Car maintenance basics

Each car comes with its own maintenance schedule, printed in the owner's manual. Skipping routine work, even an oil change or a coolant check, can cost gas mileage and lead to an expensive breakdown.

The schedule in your manual

The maintenance table is usually near the back of the owner's manual. It lists each job, such as an oil change, a tire rotation or a filter, against a mileage or a time, whichever comes first. Some manuals add a second column for harder use. Follow the column that matches how you drive.

Some repair shops set their own schedules, with more frequent service than the manual calls for. Compare a shop's list with the manual's, and ask the shop why it wants work the manual doesn't list.

Checks you can do yourself

• Check the tire pressure every month against the placard in the driver's doorjamb, not the maximum printed on the sidewall. Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by 0.6 percent on average, and up to 3 percent in some cases.
• Look at the tread. Every tire, all-season or winter, needs enough tread to grip and stop.
• Check the oil level on level ground with the engine off. Pull the dipstick, wipe it, push it back in and read the level between the two marks.
• Look at the wiper blades. A blade that is splitting, peeling or not touching the glass evenly needs replacing.
• Walk around the car with the headlights, brake lights and turn signals on, or ask someone to watch while you work the switches.

Use the grade of oil the manual names. The wrong grade can lower gas mileage by 1 to 2 percent.

Jobs for a shop

Oil changes, brake checks, battery tests and coolant service go to a shop on the manual's schedule, unless you do your own work. Have the battery tested before winter. A battery puts out less current in the cold, so a failing one may not show it until then. When the check engine light comes on, have a mechanic look at the car.

A new air filter on a modern fuel-injected engine can improve acceleration, but it doesn't improve gas mileage.

The car maintenance that prevents expensive repairs goes through these jobs one at a time.

Finding a shop

Look for a repair shop before you need one, so you aren't choosing one in a hurry after a breakdown. Ask people you trust for names, compare the shops' warranties on repairs, and ask whether the technicians work on your make and model. Where a state or city licenses repair shops, ask to see a current license. An Automotive Service Excellence seal means some or all of the technicians have met basic standards in specific areas.

Before any work starts, ask for a written estimate. It lists the problem, the parts and the expected labor, and it says the shop will call you before going past a set amount.

Seasons and trips

Cold weather is hard on batteries, tires and wipers. Getting your car ready for winter is the fall checklist. Before a long drive, check the same basics: tire pressure, tread, fluids and lights.

Documents to keep

• The owner's manual, or the manufacturer's online copy
• Each repair order. It lists each repair, the parts and their costs, the labor and the odometer reading when the car came in.
• A current proof-of-insurance card, kept in the car. What to do at the scene of a car accident is the checklist for a crash.
• Your auto policy, its changes and its renewal notices, kept in a file at home. What the coverages in your auto policy mean reads it line by line.