather did, and it almost led to the end of the engine。
My grandfather drove an old jedda, and last summer he found less anti-frozen fluid in the water tank and added piped water. As a result, less than a week ago, the car broke down in the middle of the road, the engine temperature soared, and the dashboard called the police. When dragged to the shop, it was found that the water tank and engine waterway were thickly covered with water, resulting in a lack of cooling fluid circulation, overheating of the engine, the bursting of the casks and the repair of more than 2,000 pieces。
The technician told me that the difference between anti-frozen fluid and water was so great that they could not be replaced at will. First, anti-freeze fluids have low ice points and high boiling points that can adapt to different climatic conditions, such as the low temperature of -30°c in the northern winter, which keeps the liquid state, while the water freezes, expands, and freezes crack tanks and engine waterways; high summer temperatures in the southern part, where the impregnated fluid has a boiling point of more than 108°c, while the boiling point of the water is 100°c, which is easily boiling and leads to overheating engines。
Second, anti-frozen fluids contain stain-resistant, preservative, dirt-resistant additives that protect the metal parts of water tanks and engines from rust and dust, while piped water contains minerals that can be used in a long-term manner to create mud, jam waterways, affect heat dispersion and corrupt metal components to reduce engine life。
In accordance with the technical conditions for the safety of operation of motor vehicles (gb 7258-2017), motor vehicle cooling systems must use a standard anti-frozen fluid and no water should be added to them. The correct approach is:
1. Selection of formal anti-freezing fluids: choice of anti-freezing fluids that meet national standards and avoidance of purchase of three zero products
2. Selection of ice points by local temperature: ice points for anti-freeze are about 10°c below the local minimum temperature, such as those for the northern minimum - 30°c, which is 40°c; minimum temperatures for the south - 5°c, which is sufficient for ice points - 15°c
3. Combining different brands: different brands of anti-freeze formulations, which may produce chemical reactions, generate sedimentation, block waterways, and recommend the consistent use of the same brand of anti-freeze fluids
4. Periodically replaced: refrigerated fluids normally have a replacement cycle of 2 years or 40,000 kilometres, depending on the requirements of the manual, are replaced on maturity in a timely manner and cannot be replaced for long periods, otherwise the additives will be rendered ineffective and rust-resistant and preservative。
I've checked the liquids and state of anti-frozen fluids every six months, and i've found that the same brand of anti-frozen fluid is missing, that there's never been any tap water, that cars have been running for years, and that water tanks and engines have not had problems。
Zone 5: ignore the air core and feel that the "dirty point is fine"
The air filter core is the “face mask” of the engine, which is responsible for filtrating the dust, sand, etc. In the air and protecting parts such as engine cylinders, pistons, etc. However, many of the owners felt that “the air filtration core does not matter and does not affect the driving” and did not even change until the car failed。
When my third car, plus dm-i, was driven 20,000 kilometres by biadizon, it was found that the power of the vehicle had decreased, at a faster rate than before, and that fuel consumption was 0. 8 l/100 km higher. I thought it was the engine that went to the 4s store and found that the culprit was the air filtration core, which was dirty and covered with dust and sand, resulting in insufficient gas intake, inadequate engine combustion, reduced power and higher fuel consumption。
The mechanics told me that air core replacement cycles are typically 1 - 15,000 kilometres, with frequent run-down roads, multi-dust areas (e. G. Site, rural dirt roads) reduced to 60 - 10 million kilometres. If not replaced over the long term, air filter cores will be blocked and insufficient gas intake will lead not only to reduced power and higher fuel consumption, but also to dust and sand entering the engine itself, accelerating the wear of gas cylinders, pistons and, in serious cases, engines pulling tanks at a cost of thousands or thousands of dollars。
I spent $50 on a new air filter core, and the power and fuel consumption of the car immediately returned to normal. I later developed the habit of regularly checking the air filter cores, allowing staff to take it down every time they were maintained, replacing it in time if it was dirty, and now the car is 30,000 kilometres away and the engine remains in good condition。
Here is a small technique: you can normally check the air core yourself, open the engine chamber, find the shell of the air filter core (usually a black plastic box), remove the filter core by wringing the button, use the flashlight, and replace it if you can see visible dust, sand, or the colour of the filter becomes darker; if it's just a slight stain, it can be blown out of the interior and used temporarily, but not for long。
Zone 6: brake oil “for life” and “without deterioration”
Brake oil is the “blood” of the brake system, which is directly related to the safety of the vehicle, but it is very dangerous for many drivers to feel that “the brake oil will not be replaced as long as it has not changed or decreased”, even if it has not been replaced for five or six years。
