My Vehicles' Maintenance Routine

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First off, I'd like to thank all the folks that post on this great forum. I've lurked for quite some time, and I've learned a lot. I'd like to share with you all my fluid schedules for my vehicles. Much of what I've decided upon is based on what I've learned here.

First, my vehicle usage is very light. My wife and I commute very locally, less that 5 miles each way, and we're easy on our cars. I know that our vehicles would probably be well served by the cheapest SuperTech oil, but I enjoy trying to use high-quality oil and filters in my vehicles, with the main goal of trying to increase their longevity.

Our main two daily drivers are a 2002 Ford Escape (hers) with 80,000 miles, and I use a 1995 Toyota Tercel with about 165,000 on the ODO. We average about 6,000 miles on each annually, so I do 6-month oil changes on each, which does make it easier to keep track -- I do oil changes May 1 and Nov 1 (or thereabouts). Both vehicles run well and have had their proper Auto-RX and Lubrilon treatments, the Tercel about two years ago, and the Escape last year.

About my fluids selection: my son works at Walmart, and I enjoy a 10% discount on purchases, so I pretty much limit my oil and oil filter purchases to what they carry. This also makes it a challenge, because of their limited selection...

That being said, I use the Fram Xtended Guard filters on these two vehicles. This past winter I used M1 0w-30 Advanced Fuel Economy. I made this selection because it is the only 0W oil my Walmart carries. This oil seemed to work pretty well for winter use in both cars. I also selected this because the Escape has this incredibly stupid and annoying feature of high-RPMs a few seconds after start up (to around 2,500 RPM), supposedly to warm the engine faster, and so I use the light-weight oil in the winter to try and limit cold-start engine wear despite the presence of this high-rev start-up feature (I wish I could take it to the Ford dealer and have it eliminated).

I'm now in the process of changing the oil over for summer use to the Shell Rotella T6 5w-40, which I read about on the BITOG forum. Changed it in the Tercel yesterday, and I did notice on my highly scientific butt dyno that the engine runs very smooth, which is especially noticeable during in-gear idle. It does not seem sluggish on this oil on the road, so this oil is a go in my little four banger.

I put this same oil in the Escape this morning and took it on a short trip, but don't notice any difference in performance/smooth-running of the vehicle compared to the Mobil 1 0w-30. Nonetheless I think I'm good to go with this oil in the Escape. Can't beat the price of T6 either, $19.50 (minus 10%) for the 4-quart jug, which is about $4.39 a quart.

My other car is a 1997 Nissan Maxima with about 40K on the odo. In this one I use Nissan oil filters, and she currently has M1 0w-30 with Lubrilon in it. I don't drive this car much, so she'll have this oil in her for a while during the Lubrilon cycle. Once this is over, I'm seriously thinking about breaking from the Walmart tradition and putting in Valvoline VV966 Synpower 5w-40 in the Maxima, that is if the price per quart isn't too high at the auto parts store. I've already been down the Amsoil Signature Series 0w-30 route at $10 a quart, and I'm not spending that much on oil. If the Valvoline VV966 is too much $$, I think the T6 Rotella is going in the Maxima. She isn't used much in the winter anyway. She stays in the garage except for once-monthly 10-mile runs from December to April.

I know this is the oil forum, but other stuff I do for all my vehicles include:
**ATF = Universal Synthetic ATF from Parts Plus (Sanel's), which is made by Amalie. I get with a 10% discount because I buy it by the case, and pay about $3.50 a quart for this.
**Brake Fluid = DOT 4 Prestone from Walmart
**Power Steering = Prestone No Squeal version for the Escape, Tercel has no power steering, and Maxima uses Synthetic ATF.
**Coolant = OEM recommendations
**Gas = Mobil or Shell (Shell V-Power only in the Maxima)
**Spark Plugs = Bosch Platinum IR Fusion
**Tires = All properly inflated
**Driving style = Conservative

That's about it. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Joe
 
Geez, too much read for a first post.


welcome2.gif
 
Although you did make a good point in there - why do some engines idle at 1500-2000 rpm when you start them up cold? So annoying, especially when they don't come down for a minute or two. I can't stand putting an automatic in gear with the idle above 1k.

When it is 80-90 degrees outside, I am not going to sit there for a minute and wait for the idle to come down. 10-20sec is the most for me when it is above 40!
 
Don't use Bosch spark plugs in the Maxima. Stick with OEM NGK plugs. The same holds true regarding OEM plugs in your other vehicles.

The Tercel probably came with Denso or NGK plugs from the factory.

Other than that, your vehicles seem to be very well taken care of.

Happy Motoring and welcome to BITOG>
 
Thanks for the spark plug advise Spartuss. I was going to change my Tercel's NGK's over to the Bosch, now maybe I won't bother.

The Maxima and Escape both seem to run extremely well on those Platinum IR Fusion plugs though...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JoeLiPetri
Thanks for the spark plug advise Spartuss. I was going to change my Tercel's NGK's over to the Bosch, now maybe I won't bother.

The Maxima and Escape both seem to run extremely well on those Platinum IR Fusion plugs though...


If it runs well on Bosch than keep them in there. If any problems with the way it runs start to occur, look into replacing the spark plugs for the OEM NGK.
 
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