FREUDIAN THINKING By Bruce W. Smith It’s human nature these days to lump individuals into one of two personality traits—Type A or Type B. Believe it or not, pickups and SUVs have the same “personality” classifications in the automotive world. The maintenance section in a vehicle owner’s manual list two vehicle “personalities” and their respective maintenance schedules: A and B. Like their human drivers, these vehicle types are world’s apart in how they move through life and like to be treated. Type A vehicles are undoubtedly used by Type B people. They are not used for towing or hauling heavy loads; they are always on the road for more than 10 miles; there’s no long periods of idling; no stop-and-go driving; and they are never driven on dusty roads, off-pavement, or in the desert. Oh, and they are left parked when the temperature drops below freezing; they never sustain interstate speeds for long periods of time when the thermometer is above 90-degrees; and, they never use E-85 gasoline. Basically, the Type A vehicle is the one granny puts the key in and drives 50 miles on the interstate to your house to see her grandchildren. HIGH MAINTENANCE “TYPE B” That means the rest of us are driving a vehicle with a Type B automotive personality—and it requires following a maintenance schedule designated for lack of a better description, severe use. Type B vehicles are high-maintenance if they are to remain happy and productive—like the Type As who drive them. Each Type B vehicle has its own little maintenance schedule idiosyncrasies. But in general, oil changes should be done every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first. Tires air pressures should be checked at every oil change and rotated every second oil change. While the tires are off, the brakes need to be inspected. Diesel owners will be draining the fuel filter/water separator with each oil change. The air filter should be pulled, inspected and cleaned (or replaced) every 15,000 miles. You should check the level and condition of the lube in the differentials at the same interval—especially if your tow vehicle is four-wheel-drive—and replace it every 60,000 miles. If you are driving a diesel, the water/fuel separator filter should be inspected and most likely replaced around 25,000 miles. If your tow vehicle has sparkplugs (many new vehicles have coil-on-plugs that are good for a 100,000 miles), those should be replaced every 30,000 miles. So should the transfer case oil if you use four-wheel-drive very often. This is also the mileage the fan and accessory drive belts need close checking. REACHING 50 Around 50,000 miles maintenance costs ramp up. The shocks probably need to be replaced. The air filter and brakes, too, if they haven’t been already. It’s also time to think about new tires and having the front-end aligned. This is also the time to flush the radiator and refill the system with a quality summer/winter coolant. The PVC valve may need replacing as well. Transmissions need attention; some Type B automatics require a full fluid/filter service at this point. Manual transmissions are getting rare these days, but if your tow vehicle is so equipped, this is the mileage to have the clutch checked and the tranny lube drained and replaced. OLD AGE By the time the odometer rolls past 120,000 miles, the maintenance schedule is a near repeat of the same items done at 50,000 miles, only much more expensive as “old age” sets in. Among the long list of maintenance items: replace all lubricants and filters, have the cooling system flushed, slip on new tires and shocks, and replace the plugs or coil-on-plugs. Diesels should have the injection system checked, cleaned and any bad injectors replaced. It’s also a good time to have the engine oil analyzed to see if there’re problems brewing deep inside the engine that could lead to bigger problems down the road. It’s also around this mileage when I begin thinking seriously about trading in that faithful Type B pickup or SUV for a new one. Unlike marriage, it’s perfectly acceptable, encouraged actually, to get a new truck or SUV when the upkeep brought on by years of hard use begin wearing heavily on the wallet. Love has nothing to do with it.—Bruce W. Smith
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