Am I an autochondriac?

[LilPartyBox]

Aren't we all?
Autochondriac - one who tends to worry endlessly, extremely about his/her car.

I wonder sometimes if my maintenance intervals are exceedingly short. I don't worry needlessly, per say, but I do change things often. Maybe too often. Spark plugs for instance. Word on the Googles is that an iridium plug should last at least 60k mile or even 100k! Which means at 77k I should've changed my plugs to iridium once and almost never again. I don't have the stomach to leave plugs in for 100k. That just sounds insane to the autochondriac, no? I've changed them 3 times since i got the car and I'm contemplating my next change this summer (with Whoosh coils). I'm also considering changing my brake fluid every single year whether i have any symptoms or not.

I mean, there's a fine line bn preventative maintenance and just wasting time & money. I've been progressively increasing some of my intervals cuz it's starting to feel like i'm flirting with that line. What intervals are you guys using for most of you stuff?

Pasted from my maintenance log:

7/15/2017 -- 19,175 -- NGK Iridium Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11
11/3/2018 -- 35,340
8/15/2021 -- 61,484

1/27/2018 -- 26,131 -- Amsoil brake fluid flush
7/21/2019 -- 41,098
8/15/2021 -- 61,484

 

[WannabeST]

I'm pretty sure I have a similar problem to yours. On my street/track car integra that I owned and raced for 6 years my maintenance was really frequent. I would do roughly 10 big track road course events a year, not counting canyon runs and small go kart track racing. I would change my oil after every track day or 3 canyons runs or go kart track trips. I would change my spark plugs, brake, clutch, trans fluids every 5 events. Most other items like brakes, and tires were addressed as needed. But I went crazy on the maintenance and everyone was telling me I was over doing it, but the car was extremely reliable up until the last few months of owning it.
On my daily drivers I do a lot of maintenance items at 1 year marks, to make sure all the fluids are fresh and running smoothly. Plus consistent maintenance gives you a good idea on what items are wearing next. If you are only looking at the car every 50k miles, there may be lots of caked up debris that disguises items that are going bad.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Aren't we all?
Autochondriac - one who tends to worry endlessly, extremely about his/her car.

I wonder sometimes if my maintenance intervals are exceedingly short. I don't worry needlessly, per say, but I do change things often. Maybe too often. Spark plugs for instance. Word on the Googles is that an iridium plug should last at least 60k mile or even 100k! Which means at 77k I should've changed my plugs to iridium once and almost never again. I don't have the stomach to leave plugs in for 100k. That just sounds insane to the autochondriac, no? I've changed them 3 times since i got the car and I'm contemplating my next change this summer (with Whoosh coils). I'm also considering changing my brake fluid every single year whether i have any symptoms or not.

I mean, there's a fine line bn preventative maintenance and just wasting time & money. I've been progressively increasing some of my intervals cuz it's starting to feel like i'm flirting with that line. What intervals are you guys using for most of you stuff?

Pasted from my maintenance log:

Spark plugs is easy to address. Yes, iridium spark plugs last and *work* for a really long time, but they do wear and the plug gap will open up over that 60-100k miles.

What you should do for a tuned engine instead of just replacing them all the time is pop them out, check the plug gap and regap them if necessary.

Changing brake fluid often yearly won’t hurt anything and is fine - some people flush every track day.

Changing oil all the time isn’t necessarily great because oil PH starts out as a buffered alkaline state. Once the additives run out it will become more acidic. If you’re changing frequently for track days, a long life oil might not be the best choice - use a shorter life heavy duty race oil.

If you must, send your oil for analysis to find out exactly how fast your oil is degrading. And upsize your oil filter.

