Hey Tucson Drivers, How Many Miles Are on Your Car?

Nowadays, Tucson drivers are paying more at AZ gas pumps. For some families it adds up to several hundred dollars every month. That’s got to come out of the budget somewhere. This is one of the reasons many AZ drivers are putting off buying a new car. They plan on keeping their old vehicle for a year or two longer than before.

Determining what to do for a higher-mileage vehicle can be challenging because many owner’s manuals don’t publish service intervals after 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers). Thus, Tucson drivers need to be better at keeping records and planning for preventive maintenance.

You can start by figuring that services with a recommended interval should still be performed on that interval, even after you’re past the tables in your service manual. For example, a service might be recommended every 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers). Well, just keep doing it every 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers) for as long as you have your car.

And keeping current with your full-service oil change schedule is important for a couple of reasons. First, older engines have had more time to build up oil sludge. Skipping an oil change here and there can really compound the problem for your vehicle.

Another equally important reason is that your other fluids are routinely checked and topped off. Power steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant and transmission fluid can be kept at optimal levels even though the older seals and gaskets are leaking more than when they were new.

And speaking of older seals and gaskets: they start to dry out and become more brittle with age. You may want to consider using high mileage formulation oil and fluids. These products contain additives to condition seals and gaskets to keep them from leaking. The high mileage formulations cost more than standard products, but they are well worth it in terms of preventing serious repair bills down the road.