Ignoring Preventative Maintenance on Your European Car Could Damage Your Investment

Benefits of Properly Maintaining Your Vehicle

Making an appointment for preventative maintenance on your European car is like making an appointment with your doctor for an annual checkup. When you visit your doctor, he checks your blood pressure, adjusts your medications, orders bloodwork and performs other tests to make sure you’re healthy. When you take your car in for preventive maintenance, you’re investing in your car’s long-term performance. The cost of keeping up with your preventive maintenance schedule is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of repairing systems that fail because a vehicle wasn’t properly maintained.

During a preventive maintenance service, scheduled maintenance that is essential for keeping your vehicle running smoothly is reviewed and recommended. If you ignore these maintenance visits, you’re missing out on critical opportunities for your service provider to spot potential “red flags” in your car’s fundamental systems. For example, he may notice that a belt or hose is showing signs of wear, or that your battery is nearing the end of its life span. By spotting inevitable problems, you’ll be able to prevent those problems rather than finding out about them only after you are left stranded on the side of the road.

What Does a Maintenance Visit Consist Of?

Here are some common services included in the preventive maintenance schedule on an import car.

• Oil and oil filter change. While changing the oil and filter on an import car costs more than it does on a domestic car, imports can be driven thousands more miles than domestics between recommended oil and filter changes.
• Coolant and antifreeze service. Different coolants and antifreeze have different lifespans. As part of a preventive maintenance visit, a tech will check to see if a flush is needed to remove debris.
• Air filter change. One AAA study concluded that dirty air filters topped the list of overlooked preventive maintenance issues. A dirty air filter compromises cabin air quality and the performance of your cooling system.
• Power steering, transmission, and brake fluid evaluation. Many vehicle manufacturers list no recommended service interval for these items, but a good service technician will check fluid levels and quality as part of a preventive maintenance visit.
• Tire evaluation. As tread wears down, tires become more prone to flats, leaks and handling problems.
• Wiper blade evaluation. When your blades create streaks as they cross your windows, it’s time to replace them.

Have a German Car? Trust a German Car Specialist

If you value your import, you should never overlook preventive maintenance or underestimate the benefits of having that maintenance performed by a provider familiar with your specific car. European vehicles are significantly different than American or Japanese vehicles. We’re called German Import Service for a reason. We specialize in German imports!