 

[Capri to ST]

I sometimes say I have car OCD, which is basically another term for what you are talking about. Here are the maintenance intervals that I have done or will be doing for my low mileage car, driven about 3500 to 4000 miles a year, and my comparison to what the factory recommendation is. I would rather over maintain than under maintain within reason, and enjoy driving a well-maintained car, and get some piece of mind from the hope that it will be more reliable
The factory recommended intervals would obviously be ridiculously long for a car like mine, it would take me over 30 years for example to get to 150k miles, the factory recommended interval for transmission fluid replacement, at which point I would be about 150 years old-

- Oil & filter every year (also factory rec for a low mileage car)
- Air filter- every year (factory rec is 30k)
- Cabin filter- 20k (same as factory rec)
- Brake flush every 2 years (no factory rec)
- Clutch flush every 4 years (no factory rec)
- Coolant flush every 3 years (factory rec is 6 yr/100k for first, then 3yr/ 50k)
- Tranny fluid every 50,000 (factory rec 150k)
- Spark plugs every 60,000 (factory rec is 100k)

Also, belts and hoses at 75k, (half the factory rec for belts, no rec for hoses)

 

[M-Sport fan]

I tend to (at least used to) go overkill on engine oil and manual transmission fluid.

I swap out the Ravenol MTF-2 every 8K-10K miles, and engine oil and filter (despite using some of the best stuff out there and NOT open tracking the car) every 3K-4K miles.

IF I had a way to flush out the brake/clutch system totally, I would do that every year to year and a half.

But, just like in the other thread, I just cannot find a shop/dealer who is capable of doing this, especially without hemming and hawing, making excuses, refusing to use my fluid choice, and/or charging a Ferrari/McLaren labor rate to do this simple (IF one has the tools/facility/lift/'legal' location to get it done) maintenance procedure.

Some of their 'writers' even try to explain to/convince me that this (as well as gearbox fluid!!) are "Factory fills FOR LIFE".

 

[scooter123]

I have a 1985 Monte Carlo SS sitting in my garage, bought it new off the showroom floor. It's on it's 3rd engine and 3rd transmission but thinking on it I don't think I have ever flushed the brake system. Been bled many times when replacing a caliper or wheel cylinder but I'm certain that there is still some brake fluid present from 1985. Brakes still work as well as they did when it was new. Which for these cars wasn't that good, use both feet on the brake pedal (they are power assist) and the car will NOT lock the wheels on dry pavement. I suspect it was an early attempt by GM to make anti lock brakes by limiting the pressure produced. It worked OK on the street but if you tried to do Autocross you had to brake a bit early and that cost time.

 

[WannabeST]

I have a 1985 Monte Carlo SS sitting in my garage, bought it new off the showroom floor. It's on it's 3rd engine and 3rd transmission but thinking on it I don't think I have ever flushed the brake system. Been bled many times when replacing a caliper or wheel cylinder but I'm certain that there is still some brake fluid present from 1985. Brakes still work as well as they did when it was new. Which for these cars wasn't that good, use both feet on the brake pedal (they are power assist) and the car will NOT lock the wheels on dry pavement. I suspect it was an early attempt by GM to make anti lock brakes by limiting the pressure produced. It worked OK on the street but if you tried to do Autocross you had to brake a bit early and that cost time.

Most cars are on the street have either rarely or never had the brake fluid changed. You won't really run into a problem with old fluid on the street as long as there is no air pockets in the system. Where you will easily expose old fluid is on track or on a mountain road where you are continuously using the brakes. Over time your brake fluid gets water from moisture, so overtime you are dropping your boiling point for the fluid. Your brake lines could technically be filled with water, but the heat capacity would be almost nothing. If you have bled the entire system multiple times tho, I strongly doubt there is still old fluid in there from the 80s

 

[Dialcaliper]

I sometimes say I have car OCD, which is basically another term for what you are talking about. Here are the maintenance intervals that I have done or will be doing for my low mileage car, driven about 3500 to 4000 miles a year, and my comparison to what the factory recommendation is. I would rather over maintain than under maintain within reason, and enjoy driving a well-maintained car, and get some piece of mind from the hope that it will be more reliable
The factory recommended intervals would obviously be ridiculously long for a car like mine, it would take me over 30 years for example to get to 150k miles, the factory recommended interval for transmission fluid replacement, at which point I would be about 150 years old-

