Chevrolet Forum Members Share Tips to Keep Your Ride Running Right
Beyond performing scheduled maintenance, here are a few things you can do to extend the life of your Chevrolet.
With new vehicle prices rising each passing year, maintaining your older Chevrolet is the best way to save a few bucks. Not to mention protect your investment by optimizing resale value. But beyond following the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual, there are may other ways to accomplish this task. Chevrolet Forum member oilcanhenry shared a few tips recently in this thread. And he also asked others what they were doing to maximize the life of their Chevrolet, too.
“What are you doing to make your Chevy run longer? Here are a few examples I use. Motor oil/ filter 5,000-6,000 miles, full-synthetic. Grease any zerk fittings. All hydraulic brake and clutch throw-out fluids every 2-3 years. Put manual trans in neutral at long stop lights, trains, etc. Same with automatic transmission. All automatic trans fluids changed at 25,000 to 50,000, depending on smell and looks or filter. Manual trans every 4-5 years. Extend green engine coolant with additive package. 4-5 years drain intervals. No orange dex-cool coolant at all.
Axles and transfer case fluids on pickups, Burbs, Tahoe changed 4-5 years depending on dusty conditions. Clean MAF and install new air filter every year. Fuel filter every year. Techron complete down the gas tank once a month. Run till low on gas. Air conditioner on in cold weather for short periods to keep everything well lubricated. Turn heater on routinely in summer to flush all the older coolant out. Half hour at 2,000 rpms every month or so. Don’t want to change heater core.”
“I add fuel injector cleaner to the tank at every oil change. If I had a direct injection gas engine, I would perform an induction clean once a year. If I lived in the rust belt, I’d clean and lubricate the brake caliper pins and brackets once a year. Front end and suspension check once a year.”
“I think the most ignored items are the fuel filter and trans. People only think about the fuel filter once there is an issue. A restricted fuel filter will put more strain on the fuel pump and will cause it to fail faster. The trans is ignored because of the recommended change time from years ago, which was every 100k miles. I’ve run Delvac 15-40 in my ’04 Impala for a few years now and it just went over 205k. Changed the trans fluid a few times since I’ve had the car.”
And in2pro has a few extra tips that should help your Chevrolet run for even longer than it should, too.
“I place a strong magnet on my oil filter to help capture suspended metal in oil. When I get home in the summer evenings, I open the hood to help alleviate heat build up. Rotate tires at every oil change. Wash the underside once or twice a year. Lube all latches and hinges with a shot of white lithium. Wipe down rubber door seals with silicone paste once or twice a year.”
So far, this thread is full of great tips and tricks to help keep your ride running and looking its best for years to come. But we want to know what you think. What sort of things do you do, above and beyond typical maintenance? Head over here and tell us all about it!
Photos: Chevrolet Forum
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