I took curbs to get an oil change at Mr. Lube today and of course I was ready for the reps to offer their “strongly recommended services”. You see, I am used to doing my own automobile maintenance. My dad used to deprive us of our sleep-in weekends to help him do whatever chores he can think of – especially regarding our fleet of cars. And so, I am pretty much familiar on what needs to be serviced and when. However, since I do not have my own a garage, I am pretty much at the mercy of these grease monkeys.

The actual point of this post (where I am writing this for my own sake of remembering) is that much of all my knowledge of maintaining domestic vehicles is pretty much useless since Curby has a foreign engine inside (Pontiac Vibe’s have a GM shell but a have Toyota Matrix engine). The Mr. Lube tech was also surprised as he suggested the usual industry guidelines of services and replacement parts.

Tip: if you are unsure when or if certain things need to be serviced, DO NOT let it show on your face or they will JUMP on it with overpriced services that can probably wait.

(regardless, all of these services and replacements are required eventually).

So, with most GM, Ford, or Chrysler vehicles that I am intimately familiar with, the following are typical items that need to be services.

– Air filters (including cabin)
– Oil & filter
– Fuel filter
– Emission (PCV) Valve
– Transmission fluid change
– Coolant fluid change
– Differential fluid change
– Headlights, tail lights
– Wiper blades
– Lubes
– Battery
– Tire Rotation*
– Break dust cleaning*

The above are the typical service items Mr. Lube can take care of (with a few exceptions*). With the exception of the major fluid changes (transmission, coolant, and fuel filter), you can easily save HALF as much money by doing your own Air filters, wiper blades, lights, PCV valve, and oil (if you don’t mind getting a little messy). If you do it all yourself, you can save money…..this is starting to be a rant….

HOWEVER, with a Toyota engine, I don’t have to worry about:
– Fuel filter change (built-in the engine)
– Emission (PCV) valve (built-in)
– Differential Fluid Change (don’t have to worry about it)
– Spark plugs (supposedly, built-in)

You gotta love those Toyota engines.

Curby is about 5 years and a couple months old right now with around 103,500 KM (all paid off too as of last November). I haven’t had ANY problems (aside from a warranty-covered cruise control fix) and the yearly auto maintenance is fairly decent with two brake work jobs done and a new set of tires under his belt. Living in a climate friendly, no-salted-roads in the winter makes the car still look relatively new and rust free.

We (or I) hope to keep Curby around for a long time.

On another note, the one thing that I do like about these types of quicky-lube services is essentially the convenience. More significantly, the environmental disposal of fluids and the hassle-free worry of having the right parts and tools. Sure, you can spend half your morning (or weekend) at Canadian Tire and the rest of your day servicing your car and then driving to the waste disposal center, but personally; I would prefer to be doing something else. Perhaps one day, if I did have a house and more than two cars, it might be worthwhile to invest in having my own auto-shop

(uhhh shuddder, I see myself turning into my dad – greasy old work clothes and all).

My Automobile services log
– Oil/filter done
– Air filters still good, change them later
– Transmission fluid changed in Nov. 07 (good for a year or two)
– Coolant fluid changed in Jan. 09 (don’t have to worry about that for a couple of years)
– Tires still good
– Wiper blades changed
– Monitor battery