- Oil & filter every year (also factory rec for a low mileage car)
- Air filter- every year (factory rec is 30k)
- Cabin filter- 20k (same as factory rec)
- Brake flush every 2 years (no factory rec)
- Clutch flush every 4 years (no factory rec)
- Coolant flush every 3 years (factory rec is 6 yr/100k for first, then 3yr/ 50k)
- Tranny fluid every 50,000 (factory rec 150k)
- Spark plugs every 60,000 (factory rec is 100k)

Also, belts and hoses at 75k, (half the factory rec for belts, no rec for hoses)

As I mentioned, it’s worth sending your oil out for analysis - the kits from companies like Wix or Blackstone cost about half of a single oil change ($20-40), so there’s no reason not to figure out if the frequent changes are actually needed (or to find out if you’re potentially not doing it often enough for example with a car that gets tracked/driven hard but also sits for periods in between).

Other times you may find out that what you actually need to do is change your filter more frequently than your oil.

If you really want to know, they’ll also look at other fluids (transmission, gear, even coolant). Its really better to just find out for reals and make a good plan instead of just worrying about it all the time and changing it blindly based on mileage

 

[gtx3076]

I'm the opposite. I enjoy cars, but I don't baby them.

 

[Capri to ST]

As I mentioned, it’s worth sending your oil out for analysis - the kits from companies like Wix or Blackstone cost about half of a single oil change ($20-40), so there’s no reason not to figure out if the frequent changes are actually needed (or to find out if you’re potentially not doing it often enough for example with a car that gets tracked/driven hard but also sits for periods in between).

Other times you may find out that what you actually need to do is change your filter more frequently than your oil.

If you really want to know, they’ll also look at other fluids (transmission, gear, even coolant). Its really better to just find out for reals and make a good plan instead of just worrying about it all the time and changing it blindly based on mileage

Thanks for the information. I'm changing my oil more based on time, at one year, rather than based on a certain mileage. I figure after a year the additives are starting to become less effective.
However, basing it on an actual analysis would obviously be a lot more precise.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I would have to say just about every enthusiast is!

 

[LilPartyBox]

...Plus consistent maintenance gives you a good idea on what items are wearing next. If you are only looking at the car every 50k miles, there may be lots of caked up debris that disguises items that are going bad.

Exactly my thought.

Spark plugs is easy to address. Yes, iridium spark plugs last and *work* for a really long time, but they do wear and the plug gap will open up over that 60-100k miles.

What you should do for a tuned engine instead of just replacing them all the time is pop them out, check the plug gap and regap them if necessary.

Changing brake fluid often yearly won’t hurt anything and is fine - some people flush every track day.

Changing oil all the time isn’t necessarily great because oil PH starts out as a buffered alkaline state. Once the additives run out it will become more acidic. If you’re changing frequently for track days, a long life oil might not be the best choice - use a shorter life heavy duty race oil.

If you must, send your oil for analysis to find out exactly how fast your oil is degrading. And upsize your oil filter.

Ugh gapping Iridiums requires such a gentle touch. Ur right tho. Maybe what I'll do is buy a set to have on deck just in case I snap an electrode with my huge muscles.

I used to be an Amsoil dealer and the myth of 3,000 mile oil changes is long dead. That's the one thing I've finally trained myself to wait on. I do them now at around 8k. And i do the filter each time cuz the autochondriac in me says so

I sometimes say I have car OCD, which is basically another term for what you are talking about. Here are the maintenance intervals that I have done or will be doing for my low mileage car, driven about 3500 to 4000 miles a year, and my comparison to what the factory recommendation is. I would rather over maintain than under maintain within reason, and enjoy driving a well-maintained car, and get some piece of mind from the hope that it will be more reliable
The factory recommended intervals would obviously be ridiculously long for a car like mine, it would take me over 30 years for example to get to 150k miles, the factory recommended interval for transmission fluid replacement, at which point I would be about 150 years old-

