How To Optimize Your Car Maintenance Schedule With Odometer Readings

As any experienced driver or automotive expert will tell you, investing in proper car maintenance pays dividends, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in system repairs and part replacements, and keeping your vehicle running smoothly for years to come.

In fact, according to a 2022 news report, one Ontario man has managed to keep his 2000 Toyota Sienna van running for nearly 1-million kilometres!

“It’s all about maintenance,” Mark Inthiar told CTV News (Foran, 2022). “At 930,000 kilometres, I think it’s just getting broken in.”

If you want to get this kind of mileage out of your ride without overpaying for unnecessary upkeep services, you’ve come to the right place.

Read on to learn how to use odometer readings to optimize your car maintenance for your unique driving needs, or contact your local TIRECRAFT to create a personalized maintenance schedule with our team.

How To Use Odometer Readings To Assess Car Maintenance Needs

While all vehicle manufacturers provide recommended maintenance schedules, the best upkeep plans are personalized to the individual, factoring in their unique driving demands. Most owner’s manuals tell you as much.

“Because of the way people use vehicles, maintenance needs vary,” states the 2023 Cadillac Escalade owner’s manual. “There may need to be more frequent checks and services.”

Not only do driving amounts vary greatly from one person to the next, but the way we drive varies, too. For example, if you use your vehicle in a way that requires extended idling time, or you make lots of short trips, you may require service sooner.

For this reason, relying purely on time-based maintenance service intervals is not ideal. After all, while it might make sense for some people to book an oil change every 3 months, that same recommendation won’t apply if you’ve hardly driven since your last service. Likewise, if you’ve been driving a lot more than usual, you might need to change your oil sooner.

Accordingly, to protect your vehicle systems and warranty coverage, we recommend factoring in your odometer reading when creating a maintenance schedule.

Good news: it’s easy. Just follow these simple odometer guidelines:

• Book preventative maintenance services and oil changes every 3 months or after 5,000km of driving
• Book a tire rotation every 6 months or after 10,000km of driving
• Book a wheel balancing service, brake inspection, and alignment check every 12 months or after 20,000km of driving
• Book a cooling system check, engine service, and transmission inspection every 24 months or after 40,000km of driving

Additionally, every hour of idling time should be deemed the same as 53km of driving.

Scheduling maintenance based on odometer readings is not a perfect system—for example, vehicles that are regularly used for short trips or that consistently operate in high-dust environments will need more frequent service than the odometer suggests—but it’s a marked improvement over time-based service intervals. And if you need more precise estimates, your friendly neighborhood TIRECRAFT tech is here to help!

Save On Car Maintenance: Contact Your Local TIRECRAFT

For more help setting up a personalized car maintenance schedule, get in touch with your local TIRECRAFT. Our friendly technicians are standing by to help you optimize your upkeep schedule, free of charge, and we give all of our customers more ways to save with competitive pricing, customer rewards, and exclusive service promotions.

References

Foran, P. (2022, May 17). Ontario man’s van has travelled nearly 1M kilometres. Here’s his secret. CTV News.

Back