Your car is a finely tuned machine that can serve you faithfully for hundreds of thousands of miles. However, to enjoy that kind of service, you must treat it well and perform regular auto repair. Maintenance tasks like changing the oil, aligning the wheels, and scheduling transmission service as needed will extend the lifespan of your vehicle and improve performance. Auto manufacturers supply a recommended factory maintenance schedule in most vehicle owner's manuals, and it's important you follow their recommendations.

Top 4 Benefits of Following Your Car's Factory Maintenance Schedule

1. Your Warranty

Many vehicle warranties require owners to maintain their vehicle properly or risk denial of warranty coverage. If you follow the recommended schedule to the letter, you don’t have to worry that your warranty claim might be denied when you require auto repairs.

2. Fuel Efficiency

A misaligned front end, low tire pressure, or other issues could cause your car's fuel economy to plummet. This not only wastes non-renewable resources, but it also costs you money at the pump.

3. Safety

If you fail to maintain your brakes or tires, you put your safety—and that of your passengers—at risk every time you hit the road. Bald tires could blow out at any time, and they pose a handling hazard on wet or snowy roads. Weak brakes could result in a collision with the car ahead of you or a failure to stop at a traffic signal.

4. Vehicle Life

To preserve the life of your vehicle, it needs regular oil and fluid changes. Oil and transmission fluid both lubricate fast-moving parts, reduce friction, and dissipate heat. If you let either type of fluid get old, dirty, or low, you risk the engine or transmission overheating and seizing up, among other expensive auto repairs. Eventually, the heavy wear will lead to a replacement sooner than you had expected.

Faithfully following your vehicle's factory maintenance schedule provides many benefits. For assistance from an expert auto repair shop, contact Gearheads Auto & Truck Services in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. They are RepairPal certified and handle anything from brake repair and oil changes to more complex repairs like suspension, alignment, or transmission service. Visit their website to read testimonials from previous clients, and call (330) 929-0200 to schedule an appointment.