There’s nothing worse than when your vehicle takes some unexpected time off. When you buy yourself a new ride, you want to keep it in tip-top shape so that it’s reliable when you need it. Waiting for funny sounds from under the hood and flashing lights on the dash is not going to be your best bet, especially if you’re travelling long distances or working in remote areas.
Another thing to consider is your vehicle’s factory warranty and extended coverages. In order to keep your vehicle covered by its warranty, you need to meet minimum servicing requirements found in your Owner’s Manual.
Not everyone is an auto maintenance expert. But here at Wood Wheaton, we do it for a living. Based on our experience, and the hundreds of vehicles that come to Wood Wheaton for repairs and maintenance each year, these are our recommended service intervals to keep your vehicle running at its best.
First thing’s first. Oil changes need to be done at least once a year, regardless of how much you drive. If you have a CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON alert on your dash, have the engine oil and filter changed within the next 1000 kms.
Oil Life Monitors
A vast number of vehicles on the road today have Oil Life Monitors, which is a handy indicator of when to get your oil changed. Keep in mind that your Oil Life Monitor is not measuring your oil level – you will still need to check on that dipstick under the hood. Average oil consumption sits around 1L every 3,200 kms (in a non-towing vehicle that is not being driven agressively).
What the Oil Life Monitor does is take several factors like mileage, time, engine speeds, and temperatures in order to recommend oil changes at the ideal time.
Wood Wheaton recommends you get your oil changed when your Oil Life Monitor is reading at 30%.
Note: Vehicles that operate in industrial environments (e.g. forestry, mining) require more frequent servicing, due to the risk of water/mud intrusion and the vehicle being worked harder than average.
These intervals are a baseline recommendation. All inspected items should be serviced or replaced as needed.
After the 120,000 kms service, intervals reset (as if the vehicle was back at 0 kms).
