I don’t want to read the manual-can I trust a shop?
Posted by Iartdaily@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 29 comments
Female- bought ford edge new jan2020. Due to Covid etc now have only 49k miles. My local shop said since I have synthetic oil I only need a yearly change because I don’t drive it much and not in harsh conditions-all true.. I’ve never had brakes and got new tires at Costco - Michelin 80k type. I do feel stupid asking this, but are brakes only needed when you start to notice problems i.e. squealing.? Also I do take the car every six months to get the tires rotated and now a new guy at my shop said I should still be getting the oil changed every three months even though I don’t drive it much. My friend said a cabin filter change is a waste of money. Well, it’s behind the glove box and not easy to get to so if it needs it, they have to do it for me. I want to maintain this vehicle and I trust my shop guys because I’ve been taking all my cars there for 20 years am I neglecting something? I don’t really have anyone else to ask.. oh and in other post I read they should be changing brake fluid, power steering fluid, but again the mileage doesn’t line up with the recommended times in the manual (per shop guy)… I hate car stuff please advise…
Mundane-Exercise6333@reddit
Oil change time is influenced by idle time, highway time, city driving, and more. Your vehicle should have an Oil Life reading in the Info menu. My Honda idles sometimes when I’m at work and thus needs more frequent oil changes. Even if you only drove 1000 miles a year you should still change the oil due to time. Cabin filter is actually not a bad job you can do yourself and it cheap. Find a YouTube video. I did mine in less than 5 minutes for $21. Tire rotations align with my oil changes but every 3000-6000 miles is a general rule for rotating them. Google search with Ai also has most of the answers these days. Not sure if that Edge has brake pad wear sensors but if so you’ll see “BRAKE” pop up in the cluster in red. Otherwise when they rotate the tire ask them to look at the pad thickness and rotor wear. Good luck 🍀
Iartdaily@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your kind reply.
MountainFace2774@reddit
Buys a new car. Wants to maintain it. Doesn't trust the mechanic. Refuses to read the documentation that came with this very expensive purchase that literally gives the requested information (available as a PDF on your phone and you can search for exactly what you need). Makes a Reddit post that took more time than just looking it up in the manual.
Dear lord...
Iartdaily@reddit (OP)
Rude AF
Hash-82@reddit
Guy at the tire shop is no oil expert.
Once a year is fine if you don't hit the miles.
Once a year is not bad for the CAF, either.
That depends a lot on your environment.
Dust or humidity are both good reasons to change it sooner rather than later.
Brake fluid is age, not miles.
The brake fluid pulls moisture out of the air - which ruins it.
It will do that sitting or driving.
I generally consider power steering fluid "as needed".
Your manual may say differently.
Fancy_Chip_5620@reddit
I can think of like 5 newer vehicles that even use power steering fluid
Hash-82@reddit
2018 MKT (Flex with a body kit) was the last gasser I bought.
I don't know if it had power steering fluid either.
I put one set of spark plugs in it, and traded it off at 180K miles for a Tesla.
Oh, and serviced the transmission once @ 100K.
Fancy_Chip_5620@reddit
Mostly everything these days has electric power steering aside from 3/4 ton and up trucks
NorthSpecialist6064@reddit
Power steering fluid, lol. Has Ford used anything but electric steering since 2014?
QueenAlpaca@reddit
The cabin air filter is easy. Yes it’s behind the glove box, but there’s only a couple things to pop and it’s out. Could likely find the walk-through on YouTube. I’ll say from experience that a clogged cabin filter can impact how much heat gets into the cabin, and mileage doesn’t necessarily denote usage, as I’ve had to change my cabin filter (and engine air) a couple times under 10k miles because the air is not that clean, or if it’s dry or ashy out from local wildfires they clog up quickly. If you hold a filter up to a light source and still can see light come through, the filter’s fine. If you can’t, it’s time for a change.
random8765309@reddit
Get the oil changes when the maintenance light goes on. That is the best way. The 3000 mile change hasn't been needed in decades. It's on used to sell more oil changes.
Spring__Warrior@reddit
A modern car will run for a very long time with almost no maintenance. For example oil: you should change it every 3ish months and every 3-5k miles, but a car will run for years and 10's of thousands of miles (potentially) without any oil change at all. This will eventually kill the engine but it is possible and people do it all the time. You dont ever have to change the cabin air filter, you will just breathe air that is filtered through a 6 year old paper filter that's probably become a sheet of mold. You dont have to ever change your transmission fluid you can just get a new one when your transmission starts shifting funny. Or you can get a new car, maybe it will be at 75k miles, maybe it will be at 200k. A car is a depreciating asset and so there is an argument to be made that since they can run for so long with subpar maintenance it is ideal to do so. At the end of the day you have to decide if maintaining your vehicle is worth it to you or not.
Iartdaily@reddit (OP)
Thanks. I understand this.