I've got a colleague driving in a bek-eng-rong for six years without changing brake oil. One day it rained, and he drove out, and he had an emergency. As a result, the brake pedals were pedaled softly, the brakes were not responding, and fortunately the speed was slow before they hit the person. A subsequent inspection at the car repair shop revealed that the amount of brake oil was more than 3 per cent, resulting in the failure of the brake system。
The technician explained that brake oil was a highly water-absorption liquid and that prolonged use absorbed water in the air, resulting in higher water content. When the amount of water is more than 3 per cent, the boiling point of the brake oil is reduced, when frequent brakes (e. G. Mountain roads, traffic jams), when the brake oil boils into bubbles, creating “air resistance”, causing the brake to fail; and when the water corrodes the metal parts of the brake system (e. G. Brake split pumps, pipelines), causing rust, leaks and influencing the brake effect。
In accordance with the requirements of automobile brake liquids (gb 12981-2012), brake oil is usually replaced for a period of 2 years or 40,000 kilometres, with regular monitoring of water content, if any, and timely replacement if more than 3 per cent. Every two years, my car changes brake oil on time, at a cost of about $200 per replacement, and it is worth it to keep the brakes safe, despite the cost。
Proper replacement of brake oil:
1. Select a pair of models: brake oils with models dot3, dot4, and dot5, different types of brake oils, which are not commingled, are selected strictly in accordance with the requirements of the vehicle manual
2. Full discharge: when replacing brake oil, the air in the brake system is to be completely discharged, otherwise the effect of the brake is to be affected
3. Choice of formal channels: the purchase of formal branded brake oil, avoiding the purchase of non-products, the precarious performance of poor-quality brake oil and vulnerability to safety incidents。
Vii. Summary of old directors: the three core principles of car maintenance money
After eight years of driving, stepping on a lot of maintenance pits and consulting a lot of professional technicians, i sum up the three core principles of car maintenance, and if you remember, you can make less of a turn and not spend money:
Use the user manual as a benchmark and do not blindly listen to “recommendations”
The vehicle user manual, which is based on the design, performance and maintenance cycles of the vehicle, the oil model, the spare parts replacement criteria, etc., is the most scientific and authoritative. The manual is used as a basis for maintenance and “additional items” (e. G. Engine cleaning, air-saving door cleaning, replacement of spark plugs, etc.) recommended by 4s or a car repair shop must first see whether the manual is required and then be tested by staff using specialized equipment, recognizing the need to do it again and not to listen blindly to the “recommendations” to avoid excessive maintenance。
Select only “right” and not “high”
Car maintenance is not “as expensive as possible” but “as fit”. Maintenance supplies such as oil, anti-freezing fluids and brake oil, provided that they are regular branded and conform to national standards, are sufficient to meet daily use needs and there is no need to pursue high-priced products; the same is true for spare parts replacement, which does not require early replacement, as long as they meet the standards of use, which is the least expensive, least-protected vehicle option。
Regular maintenance, with emphasis on "hidden safety components"
Car maintenance not only replaces conventional components such as oil, filtering, but also focuses on “hidden safety parts” such as brake systems, diversion systems, tyres, which are directly related to the safety of the vehicle and must be periodically checked and replaced in a timely manner. For example, brake oil, brake plates, brakes, tire pressure, tire wear, etc. Are regularly tested, and problems are dealt with in a timely manner, and there is no room for surprise。
Viii. Conclusion: car maintenance, are you “overcare” or “neglect maintenance”
Many drivers are now at two extremes of maintenance: either over-maintenance, frequent replacement of spare parts, pursuit of high-priced products, and unfair loss of money; or neglect of maintenance, with the feeling that “cars are not broken and need not be maintained”; and prolonged non-replacement of oil, brake oil, air cores, etc., leading to early failure of vehicles and even safety incidents。
As an old driver, i think that car maintenance is like “human support” and that it is essential that it be “inspected” on time without “over-compensated”, and that scientific maintenance is the key. The maintenance projects required by the manual must be carried out on time, without the necessary firmness; spare parts should be replaced in a timely manner and not in advance; and security components should be checked in order to make the vehicles durable and safe。
Finally, i would like to ask you: which pits have you stepped on for car maintenance? Have you experienced excessive or negligent maintenance? Do you usually follow the manual, or do you follow the advice of 4s? Welcome to the comment section, share your maintenance experience and skills, and get more drivers to avoid pickles and scientific maintenance! I hope this article will help you with your maintenance, save you money and keep the car company longer