- Oil & filter every year (also factory rec for a low mileage car)
- Air filter- every year (factory rec is 30k)
- Cabin filter- 20k (same as factory rec)
- Brake flush every 2 years (no factory rec)
- Clutch flush every 4 years (no factory rec)
- Coolant flush every 3 years (factory rec is 6 yr/100k for first, then 3yr/ 50k)
- Tranny fluid every 50,000 (factory rec 150k)
- Spark plugs every 60,000 (factory rec is 100k)

Also, belts and hoses at 75k, (half the factory rec for belts, no rec for hoses)

Your schedule actually includes a bit more than what i do. I have yet to flush the coolant. I've only ever topped it off. The car has never overheated but I should still get on that this summer.

The tranny I've done twice already and have the next fill sitting on a shelf.

I also clean and relube my cone filter every summer.

I don't really touch the cabin filter till it starts to stink. lol It no make car fastahh

I tend to (at least used to) go overkill on engine oil and manual transmission fluid.

I swap out the Ravenol MTF-2 every 8K-10K miles, and engine oil and filter (despite using some of the best stuff out there and NOT open tracking the car) every 3K-4K miles.

IF I had a way to flush out the brake/clutch system totally, I would do that every year to year and a half.

But, just like in the other thread, I just cannot find a shop/dealer who is capable of doing this, especially without hemming and hawing, making excuses, refusing to use my fluid choice, and/or charging a Ferrari/McLaren labor rate to do this simple (IF one has the tools/facility/lift/'legal' location to get it done) maintenance procedure.

Some of their 'writers' even try to explain to/convince me that this (as well as gearbox fluid!!) are "Factory fills FOR LIFE".

Wow you drain the tranny pretty much every year. You win the OCD challenge lol

I know you've seen us talk about the Motive Power Bleeder around here. Just try it. If you don't like I'm sure you can sell it here in a day.

I'm the opposite. I enjoy cars, but I don't baby them.

With that attitude you won't be enjoying them for long mister

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^I only put ~5K to 6K miles (at MOST) on this car every year, so longer than a year for the transaxle fluid changes.

You are correct on the 3K mile OCI being dead, given today's great oils (even the 'on the shelf at Walmart' synthetics, let alone the 'boutique' ones like Amsoil, Ravenol, LiquiMoly, etc., etc.).

But, even the best of them, with the highest starting TBNs, and top tier detergent/dispersant add packs, will have a hard time standing up to severe winter short tripping before becoming contaminated with blow-by acids/fuel/etc., at least when their OCI mileage gets up over 6K-7K miles.

(So YES, my oil changes are way too soon/maniacally OCD, even given my 'severe service' short tripping, and use of the best oils out there.)

In any case, yes, those who say to get an oil analysis to know for sure, are absolutely correct.

BTW; I would attempt the brake/clutch fluid flush myself with a (Motive or otherwise) bleeder, but there is just no way whatsoever, for me to have the car up on jackstands, with wheels off, at all, where I currently live.

 

[LilPartyBox]

oh yeeeahhh you deal with HOA hell. I know that HOA life. So we sold & GTFO! lol

 

[Sprinkle_Star]

When dealing with coolant, I test its freezing point annually before the temperatures get near freezing.

I replace both air filters annually, and I replace the oil filter every 4,000 to 5,000 miles.

DCT fluid is replaced every four years or 40,000 miles per my own wishes... I've heard 60,000 mile intervals is acceptable.

Someone on this thread gave very good advice regarding the re-gapping of plugs; I never considered that before, so thank you.

brake fluid is flushed whenever I change pads and rotors since it's a sealed system if I'm not mistaken.

I also rotate the tires with every oil change, so every 4,000 to 5,000 miles

the battery gets changed every three years unless it still shows good test results.

one overlooked maintenance item I was just discussing the other day on here has to do with ensuring that the caliper pins are exhibiting smooth operation. I've decided to add that to my annual maintenance list: clean and lube slider pins

This is my daily driver, and I do zero track runs with my ST