AwarenessGreat282@reddit
"New guy" is dead wrong. That's a money grabber. The Edge has an oil change tracker that pops up when you are due an oil change according to the manual. It may be three months to a year as it's based on how many miles and how hard those miles are. Just follow that and don't exceed one year. When you get the oil changed, have the tires rotated and the brakes inspected. Same with the air filters and wiper blades. Depending on how dusty an environment you drive in, those air filters generally last 30K miles.
Iartdaily@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
lpg975@reddit
A once a year oil change is fine, depending on how many miles you drive in a year. A cabin filter should be changed once a year. Brake fluid can last multiple years. Your car probably has electric power steering, so no power steering fluid. You should be using synthetic oil because it's stupid not to these days and most modern engines require it anyway. Also, don't be helpless. Read the damn manual.
Iartdaily@reddit (OP)
lol I know I’m just extremely overwhelmed with some life stuff and my anxiety keeps me from focusing on things I don’t find enjoyable. And cars… I hate car stuff… I’m in medicine and when people say, I don’t know anything about medicine or the body. I say I get it because I don’t know anything about cars or car maintenance and I don’t want to lol
gstringstrangler@reddit
3 month oil changes not based on mileage is a straight up scam. One year or whatever the mileage suggested by the maker, whichever comes first.
Brakes generally don't squeal because there's a problem, that is the wear indicator telling you you will need new brakes soon.
Fancy_Chip_5620@reddit
I advise you to stop listening to other people and write the rules you yourself will adhere to on your own car
Oil change every 5k miles and order your filters online in advance that way they artn sold to you at an exorbitant markup
when you bring it in for an oil change have the filters ready for them to install
XOM_CVX@reddit
Life of brake pad varies from person to person.
I usually don't have to change them until 100k but I drive mostly highway miles and I do anticipate the light changes so I don't use brake pads at all.
While I have seen two foot drivers who accelerates while they have foot on their brakes. They will eat up brake pads like every 20k.
wpmason@reddit
You don’t have to read the manual cover to cover. Just go to maintenance schedule… it’s a quick reference chart.
Snap a few pictures of it and then it can be on your phone forever.
That’s it.
I tell everyone that they should never pay anyone to change air filters (engine and cabin) because those tasks are usually quite simple and require minimal tools (maybe a screwdriver).
It takes a few minutes to watch a YouTube video showing your car and then you know how. Money saved for as long as you own the car.
Brakes wear out with usage. (Imagine a pencil eraser slowly disappearing.) The only way to truly know their condition is to look at them. They are supposed to squeak when they’re close to gone, but that’s not always reliable.
The bottom line though, is this. If you really care, you should be willing to do the work of learning.
Stedlieye@reddit
Seconding the cabin air filter. It’s usually too easy to do to pay someone else to do it. Depending on your car, it’s a $20 part that takes 5 minutes to change, requires basic tools if any tools at all, and you’ll pay at least $50 to have someone else do it.
tnsipla@reddit
Harsh or severe conditions generally includes stop and go traffic (aka driving within a town or city) as spending a lot of time idling, sitting in traffic, or lower speeds means that you’re not getting as much air or heat in the engine. The result of this is that you’re building up carbon, fuel, and moisture in the oil and engine that don’t really get burned out or evaporated.
Squealing brakes means that your wear indicators are getting it, and it’s time to get new pads. This is just the brake pads though, and if you need new rotors or brake fluid, this is not the same indicator. Brake fluid is a 2-3 year, since it sucks up moisture over time, and while the fluid isn’t compressible, water vapor is. You want to get this changed so that you still have good braking grip and don’t corrode your brake lines.
This car has electric power steering, so it doesn’t have any fluid that needs replacing for that, but there may be other fluids that you want to replace depending on what’s recommended in your service manual, like transmission, radiator, or differential fluid.
slingshotcoyote@reddit
Good grief.
HDauthentic@reddit
“I don’t want to read the manual”
Then why would I care about giving you advice on your car?
phil161@reddit
By not reading the manual, you are the ideal target for fleecing by dishonest mechanics. As u/rainbow said, read the manual. It will save you a lot of money.
dcabe1210@reddit
Idk who the new guy is but he's trying to rip you off. 3 months for synthetic oil changes is wild. 12 months I'd say is common for synthetic oil changes. Brakes dont just go bad with time unless they get rusty. When you do your 12 month oil change have them do an inspection on brake and suspension components. Probably wouldn't hurt to have the cabin air filter done once a year either.
Ineedathiccie@reddit
Follow the schedule in the manual. Once a year is a good idea with oil if you don't hit the mileage suggestion, but more frequent than that is usually a waste. For how infrequently you drive, your first brake job may be coming up, but it can depend based on driving styles, climate, etc.
After 5 years, especially with how little you drive, the brakes should be fully flushed and refilled. Brake fluid absorbs water, even more quickly in a car that doesn't get driven much. You likely don't have power steering fluid at all (electric rack/pinion I believe)
Rainbow-Lucerne@reddit
Sorry but I think you’re going to need to read the manual. There’s a table of contents and you can find exactly where the maintenance schedule is so you don’t have to parse through the whole thing. Also, I use the CarFax Care app and it helps me keep track of things