Vast Majority Follow Maker's Maintenance Guidelines
A new exclusive survey by BuyingAdvice.com shows that over 90 percent of vehicle owners say they follow the manufacturer's guidelines when it comes to maintenance. Over 80 percent believe keeping up with maintenance improves the resale value of their car. But industry experts believe there is more to be gained from the practice beyond simply preserving the value of your investment.
"The most important thing about routine maintenance is that it will help lower your overall cost of driving. Keeping up with the routine fluid and filter changes will go a long way towards preventing a much more costly repair later on," says retired dealer Earnest Jordan.
"You also get the benefit of maintaining your car at peak performance. With the technology in today's vehicles, you can't rely on hearing a change in engine note or slow starting to tell you when it is time to get work done. The engine can often adjust itself to compensate, but you are losing performance, gas mileage and increasing engine wear while it does," says Jordan.
The first step is to know what the suggested maintenance intervals are for your vehicle. Also it is helpful to identify the type of driving you do most often. Most owner manuals now come with a variety of suggestions for different types of driving using a variety of terms such as "severe conditions" or "hard conditions". Clearly, the more extreme your driving conditions are, the shorter the time between tune-ups should be. Jordan recommends reading "the definitions used to establish these categories as the names can be somewhat misleading."
For example, you can fall into the "severe" category simply based on the climate you live in - extremes of hot or cold, or by using your vehicle to tow a trailer. Although the majority of drivers falling into this category will be city drivers who do a great deal of commuting especially in slow moving traffic.
Once you have established the suggested maintenance schedule for your driving pattern, the next key to getting the most from your maintenance efforts is to keep good records to show that you have met the requirements. In our survey, eighty seven percent of the 2096 respondents said that they keep service records for their vehicle.
Not only will records be a sales tool when you come to sell the car, but if you become involved in a disputed warranty claim, you may need to be able to demonstrate that you met the requirements of the warranty by conducting the maintenance on schedule.
It is particularly important for lease owners to keep their records in case a dispute arises when they come to turn the vehicle in at the end of the lease term. Before entering a lease, be sure to check if the agreement places obligations on you as to where the maintenance has to take place.
In our survey, sixty seven percent of owners said they had their maintenance performed at a dealership. While this may be required in the case of lease owners, Jordan says there are pros and cons to having maintenance done at a dealership.
"There is no doubt that dealership staff are often specialists in certain vehicles and they see more of a specific brand than a shop that works across the board. However, that expertise usually comes with higher price tag than you might find elsewhere. If you are just looking for an oil change and you have a fairly popular model, then just go with price.
"If you are driving a luxury vehicle or a model that has a lot of high technology features, it may well be worth paying extra to have a specialist do the work, particularly if you suspect there may be some sort of problem. Also, in that case, if you are still under warranty, take it to the dealership first because your problem may be covered," he said.
But is regular maintenance reflected in higher resale value? Eighty three percent of our poll sample said that they believed it was. Jordan is more cautious.
"Clearly having the records available and organized is a plus. But the value you get out of that is essentially down to your own negotiating skills. A dealer or even a private buyer is essentially trying to buy your vehicle for as little as possible, and that doesn't change because you can demonstrate you have taken good care of it.
"Supply and demand in your area for that make and model will ultimately determine the range of price you can expect, but a demonstrable record of regular maintenance is likely to allow you to set your price toward the top end of the range.
"Have the records available and say they are, but judge your potential buyer's reaction. For some buyers this is a big selling point, for other's not so much. If their first move is to examine the engine in some detail; that may be a good time to introduce the subject. Ask yourself if the buyer is looking for reassurance, scared of making a decision, that again may be a good time to say you have the records available. Turn it into a reason to buy your car over someone else's.
"But read your buyer, the importance they place on the maintenance records will determine how much value you can place on them. In the meantime, know that you will have saved yourself considerable expense during the time you have owned the vehicle by keeping up with the suggested schedule."
Published on Friday, November 16, 2007 - Email to a friend
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