Thanks for commenting!! Just blowing out a cabin air filter might be enough to get several thousand more miles out of it.

Kevin

Also, don’t be scared to negotiate with your local Firestone dealer. I picked up a set of top of the line Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos for slightly more than the Firestone Destination A/Ts I intended to purchase, only because I asked for their best deal.

Also, cabin air filters can be cleaned at least once between replacements. There are cleaning solutions on the market specially designed for air filters.

-kc

I have a few minor comments:

1. If your average trip is less than 5 miles, you should probably change your oil between 3,000 and 5,000 miles, since short trips are very hard on engine oil – it never warms up enough to “boil out” any moisture that condenses in the engine (remember that “white water vapor” that comes out of the tail pipes of cars when just started up and moisture builds sludge and acids. FWIW I’ve owned a few “OLM” or “oil life monitor” cars (which actually used the engine’s computer to track engine usage and conditions, not to actually peek at the oil) and on my 30 mile freeway commute, I get 7,000-10,000 mile oil change recommendations BUT on my wife’s car, which is used for almost all surface street short trips, the recommended oil change intervals is only 2,500-4,000 miles. And that’s based on the car manufacturer’s bias towards using less oil, not more (we know the Jiff Lubes etc. are biased towards 3,000 mile oil changes no matter what). (What cracks me up about Honda, in particular, is that the manuals used to call for 10k oil change intervals, except in “severe” conditions, but even on my easy freeway commute the OLM in my Fit called for 8,000 mile changes – still much better than 3,000, but far short of the “standard” 10,000 mile intervals they used to preach.)

2. I used to like oil change shops because they wouldn’t try to upsell you on useless services. But now the Oil Changers and Jiffy Lubes of the world have gotten into the same racket as dealerships, and try to sell you stuff that goes beyond the oil change. Only Wal-Mart doesn’t do that, mainly because they don’t offer other services. So if you want the least hassle, go to Wal-Mart. Otherwise, most dealerships offer oil change specials at prices that match the independents, plus include a free inspection. One downside: not all dealers are as fast as independents. Look for the ones with designated “Express Lanes” etc. Also don’t overlook dealerships that service “other makes and models” – dealerships usually hire and train better personnel than oil change shops, where turnover is brutal. As you pointed out, take your own drain plug washers with you just in case, the evil rule of mechanics is “when you don’t have the right part, use the old one or improvise”, so never assume they will send out for your “crush once” Honda or Nissan drain plug washer if they don’t have them handy.

3. The big 3 of critical items are oil changes, tire pressure, and wiper changes. You can almost skip everything else for the first 50,000 miles and not be in serious trouble. Sure, your air filter might be wheezing a little, which might affect gas mileage, but it actually filters BETTER as it loads up with dirt. BTW, I am a big believer in factory air filters – it’s not a question of the filtering medium or number of pleats, it’s how “perfectly” it fits and seals into the air box, so there are no leaks around the edges. Almost all oil filters are good and the oil doesn’t need as much filtering these days as you might think, thanks to cleaner running engines.

4. It’s simply astonishing how good the other engine fluids are, in modern (post 2000) cars. Apart from the engine oil itself, most fluids are good for 50,000, 100,000, or even 150,000 mile intervals – read your manual. The oil change shops let us down here – they try to talk us into replacing coolant etc., on “old time” schedules, and then replace them with so called “universal” fluids that aren’t as good as the manufacturer’s spec fluid. For fluid changes, it pays to call the dealerships and price their “specials.”

5. The one item I DO service that isn’t always recommended, is to replace brake fluid every three years. Brake fluid is “hygroscopic” which is a fancy term for “absorbs moisture from the air like a magnet.” Water lowers the boil point, and could lead to an unsafe condition if you are coming down a mountain and riding your brakes a lot. Dealers don’t promote this particular fluid change because there is no magic machine that will do it quickly and cheaply and become a high profit center, but I’d think about changing brake fluid before worrying about coolant, and unnecessary power steering fluid changes are bordering on the scam of the day.

6. The best way to save money is not necessarily in avoiding dealerships – it’s reading the owner’s manual and learning to say “no” to all their ploys to upgrade you to 20 year old service schedules harkening back to the days when cars had rotors and points instead of electronic ignitions and 100k sparkplugs. If you avoid the service writer’s Jedi mind tricks, there are actually a lot of good reasons for finding a good dealer and establishing a relationship with them, not the least of which is checking for recalls and doing warranty work.

7. I have found Firestone much improved as a “chain” independent repair shop. YMMV from location to location, but I’ve had good experience with them as have some friends and co-workers. And don’t forget the local service station – they often lease out the service bays to a contractor who is highly dependent on word of mouth and repeat business to survive, and as family run businesses they often seem to care more than large chains.

6. Cabin air filters are a rip-off – cost about $15 at an autoparts place, but many dealers and oil shops want $80 or more to put them in, and recommend aggressive replacement schedules. For THESE filters, one from Wal Mart or Kragen’s etc. is just fine – any little dust that slips by goes in the cabin, not into the engine. The engine is a LOT fussier than us, believe it or not.